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World War II came to Arizona via two significant avenues: prisoner-of-war camps and military training bases. Notorious for its prisoners' attempted escape through the Faustball Tunnel, Papago POW Camp also had a dark reputation of violence among its prisoners. An unfortunate casualty was Werner Drechsler, who supplied German secrets to U.S. Navy authorities after his capture in 1943. Nazis held there labeled him a traitor and hanged him from a bathroom rafter. Controversy erupted over whether the killing was an act of war or murder, as well as the lack of protection Drechsler received for aiding in espionage. Ultimately, seven POWs were hanged for the crime. Author Jane Eppinga examines the tangled details and implications of America's last mass execution.
Luke Air Force Base
9781467104708
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Luke Air Force Base, created in less than a year from desert scrub and farmland, stands some 20 miles west of Phoenix. On March 31, 1941, months before the United States entered World War II, construction began. That summer, the Army Air Corps named Luke Field after World War I hero and triple ace Frank Luke Jr. Some pilots from Luke Field's first class flew from airfields in Hawaii during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. From the beginning, Luke Field trained fighter pilots, as it does today. Over the years, Luke Air Force Base was home to 14 primary fighter aircraft, graduated over 60,000 students, and accounted for millions of training flight hours. Of the pilots who trained at Luke Field, a number became aces, including the all-time US leading ace, Maj. Richard I. Bong. For decades, Luke Air Force Base has been home to more fighter aircraft than any other base in the United States, earning the moniker "Fighter Country."
USS New Mexico BB-40
9781467127721
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USS New Mexico (BB-40) was commissioned into the fleet near the end of World War I, and the battleship's name was a great honor bestowed upon a state that was but five years old. Because of her superlative performance, New Mexico came to be known as the "Queen of the Seas." During World War II, she was one of the fiercest fighting ships in the Pacific theater, earning six battle stars. This book describes how battleships evolved over the years, how New Mexico was constructed and later modernized, and how she proudly displayed the American flag across two oceans. At the same time, it offers a rare glimpse into her inner workings, shipboard life, and her role in taking the fight to the enemy after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The sailing list for USS New Mexico (BB-40) reflects the highest credit upon her officers and crew. These men signed their names to naval history and will long be remembered for their incredible service to the Navy and the nation.
Beaumont's Civil Air Patrol in World War II
9781467106207
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During World War II, Beaumont and Port Arthur were leaders in oil refining, which literally kept the Allied wheels moving toward victory. The Germans recognized the importance of Texas oil and sent submarines to sink American ships carrying the valuable cargo. Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Coastal Base No. 10, located at the Municipal Airport in Beaumont, Texas, in 1942-1943, helped alleviate the submarine menace by logging over 14,000 hours in the air over the Gulf. CAP was unconventional. As a part of the Office of Civilian Defense, CAP's members were civilians, many of whom were too old for the military. Other members owned airplanes or had experience flying to help go on missions patrolling the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico searching for enemy submarines or survivors of sub attacks. Although the men had training in military protocol, they remained civilians and often returned to their homes after completing their missions.
East Texas in World War II
9780738584645
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Texas made a remarkable contribution to the American war effort during World War II . Almost 830,000 Texans, including 12,000 women, donned uniforms, and more than 23,000 Texas fighting men died for their country. America's most decorated soldier, Lt. Audie Murphy, and most decorated sailor, submarine commander Sam Dealey, both were Texans. Texas A&M, an all-male military college, placed 20,000 men in the armed forces, of which 14,000 were officers--more than any other school in the nation, including the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of Allied Forces in Europe, was born in Denison in northeast Texas. Adm. Chester Nimitz, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet, was born and raised in Texas. Almost 1.5 million soldiers, sailors, and fliers trained at scores of Texas bases. Texas oil fueled the Allied war effort, while Texas shipyards and defense plants provided a flood of war machines and munitions during the war effort.
Yuma Proving Ground
9781467104500
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The Yuma Proving Ground's early history began in 1849 with the establishment of Army outposts in the region. When the United States entered World War II in 1942, the Army established a large-scale training center that expanded from eastern California into western Arizona. Gen. George S. Patton Jr. was assigned to develop the Desert Training Center as a location to train personnel and test equipment in the harsh desert for the war effort. As part of the Desert Training Center, Camp Laguna and the Yuma Test Branch were founded to conduct specific training and testing in support of the war effort. In 1951, the Yuma Test Branch was renamed the Yuma Test Station, and by 1957, the Army began training personnel on military freefall. In 1963, the Army renamed the Yuma Test Station as the Yuma Proving Ground. Today, the Yuma Proving Ground stands near the original sites with the continued task of testing equipment and training personnel.
Fort Bliss
9781467129152
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Established as one of many frontier Army posts in 1849 following the Mexican-American War, Fort Bliss, Texas, has endured as an Army installation when most other frontier posts have faded from memory. From a small collection of adobe buildings, it has seen growth, decline, two closures, and ultimately survival as the major Army maneuver post that it is today. The post, named for West Point math prodigy and soldier William Wallace Smith Bliss, has served many roles in America's conflicts and has seen the march of technology in war fighting. Its role today includes training for the Army's only armored division, known as 1st Armored Division; training for major Army air and missile defense forces; serving as a mobilization platform for Army soldiers and civilians to deploy to support America's missions overseas; and testing of major equipment to be adopted for military use.
New Mexico in World War II
9781467106702
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In 1941, New Mexico was an agrarian state with just over half a million people, many of whom lived without electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, or paved roads. However, the state provided more military volunteers per capita--including eight Medal of Honor winners--than any other state and had the highest casualty rate per capita in the country. New Mexico provided essential resources ranging from oil and coal to potash and copper. The state is often remembered for being the location where the first nuclear weapon was designed and tested in 1945, but more important at the time were the development of the proximity fuze and the testing of the top-secret Norden bombsight. The state also housed German and Italian prisoners of war, and, in one of the darkest moments in US history, incarcerated American citizens of Japanese descent in several concentration camps.
The Cruiser Houston
9781467127424
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The cruiser Houston was the first warship named for the Bayou City, and the ship proved a favorite of the city for which it was named. It was also a favorite of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who traveled on the Houston no fewer than four times. Houston was twice the flagship of the US Navy's Asiatic Fleet. In the opening days of World War II, it battled the Imperial Japanese Navy, culminating in its midnight loss at the Battle of Sunda Strait. The Cruiser Houston tells the story of this magnificent ship and the city of Houston's reaction to its namesake's loss.
Fort Hood in World War II
9781467134712
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On January 14, 1942, Col. Andrew D. Bruce announced that the location of the new Tank Destroyer Tactical Training and Firing Center was to be near Killeen, Texas. This announcement put into motion a whirlwind of activity and construction that resulted in the creation of one of the largest military bases in the world. On September 18, 1942, Camp Hood was officially opened. Eight short months after the opening of Camp Hood, the base nearly doubled in size. Building from scratch, the spirit of a black panther, as depicted on the tank destroyers shoulder patch, was channeled into anti-tank combat teams. These teams were trained to fight the formidable might of Germany's panzer divisions.
Nacogdoches in World War II
9780738579733
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Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, has a long and colorful history starting in 1716, when the first mission, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de los Nacogdoches, was founded. The people of this rich area have since come together countless times to survive challenges. During World War II, patriotism brought everyone closer as the young men of the area left to fight for their country. College enrollment declined drastically until a masterstroke by its president brought the nation's first WAC school to the campus. An unexpected ice storm killed valuable timber, bringing Nazi POWs to the area to harvest the pine trees. On the home front, everyone got involved in the war effort. They knitted, rolled bandages, collected scrap metal, bought war bonds, grew victory gardens, and participated in rationing and blackouts; but most of all they sacrificed their sons. They came together during those years and still come together today to celebrate the historic town's past and to honor its veterans of all wars.
Tulsa
9780738590523
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Still reeling from the hungry days of the Great Depression, America was ill-equipped when the nation entered the Second World War. Referred to as the "sleeping giant" by the Japanese, the United States awoke from its slumber with a vengeance and soon began creating a veritable tidal wave of production that turned the country into the "Arsenal of Democracy." Tulsa, Oklahoma, was one of the cities at the forefront of this massive wartime buildup. From bomber plants to aviation training schools, to civil defense and the construction of military bases, to the thousands who served in uniform across Europe and the Pacific, Tulsa gave everything it had and then some. This was a different breed of people that nonetheless stood firm in the face of adversity and came together as a community. Tulsa: The War Years takes the reader back to the time when people did without for the greater benefit of all and sometimes sacrificed everything for the sake of victory.
The Cadet Nurse Corps in Arizona
9781467118255
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Congress established the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II to meet the high demand for medical care. The first federal women's education program, it included a nondiscrimination policy decades before the civil rights movement. The trailblazing cadets and innovative healthcare practices at the five participating teaching hospitals in Arizona left a lasting national legacy. Sage Memorial Hospital was the country's only accredited nursing school for Native Americans. Santa Monica's Hospital and nursing school was the first to integrate west of the Mississippi. The daughter of a Navajo medicine man, U.S. Army Nurse Corps second lieutenant Adele Slivers helped bridge a gap between traditional healing practices and modern medicine. Arizona author Elsie Szecsy details momentous local challenges and achievements from this pivotal era in American medicine.
