| Original caption: “Girls Test Bullets for Axis – Doing a job that was men’s work until recently, Mae Zelinsky, firing, and Betty O’Beda, feeding a thirty caliber rifle [sic], test ammunition made to beat the Axis. The gun is fired down an enclosed range into a sand pit. Pretty soon, the Axis will be on the receiving end of the bullets.” Mary Mae Zelinsky Liscinsky (December 9, 1919 – December 30, 2003) and Elizabeth “Betty” O’Beda Rogers Labore (September 30, 1918 – January 29, 2005) tested an M1919 Browning 30 caliber (7.62 millimeter) machine gun at the Remington Arms Factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Remington did not produce the M1919; it was manufactured during World War II by 3 different companies in the United States: Buffalo Arms Corporation, Rock Island Arsenal, and the Saginaw Steering Gear division of General Motors. Remington made the ammunition for the guns. Remington converted from civilian hunting rifles to military production before the United States entered the war. In 1939, the Remington ammunition plant in Bridgeport was tasked with making the same transition, from producing sporting cartridges and shotgun shells to manufacturing military ammunition. At the same time, Remington Arms Company was selected to participate in an unprecedented effort to establish and operate 5 government-owned munitions plants that were nicknamed GO-CO (Government Owned, Company Operated). On December 12, 1940, Great Britain, which was experiencing a shortage of small arms, sent a letter of intent to Remington for the production of Model 1903 Springfield rifles chambered for the .303 caliber (7.7 millimeter) British service cartridge. On June 30, 1941, a contract was signed that called for the delivery of 500,000 rifles. However, due to pressing American needs, this contract was canceled. In its place, a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract from the United States government was awarded on September 11, 1941, to produce 134,000 Model 1903 Springfields in 30 caliber, for $54.15 each. On July 5, 1941, the Treasury Department announced a “Certificate of Necessity for Plant Expansion” for the Bridgeport Remington Plant for 3 1/2 1,000,000 dollars. In 1937, the United States government requested that Remington collaborate on a peacetime plan for the potential expansion of military ammunition production in time of national need. The plan called for the government to construct a number of new munitions plants, which would be operated by contractors. The plan dictated the creation of manufacturing units, each capable of producing a 1,000,000 rounds of 30 caliber and 650,000 rounds of 50 caliber ammunition per working day. When the plan was activated in the summer of 1940, the government asked Remington to recommend sites for the various plants. With the aid of DuPont, Remington conducted a study covering 51 potential sites. In September, Remington established and began operating the 1st plant. James P. Chasmar, who had been appointed manager of Remington’s Bridgeport Ammunition Works in 1932, was charged with establishing the 1st GO-CO munitions plant in Lake City, Utah, in late 1940. The Army Quartermaster Corps contracted with Remington to collaborate with the architects and engineers of Smith, Hinchman & Grills, as well as with the munitions officials of Frankford Arsenal. Remington provided advice on design engineering and construction, and procured equipment and tooling from Frankford Arsenal and Bridgeport. Remington also became responsible for training personnel and managing the plants. GO-CO small arms ammunition plants belonged to the government but were operated by Remington under fixed-fee contracts. This was historic, as it was the 1st time a military ammunition plant had been designed and built from the ground up on very short notice. The Lake City plant was established with 2 units — each producing a 1,000,000 rounds of 30 caliber ammunition and 650,000 rounds of 50 caliber ammunition. In Denver, 35 caliber units were established, and in Salt Lake, 2 units of 30 caliber and 1 unit of 50 caliber were constructed. Elizabeth “Betty” O’Beda Rogers Labore of Danbury became an American citizen on January 25, 1932. She moved to Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1960. She had a son. Her 1st husband passed away in 1962, and she remarried, having 3 additional stepchildren. Mary Mae Zelinsky Liscinsky lived in Bridgeport her entire life. The daughter of a Czechoslovakian immigrant, she had 3 sons and 9 grandchildren. Her husband was also a Czechoslovakian immigrant. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0942.jpg |
| Image Size | 3.22 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 3001 x 2268 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 29, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | Bridgeport |
| State or Province | Connecticut |
| Country | United States |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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