1. Louisiana: World War 2 Era

2. AGRICULTURE, LABOR, and INDUSTRY
Industries that thrived in Louisiana during this time.
Sugarcane, cotton, & rice
Petrochemicals
War items (shell casings, tanks to hold gas, armored tank parts)
Describe the people who found jobs.
More women joined the workforce during this time than any other time in history.
African Americans

3. Use timeline to describe how the port develops over this time.
Traffic had increased and it is now an important part for troops and materials coming and going, base for ships
Lots of war supplies leaving on cargo ships daily
Industries in New Orleans and Ruston?
New Orleans: shipbuilding
Ruston: egg dehydration plant (used as food for the soldiers)
Axis prisoners (POWs) were employed to work farms

5. HIGGINS BOATS Who created? Andrew Higgins
Where? New Orleans (largest ship building plant in the world)
What were they used for?
To get soldiers and equipment safely and efficiently on shore
Significance to the war?
Used in D-Day (Normandy, France)
which became a turning point in
Western Europe

8. Life On the Home Front (Home front is used to describe civilian life.)
What security measures are taken after Pearl Harbor?
Bridges, city water supplies, and defense plants were put on extra guard
Describe blackouts.
Cities had to be completely dark at night
Purpose: so enemy planes could not locate them

9. Describe rationing and give 3 examples.
Consumption of scarce supplies or resources was limited
TIRES…rubber was needed for items such as gas mask and life rafts (bicycles were in short supply)
SUGAR…needed for food (had to sign up for a sugar ration book)
MEAT… needed for food (“meatless” days were established)
SHOES… began w/3 pairs per person a year and dropped down to one by the end

10. Describe Victory Gardens.
Families planted a garden for their use
Supplied over 40% of the fresh vegetables during the war
In what ways did Louisiana citizens help?
Boy Scouts delivered blackout booklets
Schools collected scrap
Showed support for troops
USOs provided entertainment

11. Military Training and Facilities
What were the Louisiana Maneuvers?
Army training drills/mock wars
Headquarters were in DeSoto parish
Why were they held here?
Right climate and rural areas with few people to disturb
Describe the mock wars.
Divided into 2 armies to fight each other
Practiced maneuvers they would use in WW2
Covered over 3,000 square miles

12. How did this help war efforts?
Men were prepared to go into war
Were able to access weaknesses
How many training sites/facilities did Louisiana have by the end of the war?
5 training camps
10 flying fields
Barksdale Field – Bossier Parish; today is an Air Base

16. Postwar V-E Day V-D Day Victory in Europe
Germany surrendered after being defeated and Hitler committing suicide
May 8th
V-D Day
Victory Over Japan Day
Japan surrendered after the atomic bombs were dropped
August 15th

17. Postwar Describe the shift seen in Louisiana’s economy
Went from agriculture to industry
Machines replaced laborers
Describe the industries that grew in Louisiana after the war.
Oil industry saw biggest growth
Chemical plants began locating along MS River