Harry Lesher Zerbe Jr.'s home state of Pennsylvania made many important contributions to the war effort. These contributions took the form of volunteers for service, workers, farm production, and Pennsylvania's industrial production booming. Steel became an essential product during the war, and farming was necessary to produce food during this time.
Zerbe Jr. was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. More specifically, he lived in the borough of Ephrata within Lancaster County.
Pennsylvania's steel mills manufactured one-third of the United States' steel supply during WWII. One of these key contributors to the war effort was Bethlehem Steel, founded in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The plants expanded out across the state and the nation. During WWII, the Pennsylvania-based company produced:
- 70 percent of all airplane cylinder forgings
- 1,127 ships
- 1/4 of US warships' armor plates
- 1/3 of US cannon forgings
These contributions were necessary for the success of the US and the Allies in WWII.
On the Pennsylvania homefront, the civilians entered the workforce to meet the ever-growing demands for industrial production. For women especially, job opportunities grew rapidly. Women took on new roles in an effort to support the war effort. In 1943, over 2.5 million Pennsylvanians were working in war-related industries.
The people of Pennsylvania's homefront sacrificed their members of their families and communities as they left to go fight in the war. Some of these people lost their loved ones to death. Below is a portion of the list of Pennsylvania casualties in the war. Each of these lives lost includes a group of friends and family who were left to grieve the loss of a loved one. If you look closely, Zerbe Jr. is listed at the end of the Lancaster County section.
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