Date of Award
Spring 1988
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
History
Committee Director
Peter C. Stewart
Committee Member
D. Alan Harris
Committee Member
Patrick Rollins
Call Number for Print
Special Collections LD4331.H47 T625
Abstract
This thesis traces the history of the civilian air defense program in Norfolk, Virginia, between October 1941 and December 1943. It evaluates the capability of Norfolk's civilian air defense organization to respond to attacks by the German Luftwaffe and assesses the effectiveness of Norfolk's civilian air defense organization in mobilizing and preparing the public for such attacks. The major source documents for this paper include the Norfolk War History Commission papers and the three community newspapers: The Virginian-Pilot, the Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch, and the Norfolk Journal and Guide.
Norfolk's civilian air defense organization was unable to maximize the effectiveness of the civilian air defense volunteers and the public to meet the anticipated threat. When public support for air defense was strong at the outset of the war, coordination between federal, state, and military organizations was poor and air defense equipment was unavailable. When coordination improved and equipment became available, public support for civilian air defense activities had disappeared.
Rights
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
DOI
10.25777/sf0c-b179
Recommended Citation
Tonneson, Larry E..
"Civilian Air Defense of Norfolk, Virginia, During the Second World War"
(1988). Master of Arts (MA), Thesis, History, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/sf0c-b179
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/history_etds/279