Civilian Air Defense of Norfolk, Virginia, During the Second World War

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.