Hello everyone, today I am bringing to you, North Carolina's story in WW2. North Carolina is another state I know little about, and have never been too either. I learned quite a bit about my tar heel neighbours to the east, and I hope you learn some new things as well. North Carolina Pre-WW2 North Carolina in the late 30's and early 40's was suffering the effects of the Great Depression. The state was struggling with a 23% unemployment rate in 1940 with it's population of 3.5 million. This situation was only exacerbated by the fact that North Carolina had never really fully recovered from the economic destruction the Civil War brought 80 years earlier. North Carolina was (and still is) the United States largest tobacco and textile producer in the country. The state's lumber and shipbuilding industries were starting to slowly wind down by the 40's and North Carolina was only just beginning to industrialize significantly. These factors greatly hindered the state's ability to remain afloat in the rising crisis. Along with the crippling economic crisis, North Carolina was also dealing with continual racial tension between the Whites and Blacks, this divide would remain an issue, but would be put on hold for the upcoming war, before re-emerging in the 50's and 60's. North Carolina WW2 Before WW2 even began for the U.S, North Carolina was home to 7 Military installations, behind only Virginia, and California at that time. After WW2 began, that number grew too about 100 military installations across the state, 13 naval bases, 17 USAAF bases, 5 marine bases, and nearly 60 other camps and forts. One of the most well known bases is Fort Bragg. Created in 1918 for WW1, Fort Bragg was one of the largest military training sites in the world in 1941. During the war, the 9th infantry division, 2nd armored division, 82nd Airborne and 100th infantry divisions trained there. North Carolina not only trained, but supplied and clothed the troops with a majority of their homegrown goods. It is estimated that about 60% of the military's uniforms materials were made in North Carolina, and nearly 40% of the tobacco products troops consumed came from North Carolina as well. The Tar-heels left some of North Carolina (in the form of cigarettes and chew) in France, the U.K, Australia, Italy, and the Philippines. North Carolina also provided other war good's from factories in the Capitol Raleigh, and other cities such as Charlotte and Greensboro. During the war, North Carolina's coast was an active warzone due to the constant shipping leaving the ports in the Carolina's. In the early stages of the war, U-boats constantly prayed on the un-escorted and vulnerable liberty ships along the coast, the issue became so bad, the coast off North Carolina became known as "Torpedo Junction". More than 41 ships were sunk off the coast throughout the duration of the war, and most were not known to the public until the 70's and 80's. North Carolina Post WW2 After 4 long years of constant conflict, 7,109 North Carolinian's were killed in the war. The war fundamentally changed North Carolina forever, and setup the groundwork for success and prosperity never seen in the state before. The population has steadily grown to over 9.5 million, and is continually growing. North Carolina has also improved massively on it's past racial issues, and is continually working towards eradicating all racism and intolerance (Which is impossible, but still a great goal!) When it's all said and done, the struggles North Carolina endured from the Civil war, to reconstruction, all the way through the 60's has made the state what it is today, a successful and prosperous location for all who wish to chase their American dream, whatever that may be. Raleigh in 1940 Downtown Charlotte in 1943 Aerial view of Fort Bragg 1945 Fort Bragg via Satellite present day Raleigh today Charlotte today An American soldier giving a wounded Chinese soldier a taste of North Carolina tar 1944
