Alabama’s Role in World War II

World War II and its aftermath changed the face of American culture, and this was equally true in Alabama. The war brought major industrial expansion, dramatic population shifts, and new opportunities in the workforce for African Americans and women.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt urged Congress and the American public to support sharply increased defense spending, expanding the armed forces, and establishing military conscription.

Approximately 300,000 Alabama men donned service uniforms during the war, and tens of thousands of servicemen trained in the state. Many women volunteered for one of the military auxiliaries, such as the Women's Army Corps or the Army Nurse Corps.

Women’s Army Corps

Tuskegee Airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American pilots in U. S The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American pilots in U.S. military service, and the only ones in World War II. Unease in the late 1930s over possible war between Europe and Asia prompted the federal government to expand its air defenses and the civilian pilot training program, which was open to African Americans.

Standards were high at Tuskegee, and many prospective pilots did not graduate from all the phases of training there, and did not ultimately become combat pilots in World War II.

The 332nd Fighter Group was one of seven fighter escort groups in the Fifteenth Air Force; each of its four P-51 fighter squadrons had distinctively painted red tails, to distinguish them from other groups during mass formation missions. The 332nd and its planes then were sometimes called the "Red Tails" by the Airmen themselves as well as bomber pilots and other escorts.

Of the 311 combat missions that the 332nd Fighter Group flew for the Fifteenth Air Force, 179 of these escorted bombers. On only seven of those bomber escort missions were Tuskegee Airmen-escorted bombers downed by enemy airplanes.

Archer, the Tuskegee Airmen's only Ace, flew 169 missions, during one of which he shot down three aircraft in a single engagement.

The Tuskegee Airmen were not only military heroes, but also pioneers for racial justice, who, by serving honorably in the Korean and Vietnam wars, contributed to the continued integration of the military and the broader integration of American society.

A Changing Landscape Establishment of Military Bases & POW Camps

The state—favored by a good climate and cheap land—offered ideal sites for U.S. military bases. Fort McClellan, established in Anniston in 1917, became a major induction center. Camp Rucker, constructed in 1942 near Ozark in Dale County, was Alabama's other large infantry training center. Camp Sibert near Gadsden opened that same year for chemical warfare training.

Many aviators trained at Maxwell Field and it came to be said that the "road to Tokyo" led through Montgomery. Gunter Field, Montgomery's municipal airport, became a flight school, and new aviation training facilities were built, including Craig Field outside Selma, Napier Field near Dothan, and Courtland Field in the Tennessee River Valley.

The Army Corps of Engineers constructed Alabama's first POW camps during the winter of 1942-1943. Army doctrine dictated that camps be built either at existing military bases or at sites distant from major cities and industrial centers, and military surveyors toured the state for suitable locations. The Army first selected two sites near the rural Alabama towns of Aliceville and Opelika. Aliceville German POW Camp

Italian Prisoners of War at Fort Rucker

During World War II, the state of Alabama was home to approximately 16,000 German prisoners of war (POWs) in 24 camps. The internment of these POWs significantly affected the social and economic history of Alabama. With the German soldiers interacting with American guards and Alabama residents, the presence of Axis POWs brought the war to the Alabama homefront in a unique way. German POWs marching from the train to the POW camp in Aliceville, Alabama

Aliceville POW Camp

Alabama-Military Aircraft Manufacturing & Ship Building Steel mills in the Birmingham area received millions of dollars in contracts for defense related products such as bombs, helmets, and steel for shipbuilding. Alabama also played a critically important role in the production of aluminum which, because it is both strong and light, was the ideal material for military aircraft.

Alcoa Aluminum had a plant at Mobile and Reynolds Metals had a facility in the Tennessee Valley. Alabama's textile mills spun and wove furiously to produce fabric for uniforms, and its timber industry boomed as a result of wartime demand for construction and paper products. Old Cotton Mill in Opelika, Alabama

The Port of Mobile

Alabama played a crucial role in the war at sea Alabama played a crucial role in the war at sea. Mobile was home port for two important ship lines. Freighters operated by Waterman Steamship Company transported valuable wartime cargoes throughout the world.

During World War II, wartime needs prompted unprecedented growth in the port facilities. During the war, the city's waterfront workforce increased to more than 89,000.

Alcoa Aluminum Company operated its own fleet of ships to transport bauxite (the ore from which aluminum is made) from South America to the company's refinery on the State Docks. Waterman lost 27 ships and 313 seamen's lives during World War II; Alcoa lost 8 of its own ships and 67 sailors as well as 13 chartered bauxite carriers.

The Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company (ADDSCO) was an important component of Mobile's economy for 70 years. The company built and maintained U.S. Navy ships during World War I and World War II.