During World War II, the drafting of millions of men for combat left American military contractors in dire need of workers to produce munitions and vehicles for the war effort.

Women on the home front stepped up in great numbers, taking over strenuous, hazardous manual labor and handling complex, technical tasks. A month after Pearl Harbor, 60 widows of the attack responded to job openings at aircraft plants in California, with the motto "keep ’em flying to avenge our husbands’ deaths."

In addition to traditional administrative roles, women stepped in as laborers and engineers in steel mills, tank factories and, in particular, the aviation industry.

Their contributions, for which they were usually paid half a typical man’s wage, became the inspiration for the government’s “Rosie the Riveter” propaganda character.

When the war ended, most women workers wanted to keep their jobs, enjoying the financial independence and respect they earned. Almost all were laid off, however, owing to the slowdown of military production and the return of male soldiers expecting jobs.

Over the course of the war, Office of War Information photographer Alfred T. Palmer visited several aircraft manufacturing plants, capturing the woman-led production in dramatically lit Kodachrome photos.