World War II ended just over 70 years ago and it changed the lives of millions worldwide. Today, despite its prevalence in media and still-living survivors, the war seems so far away from many Americans, both in terms of time and distance. Movies, novels, and TV shows rarely depict life during this period at home, in part because most of the action was happening overseas or along the coasts. If you were ever curious about what life was like for Arizonans during the war, here’s a brief glimpse at what it looked like.
- Back in 1942, this is what the entrance to Williams Air Force Base, then known as Williams Army Airfield.
Wikimedia Commons
- These two T-6 Texans aircraft were being used for training pilots at Luke Field (now known as Luke Air Force Base) in 1943.
Wikimedia Commons
- During World War II, most commodities were rationed in order to avoid shortages. This is an old ration book for a Phoenix resident from the time period.
Freeparking/Flickr
- And inside this is what the stamps looked like.
Freeparking/Flickr
- Here, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visits one of the Japanese internment camps in 1943.
Wikimedia Commons
- Taken at the end of the war, this man is getting ready to head home after spending a significant amount of time at the Gila River internment camp.
Wikimedia Commons
- In 1942, these folks at the Poston internment camp near the Colorado River fill mattresses with straw.
Wikimedia Commons Something interesting to note is that the photographer, Fred Clark, noted that this was a “center for evacuees,” a slightly skewed description for the place.
- Bus loads of Japanese Americans arrive at the internment camp in Poston for processing in 1942.
Wikimedia Commons
- This man was going through a futile effort to settle the dust at the Poston internment camp in May 1944.
Wikimedia Commons
- Moving to eastern Arizona, this man is operating a bulldozer at the local Phelps-Dodge copper mine in Morenci. Copper was a major Arizona product especially during the war when the country was in a shortage of the metal.
Library of Congress/Photogrammar
- These two men were in charge of explosives at the Morenci mine in 1942.
Library of Congress/Photogrammar
- Copper wasn’t the only metal Arizona produced for the war effort. Tungsten, mined near Kingman, was used to increase the hardness and strength of steel for tools.
Library of Congress/Photogrammar
What was your family’s life likr during World War II? Share your thoughts with your fellow Arizonans in the comments section below!
Wikimedia Commons
Freeparking/Flickr
Something interesting to note is that the photographer, Fred Clark, noted that this was a “center for evacuees,” a slightly skewed description for the place.
Library of Congress/Photogrammar
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