E. J. Workman Papers about the VT Fuze
Collection
Identifier: UNMA-175
Scope and Content Note
The collection includes documents about the development of the VT Fuze at the University of New Mexico during World War II headed by E.J. Workman and his team of researchers. This collection consists of reports, clippings, a DVD containing three videos, and an oral history with team member John S. Rinehart detailing the testing of the VT Fuze in New Mexico at a proving ground in the south part of Kirtland Air Force Base. These materials also include declassified documents that detail the top-secret organizational structure of the project (including the names of participants) and numerical results on the tests conducted at the proving ground on the VT Fuze.
Dates
- 1944-1998
- Majority of material found within 1944-1945
Creator
- Workman, E. J. (Everly John), 1899- (Person)
Language of Materials
English
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Copy Restrictions
Limited duplication of CSWR material is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for compliance with all copyright, privacy, and libel laws. Permission is required for publication or distribution.
Historical Note
The VT Fuze is an acronym for the variable timing fuse developed during World War II and is one of the most significant technological advancements in twentieth-century weaponry. The VT Fuze is a proximity fuse that provides a sophisticated trigger mechanism capable of detonating an explosive device when near targets such as planes, missiles and ground forces. A significant part of the development of the VT Fuze was completed in New Mexico during World War II in a top-secret project directed by E.J. Workman, who became Head of the Physics Department at the University of New Mexico in 1933. In 1941, Workman became Director of Research Projects for the United States government and was part of the National Defense Research Committee, a group of academic researchers working on war-related projects. Workman and his staff teamed with other scientists and engineers to continue working on a fuse initially designed by British researchers who lacked the resources to complete the project. During the testing phase of the top-secret project, Workman and his staff acquired more than 30,000 acres south of the airport and along the foothills of the Manzano Mountains to set up the New Mexico Proving Ground. This land mass, comprised of former livestock ranches and state land held in trust for the university, became the testing theater for the VT Fuse, playing a crucial role in the development of this weaponry.
After World War II, the United States Navy declared the VT Fuze as second in importance only to the Atomic Bomb. Before the completion of the proximity fuse, exploding a device was possible only with direct contact or a timer set at launch, often detonating too soon or too late. The VT Fuze’s capability to detonate in proximity to a target dramatically increased the accuracy of the wartime weaponry. The proximity fuse research became public in September of 1945, and by the end of the war, the VT Fuse was credited with increasing the effectiveness of antiaircraft artillery in defense against Japanese attacks in the Pacific, neutralizing the German V-1 attacks on England, and changing the tactics of land warfare during the Battle of the Bulge.
After World War II, the United States Navy declared the VT Fuze as second in importance only to the Atomic Bomb. Before the completion of the proximity fuse, exploding a device was possible only with direct contact or a timer set at launch, often detonating too soon or too late. The VT Fuze’s capability to detonate in proximity to a target dramatically increased the accuracy of the wartime weaponry. The proximity fuse research became public in September of 1945, and by the end of the war, the VT Fuse was credited with increasing the effectiveness of antiaircraft artillery in defense against Japanese attacks in the Pacific, neutralizing the German V-1 attacks on England, and changing the tactics of land warfare during the Battle of the Bulge.
Extent
0.2 Cubic Feet (1 Box)
Abstract
The VT Fuze is the variable timing fuse developed during World War II and is one of the most significant technological advancements in twentieth-century weaponry. This collection consists of reports, clippings, a DVD containing three videos, and an oral history detailing the testing of the VT Fuze.
Processing Information
Processed by Barbara Korbal, June 2018
- Clippings
- Holzer, Robert E., 1906-1994
- Kirtland Air Force Base (N.M.)
- Military weapons -- Research -- History
- Military weapons -- VT Fuse -- History
- Oral histories
- Photographs.
- Reports
- Rinehart, John S., 1915-1999
- World War Two -- Military weapons -- History
- World War Two -- Variable Timing Proximity Fuse
Creator
- Workman, E. J. (Everly John), 1899- (Person)
- Title
- Finding Aid of the E. J. Workman Papers about the VT Fuze, 1944-1998
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Barbara Korbal
- Date
- © 2018
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is in English
Revision Statements
- Monday, 20210524: Attribute normal is missing or blank.
Repository Details
Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository
Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451