Florida During World War II
Summary
Despite the land boom of the 1920’s and the subsequent bust and depression throughout the
1930’s, Florida was still a sleepy southern state in 1941. All that changed after the attack on
Pearl Harbor. Millions of Americans, though they had no idea at first where Pearl Harbor was,
demanded war. Congress complied, at President’s Roosevelt’s urging, and the United States
declared war against Japan on December 8, 1941. Germany and Italy quickly declared war on
the United States in turn. Big changes were looming for Americans, and Florida would quickly
make its own mark on American, and world, history.
This activity will allow students to recreate and participate in typical daily scenes in Florida
during the Second World War and to learn about different groups that called Florida home in the
1940’s, as well as the growing importance of Florida in the war effort. By stepping into and
experiencing dramatizations of life in Florida in this era, students will experience and better
understand daily life in Florida during WWII.
Objectives
Students will:
1) learn about various aspects of life in Florida during World War II;
2) read background information and examine pictures of these aspects;
3) create an interactive dramatization that brings to life a typical daily scene involving their
aspect of Florida life;
4) discuss and draw conclusions about life in Florida during WWII.
U.S. History Event
World War II
Grade Level
Middle School or High School
Materials
Students should discuss prop needs with teacher;
Lesson Time
At least two block periods, or can be done as a group project culminating in a one-period
“presentation day.”
Lesson
Procedures
1) Tell students that they will learn about life in Florida during World War II by creating and
participating in typical scenes, or mini-dramas, about daily life in Florida during this
conflict. Use Pictures E-6-1 through E-6-5 to introduce students to airfields, German
POW’s, African-Americans, military training, and women. As you display the pictures on
the overhead projector, or with a scan converter, review the following information:
•
Picture E-6-1: Here we see a group of U.S.
Navy dive bombers practicing maneuvers
over Miami in October 1941.
http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/reference/rc01867.jp
g
For several months before the United States officially entered the war on the Allied
side, thousands of pilots, both American and British, trained in Florida. Florida
contained six aviation schools in 1939; by the time the war ended in August 1945, the
state claimed forty air bases due in large part to its good year-round flying weather
and flat, sparsely-populated terrain. Among the more-famous personalities that
trained in Florida were Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle and hisB-25 bomber
pilots that took part in the daring Tokyo bombing raid of 1942, the Tuskegee Airmen,
and future President George Herbert Walker Bush.
•
Picture E-6-2: Here we see German
prisoners of war picking fruit in a Florida
citrus grove.
http://www.floridawwii.com/images/images/24-03.jpg
The United States played host to almost 379,000 German POWs, over 5,400
Japanese POWs, and over 51,000 Italian POWs in forty-five states during World War
II. Of these, 10,000 Germans were kept in Florida’s twenty-seven camps. Captured
on the open water of the Atlantic Ocean, in North Africa, or in Italy, these men quickly
adjusted to life in a tropical paradise. Many Floridians grew accustomed to seeing
truckloads of Germans or Italians traveling to and from work along rural Florida
roads.
•
Picture E-6-3: Here we see an AfricanAmerican lieutenant instructing three other
soldiers in the use of a bayonet.
http://www.archives.gov/research_room/research_topics/african_americans_during_
wwii/images/african_americans_wwii_162.jpg
The war years in Florida were also times of racial tension. Black soldiers sent to
Florida from the North for training were warned as they arrived in segregated Florida
that local custom and law limited their off-duty recreation to well-defined black areas.
They were strictly segregated on base, serving under white officers in all-black units.
They were made to ride to town on the back of the last buses after all of the white
soldiers had left. They were stuck with janitorial duties when white soldiers went off
to practice soaring in the wild blue yonder. They even endured watching German
prisoners of war get fed in railroad waiting rooms while they had to eat outside. And
yet they still fought bravely alongside their white counterparts in the European and
Pacific theaters.
•
Picture E-6-4: Here we see soldiers
performing exercises on five acres of beach
in Miami Beach, Florida.
http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/reference/rc04847.jpg
Florida's strategic location made the state vital for national defense, and dozens of
military installations were activated before and during the war. Planes and ships from
Florida's bases helped protect the sea lanes in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico
and the Caribbean. Florida was viewed as an important first line of defense for the
southern United States, the Caribbean Basin, and the Panama Canal. As shown in
the picture, Miami Beach took on the appearance of an armed camp. Long columns
of uniformed trainees marched along streets, parks, and golf courses. The Army Air
Forces alone occupied70,000 hotel rooms on the beach.
•
Picture E-6-5: Here we see WASP (Women
Airforce Service Pilots) pilots at an airbase
in Texas. They flew B-26 aircraft fitted with
tow targets for aerial gunnery practice.
http://www.floridawwii.com/images/images/20-04.jpg
According to historian Gary Mormino, “World War II served as a great watershed for
American women.” Across America the number of working women rose from 14.6
million in 1941 to nearly 20 million in 1944. In Florida, women gained work in
shipyards, aviation schools, clerks and elevator operators at local hotels, and in
industry. They also joined the armed forces by the thousands. Hundreds of
thousands of wives and sweethearts followed servicemen to Florida and began the
often frustrating tasks of finding a place to live.
2) Place students into ten different heterogenous groups. Tell students that they will create
mini-dramas based on their aspect of life in Florida during World War II (the
performances need not be long (one to three minutes will be effective).
3) Assign aspects relating to life in Florida during World War II. These include:
a. rationing
f. industry
b. African-Americans
g. airfields and flight training
c. women
h. the Home Guard (CAP, “Mosquito Fleet”)
d. “Operation Drumbeat”
i. military installations
e. German POWs
j. WWII’s effect on Florida
*You may choose to announce to the entire class each group’s assignment, but it may be
more interesting to assign the topics to each group with a resource list and not allow the
groups to give away their assignments until after their performances. In this way, it
becomes a game and a problem-solving activity).
4) Have students explore the details of their assigned topic using the resource list and the
reading “Keep the Home Fires Burning: Florida’s World War II Experience” by Dr. David
J. Coles (found at http://www.floridawwii.com/history.asp and provided with this lesson).
They should focus on finding the main ideas of each topic, including the “who, what,
when, where, and why.” A handout that requires them to record sources will ensure they
correctly cite their resources when asked during their performances.
5) Once sufficient evidence has been gathered, students use this information to create minidramas to be performed for the rest of the class. These performances should be no
longer than three minutes and should include the information, ideas, and emotions that
they feel are most important to convey to the class. Encourage them to use simple props
and creativity to aid them in their efforts.
Groups present their mini-dramas. Between each group’s performance, you may want to
summarize on the board the most important ideas, emotions, and other details to reinforce
student learning. Be sure to point out any historical inaccuracies and ask students to cite their
sources for the information presented. This is also a good time to take questions about the
topics.
Activities
“Keep the Home Fires Burning: Florida’s World War II Experience”
by Dr. David J. Coles (www.floridawwii.com/history.asp)
An “alligator”
The Second World War had an enormous impact on the State of Florida. Few, if any other
states were as directly affected by the war. Thousands of the state’s sons and daughters served
in combat theaters around the world while in Florida dozens of military bases were established or
expanded. The war also spurred economic development and led to a huge postwar population
surge. It can be argued that World War II marked the coming of age of Florida as a modern,
influential state.
Despite the land boom of the 1920’s, in many respects Florida was still a sleepy southern
state in 1941. On Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1941, when Floridians learned that the United
States had been thrown into the world conflict that had been raging for over two years, most of
the state’s population lived in rural, agricultural regions with little industry of any consequence.
The war brought dramatic changes. A tremendous migration of military personnel into the
area took place. Additionally, civilian workers came to work in the various camps and bases that
were established, and in the shipyards and other industries that expanded during the conflict.
Many soldiers, sailors and marines who served in Florida later returned to the state to live. The
state’s population grew 46.1% during the decade of the 1940’s, and would expand at an even
more rapid pace during the 1950’s. World War II helped serve as a catalyst for the state’s
explosive postwar growth.
Florida’s strategic location made the state vital for national defense, and dozens of military
installations were activated before and during the war. Planes and ships from
Florida’s bases helped protect the sea lanes in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico
and the Caribbean. Florida was viewed as an important first line of defense for the
southern United States, the Caribbean Basin, and the Panama Canal. The
defense industry also grew dramatically during the war. Equipment and supplies
necessary to conduct the war were produced in the state, such as the Liberty Ships
that were built by Tampa Shipbuilding, the Wainwright Shipyards in Panama City,
as well as shipyards at Pensacola and Jacksonville. “Alligator” amphibious
vehicles (see Picture E-6-6 at left) were designed and produced at Dunedin.
Agriculture, however, remained Florida’s primary economic contribution to the war
effort. The U.S. Department of Agriculture authorized the temporary importation of 75,000
Bahamians and Jamaicans to work in south Florida fields.
Many Floridians were still recovering from the Great Depression, and World War II presented
economic opportunities. Wages improved and jobs became plentiful due to the large number of
men in service. Women, blacks and Hispanics moved into professions previously dominated by
white males. Despite some friction, race relations were relatively peaceful during the war, as
black Americans in particular worked toward the “Double V” victory abroad against fascism and
victory at home against racial prejudice.
Florida’s tourist industry was initially hurt by restrictions on travel, particularly during the early
years of the war. To compensate for the loss of tourist dollars, however, the military took over
hotels for use as barracks and restaurants as mess halls. By April 1942, for example, 70,000
hotel rooms on Miami Beach were used by trainees attending various service schools run by the
Army Air Corps. Later in the war the tourist trade returned, with Florida promoting itself as a
vacation getaway for hard-working, and now highly-paid, civilian workers. “Like a soldier YOU
need a civilian furlough,” claimed the Daytona Chamber of Commerce, while Miami promoted the
idea that one could “Rest faster here.” Consequently, in 1943 tourism in Florida increased by
20% over the previous year, and gambling at south Florida racetracks reached all-time highs.
Florida’s promotion of its tourist industry during the latter stages of the war drew criticisms in
some quarters for its inappropriateness during a period of national sacrifice.
Perhaps the most significant impact of the war on Florida was the many military bases
established throughout the state. Even before the outbreak of fighting, new installations were
built to house the prewar defense buildup. For the Army, Camp Blanding near Starke became
Iwo Jima
one of the largest training bases in the southeastern United States, with nine entire Army
divisions and many independent units passing through its facilities. Later in the war, Camp
Blanding served as an Infantry Replacement Center, training thousands of individual soldiers for
combat duty. Other major bases included Eglin Field near Pensacola where Jimmy Doolittle’s
bombers trained before their dramatic 1942 raid on Japan; Drew and MacDill airfields at Tampa;
Dale Mabry Field at Tallahassee, where the famous, all-black, 99th Fighter Squadron trained; the
naval bases at Pensacola, Jacksonville, Key West, Miami, and Ft. Pierce; and Camp Gordon
Johnston at Carrabelle, which was the Army’s major amphibious training center. By 1943
approximately 172 military installations of varying sizes were in existence in Florida, compared to
only eight in 1940.
Thousands of Floridians volunteered or were drafted into the military, many long before the
outbreak of the war. In September 1940 a number of Florida National Guard units were mobilized
into federal service, followed by the remainder in March 1941. Initially called into service for one
year, these citizen-soldiers ultimately remained on active duty until 1945. Beginning with the first
peacetime draft in American history in 1940, thousands of other Floridians began the
transformation from civilian to soldier or sailor. Following the formal entry of the United States in
to the war in December 1941, many more men and women volunteered or were drafted into
service. Floridians served in all major theaters of the war, and thousands paid the ultimate
sacrifice. By war’s end 3,540 soldiers from Florida had died, while naval casualties (killed or
wounded) numbered 2,308.
Several Florida veterans deserve particular notice. Colin Kelly of Madison was one of the
war’s earliest heroes, receiving a Distinguished Service Cross for his actions as a
bomber pilot in the Philippines. Sergeant Ernest “Boots” Thomas of Monticello led a
Marine patrol that placed the first American flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima (see
Picture E-6-7 at left). Alexander Nininger of Ft. Lauderdale received a Medal of Honor
for leading a counterattack against the Japanese on Bataan peninsula.
Like Kelly and Thomas, Nininger would not survive the war. Commander David
McCampbell, who grew up in West Palm Beach, earned a Medal of Honor and other
awards as one of the Navy’s highest aces in the war. Mr. And Mrs. Robert Cockman of
Groveland sent eight sons into the armed forces, perhaps the largest number of any Florida
family. At least one, Tommy, was killed during the war.
Although tens of thousands of Floridians served in the armed forces, the majority of the
population fought the battle of the homefront. In his address to the state legislature in 1943,
Florida Governor Spessard L. Holland (of Bartow) stated:
“At this tense hour it is wholly unnecessary to remind you of the fact that we meet
at the time of gravest crisis in the life of our Nation. We are engaged in a war which
is challenging our deepest patriotic convictions, and demanding the most effective
and sacrificial service can render, as individual citizens and as a member of the
family of states.”
Virtually without exception, Floridians heeded the governor’s call. By 1943, more than
300,000 had volunteered for civilian defense activities, with many more serving in the Red Cross,
the U.S.O., on draft and rationing boards, and in many similar agencies. To help finance the war,
Floridians had also purchased more than $145,000,000 in war bonds and stamps by 1943.
United behind the war effort as perhaps never before, Floridians joined in both voluntary and
mandatory efforts to conserve strategic war materials. Drives to preserve rubber, scrap metals,
rags, paper and grease became popular, as did “victory gardens” and “meatless” days to stretch
the nation’s food resources.
Shortages and rationing of various goods also became commonplace during the war.
Rationing Boards were established in every county with the power to regulate the sale of 90% of
all civilian goods. Every man, woman and child in the state received a ration book limiting what
could be purchased. One historian has written that: “As the war drew on, nearly every item
Americans ate, wore, used or lived in was rationed or otherwise regulated. It was the most
concerted attack on wartime inflation and scarcity in the nation’s history and by and large it
worked.”
Clothes being
repaired
In early 1942 rubber became the first item to be rationed by the Federal Government’s Office
of Price Administration (OPA). Gasoline soon followed, with mandatory rationing
becoming effective on December 1, 1942. Floridians soon found themselves issued A, B,
or C stickers, allowing them a specific number of gallons per week, depending on their
occupation. Those unfortunates with A stickers were authorized only four gallons per
week, a paltry total that was actually decreased to three gallons later in the war. In 1943
gasoline rationing became even more severe, with all forms of “pleasure driving”
becoming illegal. Because of driving restrictions, Floridians turned to public
transportation, particularly trains, for any type of long distance travel. Trains became
frightfully crowded as a result of the huge numbers of servicemen and servicewomen
traveling from one duty station to another.
The rationing of food had a great impact on the lives of average Floridians (see Picture E-68 at right). As with gas, the government issued ration books authorizing the purchase of only a
certain amount of various products per week. Beginning in April 1942, sugar was rationed,
followed by coffee, meats, butter, canned goods, dried peas and beans, and a variety of other
products. In addition to food, consumer products like shoes and clothing (see Picture E-6-9 at
left) were rationed or restricted. Alcohol was not rationed but it remained in chronically short
supply.
Most Floridians tried to abide by the often confusing government regulations, although a
thriving black market developed. Malcolm Johnson, Tallahassee correspondent for the
Associated Press during World War II, later commented that:
“There was a lot of favoritism. If you were a good customer, the butcher had
something for you that didn’t show in the case. And the filling station could find a way
to give you more gas and new tires.”
Black marketeering could never be eliminated, but the federal government’s rationing plans
were generally successful, and helped direct the nation’s resources to the more rapid defeat of
Germany, Italy and Japan.
During the Second World War there were no direct land attacks against the east coast of the
United States by any of the Axis Powers. Florida, however, was prepared for just that possibility.
In early 1941 the Florida Legislature established the State Defense Council to organize civilian
defense throughout the state. Even earlier, in August 1940, Mr. Guy Allen of Tampa was
instrumental in establishing an unofficial “Florida Motorcycle Corps” to help defend the area
against possible attacks from German submarines. The Motorcycle Corps later became part of
the State Defense Council and escorted military convoys.
Following the mobilization of the Florida National Guard in 1940 and 1941, a Florida Defense
Force, later known as the Florida State Guard, was established to assume the duties of the
departed National Guard. By 1943 the Florida Defense Force numbered 2,100 men in 36 units.
Other Floridians served as air raid wardens, airplane spotters, and civil defense wardens. Civilian
yachtsmen formed coastal patrol organizations and others volunteered to help the Coast Guard
patrol the thousands of miles of unprotected beaches.
The state’s vulnerable position became evident shortly after Pearl Harbor. In early 1942
German submarines opened an offensive, codenamed “Operation Drumbeat,” against the
virtually undefended Allied shipping lanes along the east coast. Before the carnage was over,
nearly 400 ships had been sunk, and thousands of lives lost. Dozens of ships were torpedoed
just off Florida’s Atlantic Coast, and others in the Gulf of Mexico. German submarine skippers
used the lights of coastal cities to silhouette their targets. Oil, debris and dead bodies were mixed
with the driftwood, seashells and tourists along Florida’s Atlantic coast during that bloody first half
of 1942. One of the more spectacular sinkings occurred on April 11, 1942, when the SS
Gulfamerica, carrying 90,000 barrels of fuel oil from Port Arthur, Texas to New york was
torpedoed and exploded into flames just four miles off Jacksonville Beach. Oil and debris drifted
ashore from the sinking. Increased U.S. Navy escorting and antisubmarine patrols eventually
improved the situation off the east coast, but sinkings remained fairly common until the end of the
war.
Students at the
Florida State
College for
Women tend to
their “Victory
Garden”
Florida also became the scene of a bizarre plot in June 1942 when four saboteurs came
ashore near Ponte Vedra Beach from a German submarine. After burying munition stockpiles,
the Germans traveled to Jacksonville, where they stayed briefly before leaving for New York City
and Chicago. Eventually the four were to join up with four other saboteurs who had landed on
New York’s Long Island. Fortunately for the United States, one of the New York band had
misgivings about his mission and surrendered to the FBI. Within a short time his associates had
been apprehended and their equipment confiscated. Six of the eight men were tried and
executed, while the informer and another received long prison sentences.
Other than the submarine warfare off its waters and the ill-fated landing of the German
saboteurs, Florida was the scene of no other direct combat activity. The only other enemy
personnel to reach Florida were those Germans and Italians housed in prison camps during the
latter stages of the war. Some 10,000 prisoners were incarcerated at twenty-seven camps
throughout the state, from Eglin Army Air Field, Camp Gordon Johnston, and logging camps in
the Panhandle to citrus and sugar fields in the southern peninsula. Some Floridians grew
accustomed to seeing truckloads of POWs traveling to and from work along Florida roads.
By 1944, it was evident to most Floridians that the war had turned in favor of the Allies. In
November of that year an election was held, with Democrat Millard Caldwell winning the
governorship. In his address to the legislature in April 1945, Governor Caldwell emphasized
postwar development and economic issues, indicating that at least some Floridians were already
looking forward to the end of the war and to Florida’s role in the postwar era.
In the spring of 1945 peace came to Europe, and Floridians joined the country in celebrating
V-E Day on May 8, 1945. Only Japan remained to be defeated. Fears of a costly Allied invasion
of the Japanese home islands proved unfounded as, shortly after the explosion of atomic bombs
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, Japan agreed to surrender terms.
“Peace Comes to World” announced the Florida Times-Union on V-J Day, August 15, 1945.
Another round of celebrations hit the state after the formal Japanese surrender on September 2,
1945. Floridians could be proud of their efforts and sacrifices during the war, while looking
anxiously to the challenges facing the state, nation, and world in the years ahead.
Assessment
Each group’s performance will assess how well they understood and researched their
material.
1) True or false. African-American soldiers did not experience racial injustice in Florida
during World War II.
2) True or false. During WWII, women entered the workplace in record numbers due to the
lack of men at home.
3) Which of the following items were important to Florida’s economy during WWII?
a. agriculture
b. shipbuilding
c. tourism
d. all of the above
4) True or false. German submarines experienced success in sinking Allied shipping
vessels off the coasts of Florida despite a mandatory blackout in coastal areas.
5) Among the reasons Florida was chosen as the site for pilot training during WWII were:
e. flat terrain and good year-round flying weather
f. abundance of leisure activities and nice beaches
g. friendly people and closeness to Europe
h. trick question! The plane had not been invented yet!
Resources
http://susdl.fcla.edu/fh/ -Florida Heritage Collection
http://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/flafacts/shorthis.html#world -“A Short History of Florida: From the Stone
Age to the Space Age”
http://www.floridawwii.com/ -Florida’s WWII Memorial
http://www.fsu.edu/~ww2/ -The Institute on WWII and the Human Experience
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/ -A Hypertext History of the Second World War
http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=listarticles&secid=18 -Historical Text Archive
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets/stories/ -“Experiencing War: Stories from the Veterans History
Project”
http://history.acusd.edu/gen/ww2_links.html -WWII Links on the Internet
Books
The New History of Florida. Gainesville, FL : University Presses of
Florida, 1996
Illustrated World War II Encyclopedia (v.1-v.24). Westport, CT : H.S.
Stuttman, Inc., 1978
Billinger, Robert D.
Hitler’s Soldiers in the Sunshine State. Gainesville, FL : University
Press of Florida, c2000
Gannon, Michael
Operation Drumbeat: The Dramatic True Story of Germany’s First UBoat Attacks Along the American Coast in World War II. New York :
HarperCollins, 1990.
McGovern, James R.
Black Eagle: General Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr. Birmingham, AL :
The University of Alabama Press, 1986
Morgan, Elizabeth
Shelfer
Uncertain Seasons. Tuscaloosa, AL : University of Alabama Press,
c1994
Trofholz, Harlan
One Florida’s County’s War. [S.l. : s.n., 1986]
Magazine
Forum. Tampa, FL : Florida Humanities Council, Fall 1999
Other
Suggestions
Arsenault, Raymond
St. Petersburg and the Florida Dream. Norfolk, VA : Donning
Company, 1988
Colman, Penny
Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II.
New York : Crown Publishers, Inc., 1995
Homan, Lynn M.
Images of America: The Tuskegee Airmen. Charleston, SC : Arcadia
Publishing, 1998
Homan, Lynn M.
Wings over Florida. Charleston, SC : Arcadia Publishing, 1999
Krull, Kathleen
V is for Victory: America Remembers World War II. New York : Alfred
A. Knopf, 1995
Litoff, Judy Barrett
Since You Went Away: World War II Letters from American Women on
the Home Front. Lawrence, KS : University Press of Kansas, 1991
McLoone, Margo
Women Explorers of the Air: Jacqueline Cochran, Bessie Coleman,
Beryl Markham, Harriet Quimby, Amelia Earhart. Mankato, MN :
Capstone Press, 1999
Nanney, Jr., C.Y.
The History of the CAP Coastal Patrol Base No. 5. Daytona Beach,
1943
Verges, Marianne
On Silver Wings: The Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II
1942-1944. New York : Ballantine Books, 1995