The World War II years were a time of growth and productivity for the Baltimore area, and the city contributed significantly to the Allied war effort. Baltimore launched the first of the famed Liberty ships, the SS Patrick Henry, which was constructed at the Bethlehem-Fairfield yard. The Baltimore area also produced many advanced military aircraft such as the B-26 Marauder, built at the Glenn L. Martin plant in Middle River. At Camp Holabird, the army first tested the world-famous jeep and trained the soldiers who kept the jeeps and other army vehicles running. Coast Guard sailors trained at Fort McHenry and Curtis Bay before heading to combat or stateside duties. Baltimore sent plenty of its own men and women abroad to take the fight directly to the enemy in every theatre of war. Through wartime photographs, this volume tells the story of Baltimoreans engaged in the war effort--men and women, the young and old, lifelong residents and newcomers--from a variety of racial and religious backgrounds, all working together toward victory.

V. R. Cardozier provides a comprehensive and engaging look at the role played by colleges and universities in World War II, the contributions they made to the war effort, and the impact of the war on higher education institutions. He captures the wartime mood and spirit of the American people, something that is not easy to convey to younger readers who did not directly experience these times. During the war, American colleges and universities were dedicated to serving the needs of the military and all agencies of the government through training, research, and service. The Army, Navy, and Army Air Forces College Training Programs are discussed in separate chapters. Cardozier examines many adjustments colleges made: accelerating their calendars, adapting to losses in enrollment, and changing the curriculum. Military training programs on campuses and how they differed from college training programs are described, as well as the impact of the war on faculty: depletion of the teaching ranks, wartime research on campus, and faculty in the military and government service, especially in OSRD and OSS. The final chapter examines the overall impact of the war on higher education, such as financial problems due to loss of enrollment, issues of academic freedom, academic credit for military service, the GI Bill, and changes in curricula, teaching tools, and campus cultures.

As Hitler prepared for and then carried out his assault on Western Europe in the late 1930s through 1941, the U.S. military was severely undermanned; the army was ranked only 19th worldwide in size. For the most part the American public followed an isolationist line, feeling that Hitler's aggression was a European problem that did not affect the United States. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 abruptly ended America's isolation, and the country rapidly prepared for a world war on two fronts. Industries converted seemingly overnight to the production of war material, while government agencies sprang up to oversee the mobilization effort. For the first time, women entered the work force on a large scale; others joined the military services, primarily as nurses or in support roles. The military quickly regained its strength, rising to 8 million members by 1945. Patriotism on the home front was fueled by enthusiastic news reports of American victories. This is the story of the successes and failures of the United States in mobilizing for and at the same time fighting a world war.

As unique as the city it describes, Annapolis, City on the Severn builds on the most recent scholarship and offers readers a fascinating portrait into the past of this great city.