No Quarters

Chicks with Guns

I have been enjoying surfing through the archives of the Library of Cogress.

The images in the Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information Collection are among the most famous documentary photographs ever produced. Created by a group of U.S. government photographers, the images show Americans in every part of the nation. In the early years, the project emphasized rural life and the negative impact of the Great Depression, farm mechanization, and the Dust Bowl. In later years, the photographers turned their attention to the mobilization effort for World War II. The core of the collection consists of about 164,000 black-and-white photographs. This release provides access to over 160,000 of these images; future additions will expand the black-and-white offering. The FSA-OWI photographers also produced about 1600 color photographs during the latter days of the project.

Most show the horror of the depression. They also show sides of this country that many may never have seen. I came across these pictures of what is called a "Victory Corp". I had never heard of them before and information on a gov program that lasted two short years is hard to find.


Victory Corps, tomorrow's defenders of liberty. Standing at ease are uniformed high school Victory Corps girls on the rifle team. Riflery is one of the many war-time training activities offered by the Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles, California.

I did find this short blurb on a Maryland educational website

As Americans became more involved in the escalation of World War II, volunteer organizations began to form. Seeing the need for high school students to become involved, Commissioner of Education John W. Studebaker, on September 25, 1942, upon the recommendation of his advisory Wartime Commission, established the Victory Corps.

The purpose of this student organization was to prepare high school students to aid in the war effort on the homefront and the frontlines. Both girls and boys from white and African American schools participated. In order to be a member, a student needed to participate in a physical fitness program, enroll in a war-effort class, and volunteer for at least one extracurricular wartime activity. Engaging in a physical fitness program was essential because military officials were alarmed by the poor condition of recent enlistments. At the advent of the war, high school curriculums in Maryland had been altered to accommodate war-effort classes. By modifiying industrial arts and vocational-industrial classes, students could learn about machinery, fundamentals of electricity, radios, canning of food, aeronautics, first aid, and other pertinent topics.

Due to its proximity to Washington, D.C., Maryland had the first three Victory Corps programs: Ellicott City High School in Howard County and Sherwood High School and Montgomery Blair Senior High School, both in Montgomery County. As the war progressed, 126 of the 145 Maryland county high schools and all of Baltimore City’s high schools had established Victory Corps.

As the war drew to a close, the Victory Corps program was phased out beginning in June of 1944

Now let us enjoy "Chicks with Guns"


Victory Corps, tomorrow's defenders of liberty. Training in marksmanship helps girls at Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles, California, develop into responsible women. Part of Victory Corps activities there, rifle practice encourages girls to be accurate in handling firearms.


High school Victory Corps. These two sharpshooters are members of the girls' rifle team of Roosevelt High School, Los Angeles, California. Rifle practice is one of the phases of the activities of the school's Victory Corps.


High school Victory Corps. This sharpshooter is captain of the girls' rifle team of Roosevelt High School, Los Angeles, California. Rifle practice is one of the phases of the activities of the school's Victory Corps.


High school Victory Corps. At Roosevelt High School, Los Angeles, California, one of the Victory Corps activities is the girls' rifle team, which practices on the rifle range in the school's basement.

I like this last image as I have read many articles about how a lot of schools had ranges. This is the first image of one of them that I have seen.

Can anyone identify the rifles being used?

another link to some sparce info on the Victory Corps. |