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Towards Maximum Efficiency: Erie Proving Ground and the Local Struggle to Win a Global War

Dahnke, Caroline Bess
http://orcid.org/0009-0007-6348-3846
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1687179745484643

Abstract Details

2023, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, History.
This study represents a historical analysis of Erie Proving Ground in LaCarne, Ohio, from its inception until the end of World War II. From its roots as a small proofing facility attached to Camp Perry, it grew to become one of the most important Ordnance facilities in the country. It was responsible for the testing and shipping of over 70% of the mobile artillery and armament used by the United States and its Allies under Lend-Lease. This work uses newly uncovered primary sources and documentation from the Ordnance Department to reveal the astounding output achieved at this location during the critical war period. Despite constant personnel attrition and a facility expansion that swelled the site from 44 buildings in 1918 to 374 structures by 1943, Erie Proving Ground proofed and shipped artillery worth an estimated two million dollars each day, delivering them to battlefields in every theatre of the war. These documents show that this output was achieved because of the complete integration of the local community, Ordnance officials, and employees into the operational objectives of Erie Proving Ground. When selective service and volunteer enlistment winnowed the pool of experienced workers, women, African Americans, and former prisoners of war were brought in to fill the employment rolls, allowing them to achieve “maximum efficiency.” The management at this site developed habits of cooperation with the local community which resulted in the creation of roads, bridges, and housing that could accommodate the needs of Erie Proving Ground and its employees. They also used targeted strategies, propaganda, and occasional falsehoods to motivate and retain this diverse workforce. This work adds to the historiography of the Homefront during World War II, the role of women, African Americans, and prisoners of war in defense work during this era, and the impact of military installations on local communities. It also uncovers the importance of a facility whose impact on the community can still be felt almost eight decades later.
Benjamin Greene, Ph.D (Committee Chair)
Rebecca Mancuso, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
126 p.
History; World History
Ordnance history; artillery; Proving Ground; World War 2; Homefront; Rosie the Riveter; African Americans in World War 2; Prisoners of War;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Dahnke, C. B. (2023). Towards Maximum Efficiency: Erie Proving Ground and the Local Struggle to Win a Global War [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1687179745484643

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Dahnke, Caroline. Towards Maximum Efficiency: Erie Proving Ground and the Local Struggle to Win a Global War. 2023. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1687179745484643.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Dahnke, Caroline. "Towards Maximum Efficiency: Erie Proving Ground and the Local Struggle to Win a Global War." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1687179745484643

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1687179745484643
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© 2023, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.