Georgia and World War II 1939 to 1945

GPS SS8H9a Describe the impact of events leading up to American involvement in WW II; include Lend-Lease and the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

War in Europe Roosevelt, while not an isolationist, was determined to keep America out of the European war March 1938: Hitler takes the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia and later overruns the entire country August 1939: Germany and Russia sign non-aggression pact; Germany attacks Poland, making the official beginning of World War II as France and Britain were treaty-bound to come to the aid of Poland Meanwhile, Hitler and other Nazi were plotting out the anti-Semitic, Final Solution. Since Hitler believed that the Jews were “sub-human” and created most of the problems of Europe, he wanted to exterminate ALL Jews.

Bombing of Pearl Harbor When Japan invades China and southeast Asia in 1940, United places embargo on oil and other vital materials To both ensure their survival as an island nation and success for their plans to conquer all of Asia, the needed to cripple the U.S. navy in the Pacific. Japan, who was angry over the embargo, planned a surprise attack on the base for December 7, 1941. While the United States and Japan were having peace talks in Washington D. C., the Japanese fleet lauches their surprise attack. This action unified the country and threw America into World War II

SS8H9b Evaluate the importance of Bell Aircraft, military bases, the Savannah and Brunswick shipyards, Richard Russell, and Carl Vinson. SS8E1 The student will give examples of the kinds of goods and services produced in Georgia in different historical periods.

Changes due to World War II America’s “depressed" economy mobilizes into a “war time” economy. Materials needed to fight a war are produced and unemployment falls to just 1%. America from then on becomes the top player in world affairs (isolationism is a thing of the past) Since women and Black make a major contribution to the war effort, both groups demand equality soon after the war. Throughout the country, and especially in Georgia, the population shifts from rural to urban areas; plus Georgia finally modernizes (cities, electricity, industries, etc.)

Georgia’s Contribution to WW II (SS8H9b and SS8E1) 1. 320,000 Georgians served in the armed forces during WW II. 2. Georgia’s Fort Benning in Columbus was the largest infantry training school in the world. Other major military bases were Fort Gordon in Augusta, and Fort Stewart in Savannah. 3. Hunter Air field in Savannah, Marietta Army Airfield in Cobb County, and University of Georgia in Athens all took part in training combat pilots, while Warner Robbins Air Force Base had employees to repair aircraft or trained over 60,000 aircraft mechanics to be deployed in Europe or in the Pacific. 4. Airmen from Glynco Naval Station near Brunswick flew blimps to spot Germen submarines off the coast of Georgia.

5. Fort McPherson in Atlanta was one of the major Induction Centers for newly drafted soldiers, and a Military Hospital was opened next to it. Fort Gilliam in Clayton County was a major military storage facility and train yard. 6. Fort Oglethorpe in Chickamauga trained 150,000 women in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). They were trained for desk and clerical jobs in the military. 7. Overall Georgia had military installations that added $25 billion dollars to Georgia’s economy each year.

8. Bell Aircraft Company in Marietta assembled B-29 Bombers and was the South largest facility in the deep. The company employed over 20,000 workers and finished 668 planes. Over 37% of the work force were women. The city of Marietta grew from 8, 667 people in 1940 to over 20,000 at the end of the war.

9. The shipyards at Savannah and Brunswick built cargo ships which were named “Liberty Ships.” The Savannah shipyard employed 15,000 workers (mostly women) and built 88 Liberty ships during the war. The Brunswick shipyard employed over 16,000 men and women, and finished 99 Liberty ships.

10. The Tuskegee Airmen were groups of pilots who were trained in Alabama. Close to 1,000 black men flew fighter planes which escorted bombers over Nazi Germany. They shot down or damaged over 4,000 enemy planes in over 1,500 missions. The airmen lost only 98 pilots, and proved to the U.S. military that troops should be integrated not segregated.

What types of descrimination did African American soldiers face, even in WWII? What were some of the accomplishments of black soldiers during WW II? What did it mean when some blacks felt they were fighting “two wars?”

11. Most of Georgia’s economic and military success during the war can be contributed to two famous politicians from Georgia. Congressman Carl Vinson from Baldwin County served over 50 years and was called the “father of the two-ocean navy.” Vinson and Senator Richard Russell helped bring military bases and government contracts to Georgia.