“Girls” in Name Only: A Study of American Red Cross Volunteers On the Frontlines of World War II

Abstract

This thesis reviews the wartime contributions and achievements of the women who volunteered for the American Red Cross during World War II driving Clubmobiles along the frontlines in the European theatre. The work posits that the American Red Cross worked hard to establish these women as safe and non-threatening to the social norms of the time. In so doing, it allowed these women to gain access to battle and combat to an extent no American women had before. In addition, the women who filled these roles were usually strong, independent, and capable and generally much more than the “girls” the American Red Cross sought and promoted.