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California during World War II was a major contributor to the World War II effort. California's long
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...
coastline provided the support needed for the
Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the Theater (warfare), theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, ...
. California also supported the war in Europe. After the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawai ...
,
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...
, on December 7, 1941, most of California's manufacturing was shifted to the war effort. California became a major ship builder and aircraft manufacturer. Existing military installations were enlarged and many new ones were built. California trained many of the troops before their oversea deployment. Over 800,000 Californians served in the
United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six Military branch, service branches: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States N ...
. California agriculture, ranches and farms were used to feed the troops around the world. California's long coastline also put the state in fear, as an attack on California seemed likely. California was used for the temporary and permanent
internment camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simp ...
s for
Japanese Americans are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asia ...
. The population of
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...
grew significantly, largely due to servicemen who were stationed at the new military bases/training facilities and mass influx of workers from around the U.S. in the growing defense industries. With all the new economy activity, California was lifted out of the
great depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The Financial contagion, ...
. Over 500,000 people moved to California from other states to work in the growing economy. California expanded its oil and mineral production to keep up with the war demand.


History


Economics and population growth

A total of 12% of all U.S. Government war contracts were awarded to California companies. A total of 17% of the war materials were made in California.
Mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic v ...
,
natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon di ...
, and
oil production Petroleum is a fossil fuel that can be drawn from beneath the earth's surface. Reservoirs of petroleum was formed through the mixture of plants, algae, and sediments in shallow seas under high pressure. Petroleum is mostly recovered from oil dri ...
were active industries in California before World War II, and these rapidly expanded to support the war effort. Like World War I, the mines and mining towns came to life again, due to an increase in demand for gold, copper, and silver. California oil production doubled, the
synthetic rubber A synthetic rubber is an artificial elastomer. They are polymers synthesized from petroleum byproducts. About 32-million metric tons of rubbers are produced annually in the United States, and of that amount two thirds are synthetic. Synthetic rubbe ...
industry created in California and California agricultural output almost tripled. In 1941 California oil production was 230,263,000 barrels; by the end of the war in 1945 the output was 326,555,000 barrels.
Raw material A raw material, also known as a feedstock, unprocessed material, or primary commodity, is a basic material that is used to produce goods, finished goods, energy, or intermediate materials that are feedstock for future finished products. As feedst ...
was also shipped to California from
Lend lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...
U.S. Allies. After the attack on Pearl Harbor and America entered the war, there was a quick build of new military bases,
airfield An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...
s, training camps, and other military installations. New military construction projects and the emerging war industries in California brought in tens of thousands of workers from across America. After the war, many stayed in California, with some others returning to their home states. Towns and cities next to military and industrial facilities grew and had an increase in the economy. California's population in 1940 was 6,907,387 and by 1950 it had grown to 10,586,223, a 53.3% increase. California received one eighth of all war orders. With the manpower shortage many women entered the workforce in manufacturing and other jobs held by men in the past. As factories added more shifts, a variety of stores and services increase operating hours. To retain workers, some businesses increased their
employee benefits Employee benefits and (especially in British English) benefits in kind (also called fringe benefits, perquisites, or perks) include various types of non-wage compensation provided to employees in addition to their normal wages or salaries. Inst ...
. Many military personnel who were trained in California returned after the war to tour the state, so California's tourist industries began to grow.


Food production

California's mild climate made it ideal for year-round
food production The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditional, ...
. With many men overseas, there was labor shortage at harvest time. The need for extra workers at harvest brought in housewives, students and Scouts. Some businesses even loaned workers to help with harvest and food packing as needed. The Woman's Land Army of America was one of the organizations helping in food production. Even with the increase in food production there was mandatory food rationing. Civilians were encouraged to plant
Victory garden Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany during World War I ...
s to help with the food shortage. The slogan "grow your own, can your own", was started at start of the war and referred to families growing and
canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although ...
their own food in victory gardens. With its mild climate most victory gardens were grown almost year-round. Tires and gasoline were also rationed. Rationing of
wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. A ...
fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not t ...
was also required during the war. This is one of the causes of the June 1943
Zoot Suit Riots The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of riots that took place from June 3–8, 1943 in Los Angeles, California, United States, involving American servicemen stationed in Southern California and young Latino and Mexican American city residen ...
in Los Angeles.


Enemy aliens

* After the attack on Pearl Harbor it was feared that some Japanese Americans might be loyal to the Empire of Japan and the
Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the wi ...
. On February 19, 1942, President
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As th ...
signed
Executive Order 9066 Executive Order 9066 was a United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. This order authorized the secretary of war to prescribe certain ...
, which authorized the
Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of th ...
to set some military zones for the
internment of Japanese Americans Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simp ...
. California had some of the U.S.
prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...
camps and
Japanese Americans are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asia ...
internment camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simp ...
s.
War Relocation Authority The War Relocation Authority (WRA) was a United States government agency established to handle the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. It also operated the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter in Oswego, New York, which was t ...
built both temporary and permanent relocation camps. As aliens they had to register in accordance with the law and were required to turn in all weapons and short-wave radios. Japanese Americans first were sent to one of California's 11 temporary relocation camps, like the two in southern California: Pomona assembly center and the Santa Anita assembly center. From these centers many were sent to other states and some were sent to California's Manzanar War Relocation Center, California or the Tule Lake War Relocation Center. Even with internment, a number of American-born Japanese (or
Nisei is a Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants (who are called ). The are considered the second generation ...
) volunteered to join the U.S. armed services. The Nisei units fought well and are highly decorated units. Nisei joined all the U.S. armed branches, most joined the U.S. Army."The War Relocation Authority and The Incarceration of Japanese Americans During World War II: 1948 Chronology,
Web page
at www.trumanlibrary.org. Retrieved September 11, 2006.
* Camp Haan was built at near
March Air Reserve Base March Air Reserve Base (March ARB), previously known as March Air Force Base (March AFB) is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Perris. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's ...
, the camp housed 1,200 Italian prisoners of war (POW). German POWs were also housed at the camp. The camp was named after Major General William G. Haan. In all 21 POW camps were built in California. A number of Italian POWs, pledged to help the United States. About 70% to 90% of the Italian POWs volunteered for
Italian Service Units The Italian Service Units or ISUs were military units composed of Italian prisoners of war (POWs) that served with the Allies during World War II against Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan from May 1944 to October 1945. The armed forces of the U ...
(ISU). Due to labor shortage the Italian Service Units helped on Army depots, arsenals, farms and hospitals, there they volunteered to work and received better housing, than the standard POW camps. Camp Lamont was used for German POW volunteers to work on crops. Camp Cooke held German POWs, now the site of
Vandenberg Air Force Base Vandenberg may refer to: * Vandenberg (surname), including a list of people with the name * USNS ''General Hoyt S. Vandenberg'' (T-AGM-10), transport ship in the United States Navy, sank as an artificial reef in Key West, Florida * Vandenberg Spac ...
. The Stockton Ordnance Depot held 1,500 German prisoners from May 1944 till June 1946.


Attacks on California

* On February 23, 1942, the Japanese bombed the Ellwood Oil Field. The
Ellwood Oil Field Ellwood Oil Field (also spelled "Elwood") and South Ellwood Offshore Oil Field are a pair of adjacent, partially active oil fields adjoining the city of Goleta, California, about west of Santa Barbara, largely in the Santa Barbara Channel. A r ...
and oil refinery are located in
Goleta, California Goleta (; ; Spanish for "Schooner") is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated populated area in the county. As of the 2000 c ...
in the
Santa Barbara Channel The Santa Barbara Channel is a portion of the Southern California Bight and separates the mainland of California from the northern Channel Islands. It is generally south of the city of Santa Barbara, and west of the Oxnard Plain in Ventura Co ...
. Japanese submarine I-17 fired 16 shells at the Oil Field from its deck gun before running. This attack along with the Niihau Incident started the fear of the invasion of California. There was great fear that the battle group that attacked Hawaii would come to California next. This also started the idea of the internment of Japanese Americans. There were no casualties in the attack. The total cost of the damage was approximately $1,000 (about $18,178 in 2022) . News of the attack triggered an invasion scare along the
West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U. ...
. *
Fu-Go balloon bomb was an deployed by Japan against the United States during World War II. A hydrogen balloon measuring in diameter, it carried a payload of two incendiary devices plus one anti-personnel bomb (or alternatively one incendiary bomb), and was ...
s were the other attack on California and 14 other states. Japanese launched fire bomb balloons across the Pacific Ocean. These high-altitude balloons carried bombs and incendiary explosives. In California 25 fire bomb balloons were found, none caused injuries in California. The balloon bombs were launched in Japan from November 3, 1944, to April 1945. On February 23, 1945, a
P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive twi ...
plane shot down a balloon near
Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa ( Spanish for " Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area in California. Its estimated 2019 population was 178,127. It is the largest city in California's Wine Country and ...
. On January 10, 1945, an Army P-38 shot down a Fu-Go balloon near Alturas, California * Ships off the California coast were attacked: (escaped), (sank), (escaped), (sank), (damaged), SS ''H.M. Storey'' (escaped, sank later), SS ''Camden'' (sank), (damaged), (sank), (escaped), SS ''Connecticut'' (damaged), (Sank), and SS ''Idaho'' anker(minor damage). In the attacks, eight seamen were killed and others injured. After the attack on Pearl Harbor the
Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...
sent five
Submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely o ...
s, I-17, I-19, I-23
I-25 Interstate 25 (I-25) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 stretches from I-10 at Las Cruces, New Mexic ...
and I-26, to attack ships off coastal California. * Due to fear California coastal cities turned off lights or blacked out windows at night. Some sandbagged their homes and businesses. Some radio stations went off the air and civil ships were ordered to stay in port. Commercial air travel was grounded. A military defense system was installed up and down the coast, that included
blimp A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is an airship (dirigible) without an internal structural framework or a keel. Unlike semi-rigid and rigid airships (e.g. Zeppelins), blimps rely on the pressure of the lifting gas (usually helium, rather than hyd ...
s, patrol ships, artillery batteries, and aircraft. * The great sense of fear caused what is called the
Battle of Los Angeles The Battle of Los Angeles, also known as the Great Los Angeles Air Raid, is the name given by contemporary sources to a rumored attack on the continental United States by Imperial Japan and the subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage which ...
. On February 24 and 25, 1942 Los Angeles thought it was under attack and so 1,440 rounds of U.S.
anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes Surface-to-air m ...
ammunition was fired at what turned out to be a non-existent enemy. Reports of an unidentified aircraft started blackout and shooting of reported incoming aircraft. There was crazed and inaccurate reporting of the event at the time. The only damage in the city was self-inflicted from anti-aircraft fire coming down. The event exposed the defenselessness of the West Coast, as California was defended by only 16 modern warplanes at the time. * After the war it was learned that there was a planned December 24, 1941 attack on San Diego Bay. Japanese submarine I-10 was to be the leader of seven other submarines that were to shell the U.S. Navy at San Diego Bay. The attack was called off with the subs only 20 miles off the California coast.


Ammunition

California was a major
ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...
manufacturer for the war. Off the California coast, ships worked around the clock to harvest kelp of the vast California
kelp forest Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp, which covers a large part of the world's coastlines. Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Ea ...
. The kelp's
nitrate Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are soluble in water. An example of an insolubl ...
,
actin Actin is a family of globular multi-functional proteins that form microfilaments in the cytoskeleton, and the thin filaments in muscle fibrils. It is found in essentially all eukaryotic cells, where it may be present at a concentration of ov ...
and potash was used in the making of
gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...
. The largest World War II accident in California was the Port Chicago disaster. The
Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. M ...
SS ''E. A. Bryan'' exploded on July 17, 1944, while being loaded with ammunition. About 4,600 tons (4,173 tonnes) of explosives had been loaded in the ship's holds at the time. The explosion killed 320 sailors and civilians and injured 390 others. , situated next to SS ''E. A. Bryan'', was destroyed and a
United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, ...
fireboat sank. The trains at the port, the port's buildings and much of the surrounding town were severely damaged. Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant in Stanislaus County and Benicia Arsenal were two of the largest ammunition makers. In
San Bernardino San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 ce ...
the Western Stove Company built
incendiary bombs Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices, incendiary munitions, or incendiary bombs are weapons designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using fire (and sometimes used as anti-personnel weaponry), that use materials such as napalm, th ...
. Three California
Victory ship The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace losses caused by German submarines. They were a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ship, were slig ...
s loaded with 6,000 pounds (2,700 kg) of ammunition for troops in the Pacific sank after
Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to ...
attacks. The three ammunition ships were the: , and .


Hollywood

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
's
motion-picture industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, pos ...
continued to make
movies A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
during the war. In addition to
entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
s, Hollywood made training films and films to raise morale. The 1942 film ''The Arm Behind the Army'' showed how important home support of the war was.
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...
volunteered with the
United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
(USO) and entertained troops during World War II and for decades later (1941 to 1991). Hope brought many Hollywood stars with him on his USO tours. Overlapping with this was his movie career, spanning 1934 to 1972, and his USO tours, which he conducted from 1941 to 1991.
Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', in which he c ...
was stationed at Birmingham General Army Hospital in
Van Nuys, California Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...
during the war to entertain the troops there. Arnaz had a bad knee and so was transferred to the US Army Medical Corps. Arnaz also coordinated with the stars that visited the hospital. Arnaz was discharged on November 16, 1945.


War Bond sales

To help pay for the war the U.S. sold
war bonds War bonds (sometimes referred to as Victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are Security (finance)#Debt, debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an un ...
. With its booming economy during World War II, Californians was one of the top of U.S. War Bonds sold. Much of the advertising for war bonds was donated. The spirit of sacrifice was never stronger for the defense of democracy and a way of honoring the sacrifices of American troops. Named after the 1942 '' Hollywood Victory Caravan'', Paramount-produced film promoted bond sales in a 1945, post War. The short film included Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Alan Ladd, William Demarest, Franlin Pangborn, Barbara Stanwyck, Humphrey Bogart, and others. Other heroes like boxing
Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He rei ...
and
Joe DiMaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "The Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yan ...
sold war bonds.
Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...
donated the original copies of his manuscript on the theory of relativity for auction to raise money for war bonds.


California National Guard

California National Guard The California National Guard is part of the National Guard of the United States, a dual federal-state military reserve force. The CA National Guard has three components: the CA Army National Guard, CA Air National Guard, and CA State Guard. ...
was mobilized and called to active duty in August 1940. The US Army recruited the first group to deploy to the war in Europe. The others troops called up were sent to the Pacific war. Between 1940 and 1941 about 12,000 California National Guard troops were called up to service in federal duty. Some troops were used for the defense of California and Hawaii. California National Guard was used for coast patrols, security guards for the Army Air Force bases, railroad bridges, rail tunnels and major dams. Major training bases are Camp Roberts and
Camp San Luis Obispo Camp San Luis Obispo is the original home of the California Army National Guard. It served as an Infantry Division Camp and Cantonment Area for the United States Army during World War II. History Camp San Luis Obispo, formerly called Camp Merri ...
.


Civil defense

Due to the attack on Pearl Harbor and on California civil defense systems were started in California.
Office of Civilian Defense Office of Civilian Defense was a United States federal emergency war agency set up May 20, 1941, by to co-ordinate state and federal measures for protection of civilians in case of war emergency. Its two branches supervised protective functio ...
was founded on May 20, 1941, and the
Office of Civil Defense The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) was an agency of the United States Department of Defense from 1961–64. It replaced the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization. The organization was renamed the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency on May 5, 197 ...
in May 1941. The
Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a Congressional charter, congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official Auxiliaries, civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organi ...
was started on December 1, 1941, in which civilian planes and spotters were used in air reconnaissance, search-and-rescue, and transport. After the attacks on California the Coast Guard Auxiliary, became very active in the use of civilian boats and crews for reconnaissance and search-and-rescue. Towers were built along coastal California, staffed with spotters to look for enemy aircraft working with the
Ground Observer Corps The Ground Observer Corps (GOC), sometimes erroneously referred to as the Ground ''Observation'' Corps, was the name of two American civil defense organizations during the middle 20th century. World War II organization The first Ground Observer ...
. In February 1942 the Federal government started ''
War Time The history of standard time in the United States began November 18, 1883, when United States and Canadian railroads instituted standard time in time zones. Before then, time of day was a local matter, and most cities and towns used some form ...
'', ending in September 1945. With ''War Time'' California time was renamed to '' Pacific War Time'' with special Daylight Savings times. The
Women Airforce Service Pilots The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) (also Women's Army Service Pilots or Women's Auxiliary Service Pilots) was a civilian women pilots' organization, whose members were United States federal civil service employees. Members of WASP became t ...
(WASP) started on August 5, 1943, used 1,074 civilian women pilots to fly new warplanes from the factories to Army airfields for training and deployment points. WASP pilots also towed targets for live anti-aircraft artillery practice, towed gliders for practice landings, simulated strafing missions, and transported cargo. WASP California headquarters was at Santa Ana Army Air Base, Merced Army Airfield, Minter Field, and Victorville Army Airfield Cal Aero Academy was a private flying academy hired by the Army Air Forces for pilot training.


Railroads

American railroads moved 70% of all
freight Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including tran ...
transported in the United States in 1940. During World War II the
passenger A passenger (also abbreviated as pax) is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. Th ...
and
freight Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including tran ...
volume increased vastly. Railroads moved about 90% of the military's need cargo and transported 98% of military personnel. Railroads worked overtime to keep up with demand. It was patriotic to avoid all unnecessary travel, to give space needed for troop movement. Railroad brought troop to California training centers and camps. Railroad brought workers to California's growing
defense industry The arms industry, also known as the arms trade, is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology. It consists of a commercial industry involved in the research and development, engineering, production, and se ...
. During World War II rail-line moved to
Diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...
s and away from the labor-intensive
steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomo ...
s. The Army had special hospital cars built to move wounded soldiers, one operated out of San Francisco. Many cities still had local
tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...
services like Los Angeles vast
Pacific Electric The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electric railway system ...
system.


Research

The development of new systems was a key to winning the war. World War 2 brought about many new technologies. Some California colleges and universities joined in the
V-12 Navy College Training Program The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II. Between July 1, 1943, and June 30, 1946, more than 125,000 participants were enrolled in 131 colle ...
training volunteers for Navy commission. Some California universities also had classes for
aeronautical engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...
, resident inspectors of ordinance and naval material, and a liaison for the
National Defense Research Committee The National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) was an organization created "to coordinate, supervise, and conduct scientific research on the problems underlying the development, production, and use of mechanisms and devices of warfare" in the Un ...
. *
Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory (often shortened as Los Alamos and LANL) is one of the sixteen research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), located a short distance northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, ...
– Top secret
Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project ...
*
California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
– aeronautical – wind tunnels – rocketry *
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
– Manhattan Project *
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...
– radar microwave research * University of California-San Diego
Frequency modulation Frequency modulation (FM) is the encoding of information in a carrier wave by varying the instantaneous frequency of the wave. The technology is used in telecommunications, radio broadcasting, signal processing, and computing. In analog freq ...
Sonar to track multiple targets with a single ping and large Sonar crystals. *
University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban dist ...
– V-12 Navy College *
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
– V-12 Navy College –
Scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...
*
Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Ch ...
– V-12 Navy College * Early
Penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum usin ...
experiments were done at the Kaiser Richmond Shipyards. *
Skunk Works Skunk Works is an official pseudonym for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs (ADP), formerly called Lockheed Advanced Development Projects. It is responsible for a number of aircraft designs, beginning with the P-38 Lightning in 19 ...
– Planes and jets *
Hewlett-Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. HP developed and provided a wide variety of hardware components ...
built
oscillator Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendulum ...
s for
proximity fuze A proximity fuze (or fuse) is a fuze that detonates an explosive device automatically when the distance to the target becomes smaller than a predetermined value. Proximity fuzes are designed for targets such as planes, missiles, ships at sea, a ...
and
microwave Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency rang ...
Signal generator A signal generator is one of a class of electronic devices that generates electrical signals with set properties of amplitude, frequency, and wave shape. These generated signals are used as a stimulus for electronic measurements, typically used ...
used in radar and counter-radar measures. *
Hedy Lamarr Hedy Lamarr (; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American film actress and inventor. A film star during Hollywood's golden age, Lamarr has been described as one of the greatest movie actresse ...
Hollywood actor with
George Antheil George Johann Carl Antheil (; July 8, 1900 – February 12, 1959) was an American avant-garde composer, pianist, author, and inventor whose modernist musical compositions explored the modern sounds – musical, industrial, and mechanical – of t ...
invented Frequency-hopping spread spectrum for the Navy.


Veterans

After the war
Operation Magic Carpet Operation Magic Carpet was the post-World War II operation by the War Shipping Administration to repatriate over eight million American military personnel from the European, Pacific, and Asian theaters. Hundreds of Liberty ships, Victory ship ...
started to bring the troops home, some brought home
war bride War brides are women who married military personnel from other countries in times of war or during military occupations, a practice that occurred in great frequency during World War I and World War II. Among the largest and best documented exam ...
s. On October 30, 1944, Governor
Earl Warren Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The Warren Court presided over a major shift in American constitution ...
started the California Veteran's Commission. The Commission worked to help veterans re-entry into civilian life. The Commission working with
United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...
, California Military Department, state agencies, local governments, and community groups like:
American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of ...
,
Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or ...
, and
Disabled American Veterans The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization created in 1920 by World War I veterans for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means. It was issued a federal ch ...
. Many
Veterans Health Administration The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) led by the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health that implements the healthcare program of the VA through a nationa ...
facilities were opened in the state. Veteran's Bond Act of 1943 helped veterans to purchase a home or farm. Veterans started families, that is called the
baby boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds of defined national and cultural populations. People born during these periods are often ...
,
birth rate The birth rate for a given period is the total number of live human births per 1,000 population divided by the length of the period in years. The number of live births is normally taken from a universal registration system for births; populati ...
s increased in the U.S. and California.


Manufacturing


Ship building

California became a major builder of ships for the war. Under the Emergency Shipbuilding program, cargo ships like Liberty ships and
Victory ship The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace losses caused by German submarines. They were a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ship, were slig ...
s were built in days, not the normal months. Ships that could be repaired overseas greatly reduced repair time, so California shipyards also built
floating dry dock Floating may refer to: * a type of dental work performed on horse teeth * use of an isolation tank * the guitar-playing technique where chords are sustained rather than scratched * ''Floating'' (play), by Hugh Hughes * Floating (psychological ...
s like the Large Auxiliary Floating Dry Docks and Medium Auxiliary Floating Dry Docks. As fear of an attack on California seemed likely, the War Department requested some ships be built at an inland ports, so many new ships were built at the Port of Stockton, seventy nautical miles from the ocean. Henry J. Kaiser built day care centers at his shipyards in Richmond. Kaiser Steel was headquartered in Fontana, California. Some of the ships were given to the
Allies of World War II The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy. ...
through the
Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...
act of March 11, 1941. At the end of the war there was a surplus of ships and most
shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...
s were closed. Surplus ships were either sold or put into the Navy Reserve Fleet, like the
Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet The Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet is located on the northwest side of Suisun Bay (the northern portion of the greater San Francisco Bay estuary) in Benicia, California. The fleet is within a regulated navigation area that is about long and wide. It ...
. California ship yards:


Los Angeles

Major * California Shipbuilding in Wilmington, Liberty ship and Victory ship ** 306 Liberty cargo ships ** 101 Victory cargo ships ** 30 attack transports ** 30 tankers *
Consolidated Steel Corporation Consolidated Steel Corporation (formed 18 December 1928) was an American steel and shipbuilding business. Consolidated built ships during World War II in two locations: Wilmington, California and Orange, Texas. It was created in 1929 by the mer ...
** Wilmington **
Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporated ...
(formerly Craig Shipbuilding) ** 2 P1 attack transports ** 18 frigates ** 32 attack transports ** cargo: 133 Type C1 ships, 10
Type C2 ship Type C2 ships were designed by the United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) in 1937–38. They were all-purpose cargo ships with five holds, and U.S. shipyards built 328 of them from 1939 to 1945. Compared to ships built before 1939, the C2s we ...
s * Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro, 26 destroyers * Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division in San Pedro, 10 large auxiliaries ** formerly Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Corporation *
Western Pipe and Steel The Western Pipe and Steel Company (WPS) was an American manufacturing company that is best remembered today for its construction of ships for the Maritime Commission in World War II. It also built ships for the U.S. Shipping Board in World W ...
, 12 destroyer escorts, 11 cutters, 7 icebreakers, 32 LSM Minor * Hodgson-Greene-Haldeman,
Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporated ...
,
Type V ship The Type V ship is a United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) designation for World War II tugboats. Type V was used in World War II, Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Type V ships were used to move ships and barges. Type V tugboats were made o ...
wood
tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...
s. * Fellows & Stewart in Wilmington, Sub chaser and rescue boat * Harbor Boatbuilding at Terminal Island, Minesweeper,
Torpedo Boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of se ...
, Sub Chaser, & rescue boat * Wilmington Boat Works in Wilmington, Sub Chaser, Harbor Tug, Rescue boat * Pacific Boat, Terminal Island, Wood BC Deck Barge * Patten-Blinn Lumber, Los Angeles, Knockdown Wood BK Barge * Long Beach Boat, Long Beach Army J Boat * J. E. Haddock Company, San Pedro, AFDL42 Float dock * Al Larson Boat Shop in San Pedro, Minesweeper and Sub Chaser * American Pipe in Los Angeles, Barges * Standard Steel in Los Angeles, Steel Barge BK * Ashbridge Boatworks Los Angeles Army J Passenger Boat * San Pedro Boatworks, San Pedro, Army J Patrol Boat * Garbutt-Walsh Inc. in San Pedro, covered Barge * Wilson Company in Wilmington, US Army Tug * United Concrete Pipe Corporation in Long Beach ships * Peyton Company in Newport Beach, Sub Chaser and Harbor Tug * Ackerman Boat in Newport Beach, Sub Chaser and Harbor Tug


San Francisco

Major * Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation **
Union Iron Works Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries ...
*** 4 cruisers, 36 destroyers, 12 destroyer escorts, 5 cargo **
Alameda Works Shipyard The Alameda Works Shipyard, in Alameda, California, United States, was one of the largest and best equipped shipyards in the country. The only building remaining from the yard is the Union Iron Works Powerhouse, which is listed on the National R ...
*** 8 P2 transports * Richmond Shipyards : ** Kaiser Richmond No. 1 Yard; Oceans, Libertys, Victorys ** Kaiser Richmond No. 2 Yard; Liberty, Victory ** Kaiser Richmond No. 3 Yard;
Type C4-class ship The Type C4-class ship were the largest cargo ships built by the United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) during World War II. The design was originally developed for the American-Hawaiian Lines in 1941, but in late 1941 the plans were taken ...
** Kaiser Richmond No. 4 Yard;
Landing Ship, Tank Landing Ship, Tank (LST), or tank landing ship, is the naval designation for ships first developed during World War II (1939–1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto shore wi ...
s (LST)s, Tugs *
Mare Island Naval Shipyard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates ...
in Vallejo, 31 destroyer escorts, 18 submarines * Moore Dry Dock Company in
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay ...
, C2 Cargo * Western Pipe and Steel Company in San Francisco, Cargo *
Marinship Marinship Corporation was a shipbuilding company of the United States during World War II, created to build the shipping required for the war effort. Founded in 1942, the shipyard built 93 cargo ships and oil tankers, before ending operations 1 ...
, in
Sausalito Sausalito (Spanish for "small willow grove") is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located southeast of Marin City, south-southeast of San Rafael, and about north of San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge. Sausalito ...
** 78
T2 tanker The T2 tanker, or T2, was a class of oil tanker constructed and produced in large quantities in the United States during World War II. Only the T3 tankers were larger "navy oilers" of the period. Some 533 T2s were built between 1940 and the end o ...
s, 15
Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. M ...
s Minor * Oakland Estuary ** United Engineering Company, 21 fleet tugs ** General Engineering, 23 steel minesweepers and 4 steel net layers ** Pacific Coast Engineering ** Pacific Bridge Company ** Cryer & Sons, Four Navy coastal cargo ships ** W. F. Stone & Son, Minesweeper, Tug and Sub Chaser ** Independent Iron Works, Barge ** Poole & McGonigle, YFD-19 *
Hunters Point Naval Shipyard The Hunters Point Naval Shipyard was a United States Navy shipyard in San Francisco, California, located on of waterfront at Hunters Point in the southeast corner of the city. Originally, Hunters Point was a commercial shipyard established i ...
(repairs only?) * Kneass Boat Works in San Francisco Five Sub Chaser and a Tug * Hunt Marine Service in Richmond, patrol boat, tug * Soule Steel in San Francisco, Barge * Judson Pacific, San Francisco, Steel BG Gasoline Barge * Barrett & Hilp in San Francisco, concrete barge * Anderson & Cristofani in San Francisco Patrol Craft (YP), APc * California Steel Products in Richmond, Gasoline Barge * Martinolich Shipbuilding Company, San Francisco, Self-Propelled Barge * Madden, Lewis in Sausalito, Tug * Sausalito Shipbuilding in Sausalito, Steel Barges


Other

* Pollock-Stockton Shipbuilding Company in Stockton, Net layer,
Dry Dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
* Eureka Shipbuilding, Fields Landing tugboats * Concrete Ship Constructors in National City Type B ship barges * Barrett & Hilp, Concrete Ships in South San Francisco – barges * Colberg Boat Works in Stockton, Minesweeper, Tug, Sub chaser * Stephens Bros. Boat Builders in Stockton,
Picket Boat A picket boat is a type of small naval craft. These are used for harbor patrol and other close inshore work, and have often been carried by larger warships as a ship's boat. They range in size between 30 and 55 feet. Patrol boats, or any craft e ...
, Tug, Rescue Boat * Hickinbotham Brothers in Stockton (Guntert and Zimmerman ), Barge, Cargo, Tug * Kyle and Company in Stockton, Coastal tanker * Clyde W. Wood in Stockton, Tug, Cargo * Nicholson, D. W. in Stockton, San Leandro and Oakland, Wood BC Deck barge * Stockton Steel Fabrications Company in Stockton * Basalt Rock Company in Napa, Rescue Ship, barge * Campbell Industries in San Diego, four
minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...
s *
Fulton Shipyard Fulton Shipyard was a shipbuilding company in Antioch, California. The shipyard was founded in 1924 by Frank Fulton and Angeline Fulton Fredericks. To support the World War II demand for ships, Fulton Shipyard built minesweepers, tugboats, a ...
in Antioch, Minesweeper, Tug, and
Troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...
* Chicago Bridge Eureka, Eureka, AFDM *
National Steel and Shipbuilding Company National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, commonly referred to as NASSCO, is an American shipbuilding company with three shipyards located in San Diego, Norfolk and Mayport. It is a division of General Dynamics. The San Diego shipyard specialize ...
NASSCO in San Diego, US Army KD Barges * Lynch Shipbuilding in San Diego, Rescue Tug and Coastal cargo * San Diego Marine, San Diego, Minesweeper and Sub Chaser * South Coast Shipbuilding in Newport Beach, Minesweeper, Sub Chaser and Crash boat * Victory Shipbuilding in Newport Beach, Harbor Tug and Sub Chaser * Moore Equipment Company in Stockton YSD * Aetna Iron & Steel in San Diego YSR Barge * Sacramento Shipbuilders in Sacramento, Barge * Stanwood Shipyard in Stanwood, BCL Wood Barge * Krem, Kau & Son, Pittsburg, Army J Passenger Boat * Steinbrenner, Otto, Sacramento, Wood BC Deck Barge * Olson Lumber, Alhambra, Knockdown Wood BK Barge * National Iron Works, San Diego, Knockdown Steel BK Barge


Aircraft manufacturers

Built in California during World War 2 were:
B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Thea ...
,
Lockheed P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive tw ...
,
Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained ...
,
Douglas SBD Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/d ...
,
Douglas A-26 Invader The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer bas ...
, Lockheed Ventura,
Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar The Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar is a passenger transport aircraft of the World War II era. Design and development Sales of the 10–14 passenger Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra, which first flew in 1937, had proved disappointing, despite the air ...
,
Lockheed P-2 Neptune The Lockheed P-2 Neptune (designated P2V by the United States Navy prior to September 1962) is a maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. It was developed for the US Navy by Lockheed to replace the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and P ...
,
Lockheed Constellation The Lockheed Constellation ("Connie") is a propeller-driven, four-engined airliner built by Lockheed Corporation starting in 1943. The Constellation series was the first pressurized-cabin civil airliner series to go into widespread use. Its press ...
, Douglas P-70 Nighthawk,
Douglas DC-5 The Douglas DC-5 (Douglas Commercial Model 5) was a 16-to-22-seat, twin-engine propeller aircraft intended for shorter routes than the Douglas DC-3 or Douglas DC-4. By the time it entered commercial service in 1940, many airlines were canceling ...
,
Douglas C-54 Skymaster The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian ...
, Douglas BTD Destroyer,
Douglas A-33 The Douglas A-33 (Model 8A-5) was an American attack aircraft built in small numbers during World War II. It was an updated version of the Northrop A-17, with a more powerful engine and an increased bomb load. While the A-33 was intended initial ...
,
Douglas TBD Devastator The Douglas TBD Devastator was an American torpedo bomber of the United States Navy. Ordered in 1934, it first flew in 1935 and entered service in 1937. At that point, it was the most advanced aircraft flying for the Navy and possibly for any na ...
,
Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer The Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer is an American World War II and Korean War era patrol bomber of the United States Navy derived from the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. The Navy had been using B-24s with only minor modifications as the PB4Y-1 Li ...
,
Northrop A-17 The Northrop A-17, a development of the Northrop Gamma 2F model, was a two-seat, single-engine, monoplane, attack bomber built in 1935 by the Northrop Corporation for the United States Army Air Corps. When in British Commonwealth service during ...
, Northrop BT, Northrop N-3PB,
Northrop P-61 Black Widow The Northrop P-61 Black Widow is a twin-engine United States Army Air Forces fighter aircraft of World War II. It was the first operational U.S. warplane designed as a night fighter, and the first aircraft designed specifically as a night fight ...
, McDonnell FH Phantom,
Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models de ...
,
Consolidated PB2Y Coronado The PB2Y Coronado is a large flying boat patrol bomber designed by Consolidated Aircraft, and used by the US Navy during World War II in bombing, antisubmarine, and transport roles. Obsolete by the end of the war, Coronados were quickly taken ...
, Consolidated TBY Sea Wolf,
Consolidated B-32 Dominator The Consolidated B-32 Dominator (Consolidated Model 34) was an American heavy strategic bomber built for United States Army Air Forces during World War II, which had the distinction of being the last Allied aircraft to be engaged in combat duri ...
,
Consolidated P-30 The Consolidated P-30 (PB-2) was a 1930s United States two-seat fighter aircraft. An attack version called the A-11 was also built, along with two Y1P-25 prototypes and YP-27, Y1P-28, and XP-33 proposals. The P-30 is significant for being the f ...
,
North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...
,
North American P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...
,
Vultee A-31 Vengeance The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was an American dive bomber of World War II, built by Vultee Aircraft. A modified version was designated A-35. The Vengeance was not used operationally by the United States, but was operated as a front-line aircraft by ...
,
Vultee BT-13 Valiant The Vultee BT-13 Valiant is an American World War II-era basic (a category between primary and advanced) trainer aircraft built by Vultee Aircraft for the United States Army Air Corps, and later US Army Air Forces. A subsequent variant of the ...
, Vultee P-66 Vanguard,
Vultee V-11 The Vultee V-11 and V-12 were American stressed-skin monocoque monoplane attack aircraft of the 1930s. Developed from the Vultee V-1 single-engined airliner, the V-11 and V-12 were purchased by several nations for their armed forces, including ...
, Interstate Cadet,
North American T-6 Texan The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air for ...
,
Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American medium bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement f ...
,
Lockheed C-69 Constellation The Lockheed C-69 Constellation was a four-engined, propeller-driven military transport aircraft developed during World War Two. It was co-developed with the Lockheed Constellation airliner. It first flew in 1943, and production of the 22 constr ...
,
Consolidated PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served ...
, Interstate TDR, Timm N2T Tutor, Ryan PT-22 Recruit, Ryan ST and the Waco CG-4 / Timm CG-4A . The
Lockheed Hudson The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and prim ...
built in Burbank was delivered to Canada and then the United Kingdom starting in 1939. By the end of the war California had 70% of the aerospace manufacturing in the United States and had built over 200,000 planes.
Hughes H-4 Hercules The Hughes H-4 Hercules (commonly known as the ''Spruce Goose''; registration NX37602) is a prototype strategic airlift flying boat designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft Company. Intended as a transatlantic flight transport for use duri ...
, Victory Trainer and Bartlett Zephyr were built in California, but not used. The
California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
in
Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...
started a ''School of Aeronautics'' and other aeronautic research labs in the early 1920s, this helped California become a major aerospace manufacturing center.

Aircraft manufacturers This is a list of aircraft manufacturers sorted alphabetically by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)/common name. It contains the ICAO/common name, manufacturers name(s), country and other data, with the known years of operation in pa ...
of World War II in California: *
Douglas Aircraft Company The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer based in Southern California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas; it then operated a ...
in
Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
, El Segundo,
Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporated ...
, and Torrance *
Lockheed Corporation The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer. Lockheed was founded in 1926 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995. Its founder, Allan Lockheed, had earlier founded the similarly named but ...
in Burbank *
Vega Aircraft Corporation The Vega Aircraft Corporation was a subsidiary of the Lockheed Aircraft Company in Burbank, California responsible for much of its parent company's production in World War II. History The company was first formed in August 1937 as the AiRover ...
in Burbank *
Northrop Corporation Northrop Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1939 until its 1994 merger with Grumman to form Northrop Grumman. The company is known for its development of the flying wing design, most successfully the B-2 Spir ...
in Hawthorne *
Hughes Aircraft Company The Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded on February 14, 1934 by Howard Hughes in Glendale, California, as a division of Hughes Tool Company. The company was known for producing, among other pro ...
in
Playa Vista Playa Vista is a neighborhood in the Westside area of Los Angeles, California. The area was the headquarters of Hughes Aircraft Company from 1941 to 1985 and the site of the construction of the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose" aircraft. The ...
and Culver City * McDonnell Aircraft Corporation in Long Beach *
Consolidated Aircraft The Consolidated Aircraft Corporation was founded in 1923 by Reuben H. Fleet in Buffalo, New York, the result of the Gallaudet Aircraft Company's liquidation and Fleet's purchase of designs from the Dayton-Wright Company as the subsidiary was b ...
in San Diego *
Ryan Aeronautical The Ryan Aeronautical Company was founded by T. Claude Ryan in San Diego, California, in 1934. It became part of Teledyne in 1969, and of Northrop Grumman when the latter company purchased Ryan in 1999. Ryan built several historically and tech ...
in San Diego *
North American Aviation North American Aviation (NAA) was a major American aerospace manufacturer that designed and built several notable aircraft and spacecraft. Its products included: the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F ...
in Inglewood * Glenn L. Martin Company in Santa Ana, HQ and design only * Harlow Aircraft Company in
Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...
*
Convair Convair, previously Consolidated Vultee, was an American aircraft manufacturing company that later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft. In 1953, ...
in San Diego *
Vultee Aircraft The Vultee Aircraft Corporation became an independent company in 1939 in Los Angeles County, California. It had limited success before merging with the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in 1943, to form the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporati ...
in Burbank and Downey * Interstate Aircraft in El Segundo * O.W. Timm Aircraft Company in
Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Van Nuys City Hall, Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. ...
* Bartlett Aircraft in Rosemead * Hiller Aircraft in Berkeley *
Morrow Aircraft Corporation Morrow Aircraft Corporation was American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company in San Bernardino, California. It developed a process to build airplanes out of plastic impregnated wood. History Plans for a $65,000 plant at the yet-completed ...
in
San Bernardino San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 ce ...
*
Skunk Works Skunk Works is an official pseudonym for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs (ADP), formerly called Lockheed Advanced Development Projects. It is responsible for a number of aircraft designs, beginning with the P-38 Lightning in 19 ...
design HQ in Burbank


Vehicles manufacturers

During World War II all California civilian automobile manufacturing ended. *
General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and was the largest in the world for 77 years bef ...
South Gate Assembly South Gate Assembly was a General Motors automobile plant located at 2720 Tweedy Boulevard in the Los Angeles suburb of South Gate, California.
built Stuart M-5 and M5A1
Light Tank A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller in size with thinner armor and a less powerful main gun, tailored for better tactical mobility and ease o ...
s at 500 per month. *
General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and was the largest in the world for 77 years bef ...
Oakland Assembly Oakland Assembly was a former Chevrolet manufacturing facility located in Elmhurst, Oakland, California. It was the first automobile plant established in Northern California to build Chevrolet vehicles. In 1916, Chevrolet opened the auto industr ...
built
Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military avia ...
aircraft engines and munitions. * Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant in Richmond built 49,399
jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors ...
s. The Ford plant also did completion work on
tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...
s,
armored personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Ac ...
s, armored cars and other military vehicles. Ford's Long Beach plant was leased to the Air Force and used as an Air Base. *
Willys-Overland Willys (pronounced , "Willis" ) was a brand name used by Willys–Overland Motors, an American automobile company, founded by John North Willys. It was best known for its design and production of World War II era and later military jeeps (MBs) ...
Maywood, California Maywood is a small Gateway city in Los Angeles County. At , Maywood is the third-smallest incorporated city in Los Angeles County. It is bordered by the cities of Bell on the south, Vernon on the north and west, Huntington Park on the southw ...
plant was used by Lockheed to build subassemblies for
Lockheed Hudson The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and prim ...
. *
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
of California, Los Angeles, built 12,214 aircraft engines, 4,100 B-17 cabins and 688 PV-2 Harpoon cabins. * Studebaker Pacific Corporation of Los Angeles built engines for the B-17s and PV-2 Harpoons being built in Burbank. *
Menasco Motors Company The Menasco Motors Company was an American aircraft engine and component manufacturer. History The company was organized by Albert S. Menasco in 1926 to convert World War I surplus Salmson Z-9 water-cooled nine-cylinder radials into air-coole ...
in Burbank, built aircraft
landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...
for North American, Lockheed, Republic, General Dynamics, and other aircraft manufacturers. Menasco continued this work after the war. *
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is a tire company founded by Harvey Firestone (1868–1938) in 1900 initially to supply solid rubber side-wire tires for fire apparatus, and later, pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheele ...
of Los Angeles built 1,550 turrets used on M5 tanks. Firestone also built 3,100 M5 tank tracks.


Military installations

Like other states in the desert Southwest, many of the new military installations built were
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
airbases. California's weather, wide open spaces, railroad connections, and access to ocean made it an ideal location for training pilots, also armored vehicles operators.


Desert Training Center

The largest
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
training installation in the history of the United States was the
Desert Training Center The Desert Training Center (DTC), also known as California–Arizona Maneuver Area (CAMA), was a World War II training facility established in the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert, largely in Southern California and Western Arizona in 1942. It ...
. To prepare troops for the battles in the North African campaign, the army had General Patton build many desert training camps in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
and a few in
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fo ...
. The camps were built in the Mojave Desert and
Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Arizona ...
. The open space let the Army and Army Air Corps use live fire to train troops, test and develop equipment. Tactical doctrines, techniques, and training methods for combat were developed from this training. From 1 April 1942 to 1 July 1944, the complete training area covered 18,000 square miles. The camp reached from
Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Polytech ...
east to almost to
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the onl ...
and from
Yuma, Arizona Yuma ( coc, Yuum) is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 93,064 at the 2010 census, up from the 2000 census population of 77,515. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, M ...
northward into the southern tip of
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
. California Army Divisional Camps * Camp Clipper and Camp Essex * Camp Coxcomb * Camp Granite * Camp Ibis * Camp Iron Mountain * Camp Pilot Knob *
Camp Young The General George S. Patton Memorial Museum, in Chiriaco Summit, California, is a museum erected in tribute to General George S. Patton on the site of the entrance of Camp Young, part of the Desert Training Center of World War II. Exhibits in ...
– Desert Training Center Headquarters California Army Depots * Camp Freda Quartermaster Depot * Camp Desert Center * Camp Goffs – Depot and Infantry training. * Pomona Ordnance Depot California Army Airfields * Major airfields ** Blythe Army Air Base ** Desert Center Army Airfield ** Thermal Army Airfield ** Rice Army Airfield ** Shavers Summit Army Airfield (now Chiriaco Summit Airport) * Minor airfields ** Camp Coxcomb Army Field (abandoned) **
Camp Essex Army Field The Camp Clipper and Camp Essex were sub camps of the US Army Desert Training Center in Riverside County, California. The main headquarters for the Desert Training Center was Camp Young. This is where General Patton's 3rd Armored Division ...
(abandoned) ** Camp Goffs Army Field (abandoned) ** Camp Ibis Army Field (abandoned) ** Camp Iron Mountain Army Field Desert Training Center California Hospitals * Banning General Hospital ( Banning, CA) * Camp Freda Hospital * Camp Desert Center Hospital * Camp Goffs Hospital *
Torney General Hospital Torney General Hospital was a US Army Hospital in Palm Springs, California, in Riverside County used during World War II. Parts of Torney General Hospital are now the Desert Regional Medical Center. In November 1945 Torney General Hospital was c ...
* Needles Station Hospital *
Cherry Valley Hospital Cherry Valley Hospital, also called Beaumont General Hospital and then Naval Convalescent Hospital Beaumont was a large medical treatment facility during World War 2 near the City of Beaumont, California in Riverside County, California, Riversid ...


US Army Bases

For World War 2 existing California Army bases were enlarged and many new bases were built. Bases were used for induction, training, deployment, supply depots, hospitals and housing of POWs. *
Fort Irwin Fort Irwin National Training Center (Fort Irwin NTC) is a major training area for the United States military in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County, California. Fort Irwin is at an average elevation of . It is located northeast o ...
*
Fort Ord Fort Ord is a former United States Army post on Monterey Bay of the Pacific Ocean coast in California, which closed in 1994 due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, m ...
*
Camp Funston Camp Funston is a U.S. Army training camp located on Fort Riley, southwest of Manhattan, Kansas. The camp was named for Brigadier General Frederick Funston (1865–1917). It is one of sixteen such camps established at the outbreak of World War ...
* Fort Hunter Liggett * Parks Reserve Forces Training Area * Presidio of Monterey * Military Ocean Terminal Concord *
Camp Anza Camp Anza was a United States Army installation, in what is now Riverside, California, during World War II. Construction began on July 3, 1942, and was completed on February 15, 1943. The camp was named after Juan Bautista de Anza, an early explo ...
* Camp Callan *
Camp Kearny Camp Kearny was a U.S. military base (first Army, later Navy) in San Diego County, California, on the site of the current Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. It operated from 1917 to 1946. The base was named in honor of Brigadier General Stephen ...
* Salinas Garrison * Camp Lockett * Fort Emory *
Oakland Army Base The Oakland Army Base, also known as the Oakland Army Terminal, is a decommissioned United States Army base in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. The base was located at the Port of Oakland on Maritime Street just south of the eastern entran ...
*
Fort Funston Fort Funston is a former harbor defense installation located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco. Formerly known as the Lake Merced Military Reservation, the fort is now a protected area within the Golden Gate National Recreation Are ...
*
Fort MacArthur Fort MacArthur is a former United States Army installation in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California (now the port community of Los Angeles). A small section remains in military use by the United States Air Force as a housing and administrative annex ...
* Camp Ashby *
Fort Mason Fort Mason, in San Francisco, California originated as a coastal defense site during the American Civil War. The nucleus of the property was owned by John C. Frémont and disputes over compensation by the United States continued into 1968. In 188 ...
* Fort McDowell * Fort Miley Military Reservation * Camp McQuaide *
Camp Stoneman Camp Stoneman was a United States Army facility located in Pittsburg, California. It served as a major troop staging area for and under the command of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation (SFPOE). The camp operated during World War II and the ...
* Fort Point *
Letterman Army Hospital The Letterman Army Hospital, established around 1898 and redesignated as the Letterman Army Medical Center (LAMC) in 1969, was a US Army facility at the Presidio of San Francisco in San Francisco, California, US. It was decommissioned in 1994. ...
* Hoff General Hospital *
Fort Baker Fort Baker is one of the components of California's Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Fort, which borders the City of Sausalito in Marin County and is connected to San Francisco by the Golden Gate Bridge, served as an Army post until the ...
*
Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...
* Camp Tanforan *
Oakland Army Base The Oakland Army Base, also known as the Oakland Army Terminal, is a decommissioned United States Army base in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. The base was located at the Port of Oakland on Maritime Street just south of the eastern entran ...
*
Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...
* Sacramento Army Depot * San Carlos War Dog Training Center * Camp Seeley El Centro * Camp Pinedale * Fresno Army Air Forces Training Center * Santa Anita Ordnance Training Center * Camp Roberts Army Base Monterey *
Camp San Luis Obispo Camp San Luis Obispo is the original home of the California Army National Guard. It served as an Infantry Division Camp and Cantonment Area for the United States Army during World War II. History Camp San Luis Obispo, formerly called Camp Merri ...
, (Camp Merriam) * San Joaquin Depot ** Sharpe Facility ** Tracy Facility ** Lathrop Holding and Reconsignment ** Lathrop Engineering Depot * Stockton Ordnance Depot * Sierra Army Depot in Herlong * Birmingham General Hospital * Mitchell Convalescent Hospital * Camp Ross * Benicia Arsenal * Camp Ono for POWs * Fort Barry * Fort Cronkhite * Fort Ord Station Veterinary Hospital * DeWitt General Hospital * Camp Kohler * Camp Shoemaker * Camp Flint * Camp Tulelake * Camp Tracy * Radar Station B-71 * Battery Chamberlin * Camp Lamont for POWs * Milagra Ridge Military Reservation * Camp Ayres – Chino Supply Depot – Camp Chino * Pillar Point Military Reservation * Santa Monica Army Air Forces Redistribution Center * Hammond General Hospital


Air bases and airfield

Existing
United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
air bases were enlarged to house and train the many new crews needed. Almost all civilian airports and airstrips were converted to Army Air training centers. Almost all civilian air flights were cancelled. Many new airstrips and landing pads were built for pilot landing and take-off training. Air bases had housing and meals for the troops. Some airstrips and landing pads had no support buildings, as they were used only for landing and take-off training. United States Army Air Corps World War II bases, airstrips and landing pads in California: * Beale Air Force Base (Camp Beale), Marysville * Muroc Army Airfield now Edwards Air Force Base ** March Field, Riverside *
McClellan Air Force Base McClellan Air Force Base (1935–2001) is a former United States Air Force base located in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County, northeast of Sacramento, California. History For the vast majority of its operational lifetime, McClella ...
, Sacramento * Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base now Travis Air Force Base * Camp Cooke now Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc * Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base * Lemoore Army Air Field * Long Beach Army Air Field * Lomita Flight Strip * Ontario Army Air Field * San Bernardino Army Air Field * Van Nuys Army Air Field *
Chino Airport Chino Airport is a county-owned airport about three miles southeast of Chino, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The Federal Aviation Administration's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2007–2011 classified it ...
* Oxnard Air Force Base * Clover Field * Merced Army Air Field * Camp Merced *
Grand Central Air Terminal Grand Central Airport is a former airport in Glendale, California. Also known as Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT), the airport was an important facility for the growing Los Angeles suburb of Glendale in the 1920s and a key element in the devel ...
*
Lockheed Air Terminal Lockheed (originally spelled Loughead) may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Lockheed Corporation, a former American aircraft manufacturer * Lockheed Martin, formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta ** Lockheed Mar ...
*
Mines Field Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
* Victorville Army Air Field * Hamilton Army Airfield * Bakersfield Army Air Field *
Mather Air Force Base Mather Air Force Base (Mather AFB) was a United States Air Force Base, which was closed in 1993 pursuant to a post-Cold War BRAC decision. It was located east of Sacramento, on the south side of U.S. Route 50 in Sacramento County, Califor ...
* Norton Air Force Base * Naval Auxiliary Air Station Salton Sea * McClellan Field * McChesney Field * Hammer Field * Santa Monica Army Air Base * Gardner Army Airfield * Bicycle Lake Army Airfield * Minter Field *
Santa Maria Army Air Field Santa Maria Public Airport (Capt. G. Allan Hancock Field) is three miles (5 km) south of Santa Maria, in northern Santa Barbara County, California, United States. History The airport was built by the United States Army during World War ...
* Lookout Mountain Air Force Station * Chico Field *
Wendover Air Force Base Wendover Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Utah now known as Wendover Airport. During World War II, it was a training base for B-17 and B-24 bomber crews. It was the training site of the 509th Composite Group, the B-2 ...
` * Santa Ana Army Air Base * Palm Springs Air Base * Fresno Air Base * Chiriaco Summit Airport * Bishop Army Airfield * Blythe Army Airfield * Palmdale Army Airfield * Gary Army Airfield * Oakland Municipal Airport * Chico Army Air Field * Reno Army Air Base *
Barstow-Daggett Airport Barstow-Daggett Airport is a county-owned public airport in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is five miles (7 km) east of Daggett and 14 miles east of Barstow. Built in 1933, it is the oldest of the six airports opera ...
* Mira Loma Quartermaster Depot * Montague Air Force Auxiliary Field * Napa Army Airfield * Willows Municipal Airport * Redding Army Airfield * Siskiyou County Army Airfield * Salinas Army Air Base * Delano Army Airfield * Capitola Airport * Meadows Field * Visalia Army Airfield * Hayward Army Airfield *
Orland Auxiliary Field Haigh Field Airport is a public airport located three miles (4.8 km) southeast of the central business district (CBD) of Orland, a city in Glenn County, California, United States. It covers and has one runway. It is mostly used for gene ...
*
Kirkwood Auxiliary Field Chico Army Airfield auxiliary fields were a number of airfields used during World War II to support the Chico Army Airfield. On September 11, 1941, the US Army rented from the City of Chico a small 1930's airport that sat on of land. The Airfie ...
*
Vina Auxiliary Field Chico Army Airfield auxiliary fields were a number of airfields used during World War II to support the Chico Army Airfield. On September 11, 1941, the US Army rented from the City of Chico a small 1930's airport that sat on of land. The Airfie ...
*
Campbell Auxiliary Field Chico Army Airfield auxiliary fields were a number of airfields used during World War II to support the Chico Army Airfield. On September 11, 1941, the US Army rented from the City of Chico a small 1930's airport that sat on of land. The Airfie ...
*
Oroville Auxiliary Field Chico Army Airfield auxiliary fields were a number of airfields used during World War II to support the Chico Army Airfield. On September 11, 1941, the US Army rented from the City of Chico a small 1930's airport that sat on of land. The Airfie ...
*
Sacramento Municipal Airport Sacramento Executive Airport is a public airport three miles (5 km) south of downtown Sacramento, in Sacramento County, California, United States. The airport covers and has two lit runways and a helipad. History When it opened in 1930 E ...
*
Oroville Army Airfield Oroville Municipal Airport is a public airport located 3 miles (5 km) southwest of the city of Oroville in Butte County, California, United States. Facilities Oroville Municipal Airport covers and has two runways: * Runway 02/20: ...
* Siskiyou County Army Airfield * Redding Army Airfield * Boston Field * Huron Field * Indian Field * Murray Field * West Field * Helm Field * Corcoran Municipal Airport * Porterville Army Airfield * Coalinga Municipal Airport (Old) * Buffalo Springs Airport * Needles Army Airfield * Shavers Summit Army Airfield * Rice Army Airfield * Half Moon Bay Flight Strip * Estrella Army Airfield * Santa Rosa Army Airfield * Thermal Army Airfield * Corcoran Airport * Douthitt Strip * Dos Palos Airport * Trauger Auxiliary Field * Hunter Auxiliary Field * Caliente Flight Strip * Franklin Auxiliary Airfield * Hawthorne Municipal Airport *
Hayward Executive Airport Hayward Executive Airport is a municipal airport in Hayward, California. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a ''reliever airport''. The towered airport near the east shore of San Francisco Bay was ...
*
Hemet-Ryan Airport Hemet-Ryan Airport is three miles (6 km) southwest of Hemet, in Riverside County, California. Hemet-Ryan is a main Cal Fire Air Attack Base, also used for civil purposes, Civil Air Patrol meetings, and more. It is home to a Riverside Count ...
* Independence Airport * Inyo County Airport * Lancaster Airport * Adamson Landing Field * Mefford Field Airport *
Palo Alto Airport Palo Alto Airport is a general aviation airport in the city of Palo Alto in Santa Clara County, California, United States, near the south end of San Francisco Bay on the western shore. Facilities Palo Alto Airport covers and has one asphalt ...
* Gibbs Auxiliary Field * New Jerusalem Auxiliary Airfield * Porterville Army Airfield *
Rankin Field Rankin Field is a former airport and military airfield located approximately southeast of Tulare, California. It was a United States Army Air Forces basic (Level 1) flying training facility during World War II. It is now an agricultural and li ...
* Redding Army Air Field *
Lindbergh Field San Diego International Airport , formerly known as Lindbergh Field, is an international airport northwest of Downtown San Diego, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.. US Feder ...
* San Francisco Airport * Sequoia Field * Stockton Army Airfield * Sherman Army Airfield * Kingsbury Auxiliary Airfield * Tracy Auxiliary Airfield * Modesto Auxiliary Airfield * Twenty Nine Palms Army Airfield * Visalia Army Air Field * War Eagle Field * Willows-Glenn Airport * Winters-Davis Flight Strip * Marysville Army Airfield * Parker Auxiliary Airfield * Kern Field Auxiliary Airfield * Allen Auxiliary Airfield * Conners Auxiliary Airfield * Taft Auxiliary Airfield * Cuyama Auxiliary Airfield * Wasco Auxiliary Airfield * Pond Auxiliary Field * Famoso Auxiliary Airfield * Dunlap Auxiliary Airfield * Semi-tropic Auxiliary Airfield * Poso Auxiliary Airfield * Lost Hills Auxiliary Airfield, * Hawes Auxiliary Airfield * Helendale Auxiliary Airfield * Howard Auxiliary Field *
Athlone Auxiliary Field Merced Army Air Field auxiliary fields were built to support pilot training at the Merced Army Air Field. In 1940 the US Army wanted to built near Merced, California a 30,000 per year basic pilot training base. The former city of Cuba, Merced C ...
* Potter Auxiliary Field * Liberty Auxiliary Field * Victory Field Auxiliary Field *
Grand Central Air Terminal Grand Central Airport is a former airport in Glendale, California. Also known as Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT), the airport was an important facility for the growing Los Angeles suburb of Glendale in the 1920s and a key element in the devel ...
*
Montgomery Field Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport , formerly known as Montgomery Field and Gibbs Field, is a public airport in San Diego, California, United States, six miles (10 km) north of downtown San Diego. The airport covers and has three runways, ...
* Condor Field * Fort Ord Army Airfield * Fritzsche AAF * Panamint Spring Auxiliary Airfield * Peik Auxiliary Field


US Naval Bases

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
's main marine bases were located in the deepwater ports of: San Diego Bay,
Port of Los Angeles The Port of Los Angeles is a seaport managed by the Los Angeles Harbor Department, a unit of the City of Los Angeles. It occupies of land and water with of waterfront and adjoins the separate Port of Long Beach. Promoted as "America's Port", t ...
,
San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, California, San Jose, and Oakland, Ca ...
and the Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel. The US Navy during WW2 Pacific Fleet operated: ports, supply depots and airfields for
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows ...
training, also
blimps A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is an airship (dirigible) without an internal structural framework or a keel. Unlike semi-rigid and rigid airships (e.g. Zeppelins), blimps rely on the pressure of the lifting gas (usually helium, rather than hy ...
used for patrol of the coast. Post World War II many shipyards became home of the Pacific Reserve Fleet used to store the many surplus ships.
United States Navy World War II bases and stations in California: *
Mare Island Naval Shipyard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates ...
, Vallejo, California, with Mare Island Naval Hospital *
Naval Base San Diego Naval Base San Diego, also known as 32nd Street Naval Station, is the second largest surface ship base of the United States Navy and is located in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, c ...
, San Diego *
Hunters Point Naval Shipyard The Hunters Point Naval Shipyard was a United States Navy shipyard in San Francisco, California, located on of waterfront at Hunters Point in the southeast corner of the city. Originally, Hunters Point was a commercial shipyard established i ...
*
Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake is a large military installation in California that supports the research, testing and evaluation programs of the United States Navy. It is part of Navy Region Southwest under Commander, Navy Install ...
, China Lake Armitage Field *
Naval Base Ventura County Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) is a United States Navy base in Ventura County, California. Formed by the merger of NAS Point Mugu and CBC Port Hueneme, NBVC is a diverse installation composed of three main locations — Point Mugu, Port Huene ...
, Point Mugu * San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard *
Hunters Point Naval Shipyard The Hunters Point Naval Shipyard was a United States Navy shipyard in San Francisco, California, located on of waterfront at Hunters Point in the southeast corner of the city. Originally, Hunters Point was a commercial shipyard established i ...
*
Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ...
, Monterey *
Naval Air Station Alameda Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay. NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and 07-25 measuring . Two helicopter pads and a control tower wer ...
*
Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach is a United States Navy weapons and munitions loading, storage and maintenance facility located in Seal Beach, California, with detachments in Fallbrook and Norco, both also in California. It also encloses the Se ...
, Seal Beach *
Naval Air Station Point Mugu Naval Air Station Point Mugu was a United States naval air station near Oxnard, California, which operated as an independent base from 1941 to 2000, when it merged with nearby Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme to form Naval Base ...
, Point Mugu *
Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme, operated as an independent base from 1942 to 2000 as the West Coast home port of the Navy’s Construction Battalions. In 2000, the CBC merged with nearby Naval Air Station Point Mugu to form ...
* Parks Reserve Forces Training Area * Naval Hospital Santa Margarita Ranch * Naval Reserve Center Santa Barbara *
Naval Medical Center San Diego Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), also known as Bob Wilson Naval Hospital and informally referred to as "Balboa Hospital", or "The Pink Palace" (because the stucco of the first buildings that were constructed was pinkish in color), is a tech ...
* Naval Medical Research Unit One * Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego * Fort Rosecrans, now Naval Base Point Loma *
Naval Air Base San Pedro Naval Air Base San Pedro, NAS Terminal Island was a US Navy World War II 410-acre airfield on Terminal Island in San Pedro, California part of the City of Los Angeles. Before the Navy took control of the airfield, the airstrip was the civilian All ...
* Inyokern Auxiliary Field *
Naval Base Coronado Naval Base Coronado (NBC) is a consolidated Navy installation encompassing eight military facilities stretching from San Clemente Island, located seventy miles west of San Diego, California, in Los Angeles County, California, to the Mountain Warf ...
*
Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme, operated as an independent base from 1942 to 2000 as the West Coast home port of the Navy’s Construction Battalions. In 2000, the CBC merged with nearby Naval Air Station Point Mugu to form ...
* Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island * Naval Auxiliary Air Station Monterey *
Long Beach Naval Shipyard The Long Beach Naval Shipyard (Long Beach NSY or LBNSY), which closed in 1997, was located on Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles, approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International ...
* Crescent City Outlying Field * Army and Navy Academy *
Terminal Island Terminal Island, historically known as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington and San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles, and the city of Long Be ...
San Pedro * Point Arguello Radio Station * Naval Auxiliary Air Station Twentynine Palms *
Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Imperial Beach is a United States Navy facility for helicopters, situated on approximately south of San Diego and within the city limits of Imperial Beach, California. It is known as "The Helicopter Capital of ...
* Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center in Los Angeles * Naval Air Station, Santa Ana * Moffett Federal Airfield – Naval Air Station * Naval Training Center San Diego *
Rockwell Field Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California. This airfield ...
* Camp Hydle * Half Moon Bay Flight Strip *
Naval Station Treasure Island Naval Station Treasure Island is a former United States Navy facility that operated on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay from 1942 to 1997. History During World War II, Treasure Island became part of the Treasure Island Naval Base, and serv ...
* Naval Auxiliary Air Station Ream Field * Morris Reservoir Naval Weapons Test Site * Naval Outlying Landing Field San Nicolas Island * Rough and Ready Island Naval Supply Depot in Stockton *
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado Naval Amphibious Base Coronado (NAB Coronado) is a US naval installation located across the bay from San Diego, California. The base, situated on the Silver Strand, between San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, is a major Navy shore command, su ...
* McCormack General Hospital * Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific * Watsonville Airport *
Silver Strand Training Complex Silver Strand Training Complex South (SSTC-S), formerly known as the Naval Radio Receiving Facility (NRRF), is the premier training facility for U.S. Special Operations Forces. Located between Imperial Beach and Silver Strand State Beach near Sa ...
*
Camp Morena Camp Morena is an inland training facility of Naval Base Coronado, in the Mountain Empire region of San Diego County, California. It is located near the town of Campo, to the north of Lake Morena County Park. Camp Morena was formerly used by the ...
* Naval Outlying Field, Ocotillo Dry Lake *
Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ...
* Naval Auxiliary Air Station Vernalis * Naval Auxiliary Air Station, San Luis Obispo * Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range * Carrizo Impact Area * Navy Broadway Complex * Naval Air Auxiliary Station Watsonville * Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Santa Rosa * Naval Advance Base Personnel Depot, San Bruno * Auxiliary Air Station Monterey * Naval Landing Force Equipment Depot in
Albany, California Albany ( ) is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in northwestern Alameda County, California. The population was 20,271 at the 2020 census. History In 1908, a group of local women protested the dumping of Berkeley garbage in their ...
* Arcata, Naval Auxiliary Air Station *
Camp Kearny Camp Kearny was a U.S. military base (first Army, later Navy) in San Diego County, California, on the site of the current Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. It operated from 1917 to 1946. The base was named in honor of Brigadier General Stephen ...
* NASA Crows Landing Airport * Naval Hospital Corona * NAAS Brown Field * King City Naval Auxiliary Air Station * Amphibious Training Base, Castroville * U.S. Naval Air Facility Del Mar * Del Monte Navy Pre-Flight School * Dixon Naval Radio Transmitter Facility * Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Lompoc * Naval Auxiliary Air Station Hollister * Holtville Naval Auxiliary Air Station * Sand Hill Naval Auxiliary Landing Field *
Naval Air Station Livermore Naval Air Station Livermore was a United States Navy military facility located in Livermore, California. History This station was built in 1942 four miles east of Livermore to relieve overcrowding of the naval air facilities at Naval Air Stat ...
*
Naval Station Newport The Naval Station Newport (NAVSTA Newport) is a United States Navy base located in the city of Newport and the town of Middletown, Rhode Island. Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Naval Justice School. It once was ...
* Moffett Field airship hangars * Naval Air Transport Service *
Concord Naval Weapons Station Concord Naval Weapons Station was a military base established in 1942 north of the city of Concord, California at the shore of the Sacramento River where it widens into Suisun Bay. The station functioned as a World War II armament storage depot ...
* Point Molate Naval Fuel Depot * Naval Auxiliary Air Station Miramar * V-12 Navy College in Loma Linda, Redlands, UC and
Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Ch ...
* Long Beach Army Airfield * Skaggs Island Naval Communication Station * Naval Auxiliary Air Station Salton Sea * Fleet and Industrial Supply Center, Oakland * Naval Hospital Oakland * United States Navy Net Depot Tiburon * Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Mills Field * Naval Convalescent Hospital, Santa Cruz * Amphibious Training Base Morro Bay * Navy Building 101 in San Francisco * Yosemite Naval Convalescent Hospital at the Ahwahnee Hotel * San Leandro Naval Hospital * Treasure Island Naval Auxiliary Air Facility * Field Clark's Dry Lake * Borrego Hotel Naval Outlying Landing Field * Borrego Hotel Target Area * Benson Bombing Range * North Coyote Wells Naval Outlying Landing Field * South Coyote Wells Naval Outlying Landing Field * Jacumba Airport * Rosedale Naval Outlying Landing Field * Border Naval Outlying Landing Field * Ramona Bombing Target and Emergency Landing Field, Ramona Landing Field * Eureka Auxiliary Field * Arcata Naval Auxiliary Air Station * Naval Industrial Reserve Repair Facility, Oakland * Naval Reserve Armory, Oakland * Naval Hospital Long Beach * Alameda Naval Hospital * Naval Convalescent Hospital Beaumont * Naval Convalescent Hospital Arrowhead Springs * Abel Field Outlying Field * Brown-Fabian Airport Outlying Field * Cope Field Outlying Field * Gelderman Airport Outlying Field * Heath NOLF * Linderman Airport Outlying Field * Livermore Airport Outlying Field * May's School Field Outlying Field * Rita Butterworth Airport Outlying Field * Spring Valley Airport Outlying Field * Wagoner Airport Outlying Field * Camp Parks * Camp Shoemaker * U.S. Naval Hospital Shoemaker * Naval Outlying Landing Field Cotati * Naval Outlying Landing Field Anaheim * Naval Outlying Field Palisades * Mile Square Farm Naval Outlying Field * Haster Farm Naval Outlying Landing Field * Horse Farm Naval Outlying Landing Field * Seal Beach Naval Outlying Landing Field * Otay-Mesa Naval Auxiliary Air Station * Sweetwater Dam Naval Outlying Landing Field * San Clemente Naval Auxiliary Air Station


US Marine Corps

Camp Pendleton became the main training grounds for training Marines including landing craft school, amphibious tractor school, beach battalion school, Amphibious warfare, amphibious communications school, and a medical field service school. Skills that would be used across the Leapfrogging (strategy), island hopping in the Pacific War and the war in Europe. * Camp Pendleton San Diego * Marine Corps Air Station Miramar San Diego * Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow Barstow, Yermo Quartermaster Sub-Depot * Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego San Diego * Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton * El Toro Marine Corps Air Station * Tustin Marine Corps Air Station * Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara * Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range * Camp Elliott * Camp Matthews * Gillespie Field * Camp Las Pulgas Bivouac Area * Camp Ensign * Ensign Ranch Airfield * Camp Dunlap


US Coast Guard

In times of war, like during World War II, the
United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, ...
operated as a branch of the Department of the Navy. In California the Coast Guard operated out of the United States naval districts#12th Naval District, 12th Naval District. History of the United States Coast Guard#The 1940s, Coast Guard's World War 2 Navy support included use of Coast Guard cutters, patrol boats, bases, stations and lighthouses. Patrols and search and rescue missions being the main task."Ocean Weather Ships 1940–1980"
Capt. R. P. Dinsmore, USCG (Ret). Retrieved 26 May 2014.
Bloodstained Sea, by Michael G. Walling, pp. 6–8Mitchell Zuckoff, Frozen in Time p. 332 United States Coast Guard World War II bases in California: * Coast Guard Island Alameda * Coast Guard Air Station San Diego * Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow * Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco * Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego * Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego * Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range * Coast Guard Station Golden Gate * Hamilton Cove Seaplane Base


United States Merchant Marine

The United States Merchant Marine operated merchant ships out of California US Navy and private ports to supply goods needed around the world. Most merchant ships operated with Merchant navy#U.S. Merchant Marine, civilian merchants and United States Navy Armed Guard, US Navy armed guards to man the deck guns under the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. Merchant Marine operated many different types of ships, the most numerous type was the
Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. M ...
s and
Victory ship The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace losses caused by German submarines. They were a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ship, were slig ...
s. Merchant Marine training was conducted by the Coast Guard. The Maritime Service established several Merchant Marine training centers in California for World War 2: * Port Hueneme, California (1941–1942) * Avalon, California (1942–1945) * Government Island (California), Government Island, California (1938–1943) (officers training also)


Gallery

File:"Let's give him enough and on time" - NARA - 514869.jpg, Norman Rockwell's ''Let's Give Him Enough and On Time'' File:USS Wadleigh (DD-689) at Mare Island Naval Yard, stern view.jpg, at
Mare Island Naval Shipyard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates ...
, 10 April 1945. Image:Lockheed A-29 Hudson USAAF in flight c1941.jpg,
Lockheed Hudson The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and prim ...
in flight in 1941 File:Pomona, California. General view of assembly center being constructed on Pomona Fair Grounds for ev . . . - NARA - 536837.jpg, Pomona assembly center, temporary Detention Camp for Japanese Americans File:SantaAnitaassemblycenter.jpg, Santa Anita assembly center 1942 with Military police, temporary detention Camp for Japanese Americans File:Victory cargo ships are lined up at a U.S. west coast shipyard.jpg, Victory cargo ships are lined up at California Shipbuilding Corporation in Los Angeles, California. File:Liberty Ship scaler HD-SN-99-02466.JPG, Eastine Cowner, a former waitress, at work on the
Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. M ...
at the Kaiser shipyards, Richmond, California, in 1943. File:Women working at Douglas Aircraft.jpg, Women at work on bomber,
Douglas Aircraft Company The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer based in Southern California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas; it then operated a ...
, Long Beach, California in October 1942 File:Lockheed plant, ca. 1942.jpg,
P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive twi ...
assembly line at the Lockheed plant, Burbank, California. File:North American Aviation plant, Inglewood, CA.jpg, B-25 Mitchell bomber production line at the
North American Aviation North American Aviation (NAA) was a major American aerospace manufacturer that designed and built several notable aircraft and spacecraft. Its products included: the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F ...
plant, Inglewood, California, October 1942. Image:WWII_USA_Ration_Book_3_Front.jpg, Rationing in the United States, US Ration Book No. 3 circa 1943, front File:"How to Shop With Ration Book Two" - OAC - bk0007t0n59.jpg, "How to Shop With Ration Book Two", 1943 poster Image:Battle of Los Angeles LATimes.jpg,
Battle of Los Angeles The Battle of Los Angeles, also known as the Great Los Angeles Air Raid, is the name given by contemporary sources to a rumored attack on the continental United States by Imperial Japan and the subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage which ...
, Photos from ''Los Angeles Times'', 26 February 1942 Image:Victory-garden.jpg, American WWII-era poster promoting
Victory garden Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany during World War I ...
s Image:These soldiers go up in the air to prove that the Army's new quarter ton truck can take it. - NARA - 195336.jpg , Army testing a California Ford Willys MB, GP (jeep) in 1941. Image:Third-War-Loan-Schrieber-Poster.jpg, George Schreiber poster for the Series E bond, Third War Loan Drive (September 9 – October 1, 1943) File:"Harvest War Crops, The Women's Land Army" - NARA - 514440.jpg, US Crop Corp poster File:"WORK ON A FARM THIS SUMMER" - NARA - 513817.tif, US Crop Corp poster File:USarmyHospitaltrain1944.jpg, US Army Hospital Train in 1944 File:Vultee Downey.jpg, Hanging an engine on a BT-13 Valiant trainer at the Vultee aircraft plant, Downey, California image:OfficeofCivilianDefense1942.jpg, ''What Can I Do? The Citizen's Handbook for War'', U.S. Office of Civilian Defense 1942 image:Florene Watson in her P-51.jpg, Florene Watson shown preparing a P-51 Mustang, P-51D-5NA for a ferry flight from a factory at Inglewood, California File:US_Army_HospitalCar1944.jpg, US Army Hospital Car in 1944


See also

* American Theater (1939–1945) * Arizona during World War II *
Desert Training Center The Desert Training Center (DTC), also known as California–Arizona Maneuver Area (CAMA), was a World War II training facility established in the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert, largely in Southern California and Western Arizona in 1942. It ...
* Military history of the United States during World War II * New Mexico during World War II * United States home front during World War II * Arnold Scheme


References


Further reading

* Allen, Robert L. ''The Port Chicago Mutiny: The Story of the Largest Mass Mutiny Trial in U.S. Naval History'' (2006
excerpt
* Alvarez, Luis. "On Race, Riots, and Infrapolitics in Wartime Los Angeles." ''Revue francaise detudes americaines'' 1 (2012): 19–3
online
* Collins, Keith E. ''Black Los Angeles: The Maturing of the Ghetto, 1940–1950'' (1980). * Escobedo, Elizabeth Rachel. ''From coveralls to zoot suits: The lives of Mexican American women on the World War II home front'' (UNC Press Books, 2013). * Foster, Mark S. "Giant of the West: Henry J. Kaiser and regional industrialization, 1930–1950." ''Business History Review'' 59.1 (1985): 1–23. * Friedrich, Otto. ''City of Nets: A Portrait of Hollywood in the 1940s'' (Harper & Row, 1986). * Johnson, Marilynn S. ''The second gold rush: Oakland and the East Bay in World War II'' (Univ of California Press, 1994). * Koppes, Clayton R. and Gregory D. Black. ''Hollywood Goes to War: How Politics, Profits & Propaganda Shaped World War II Movies'' (The Free Press, 1987). * Lange, Dorothea. ''Photographing the second gold rush: Dorothea Lange and the East Bay at War, 1941—1945'' (Heyday Books, 1995), a primary source. * Leonard, Kevin Allen. ''The Battle for Los Angeles: Racial Ideology and World War II'' (2006). * Lichtenstein, Alex, and Eric Arnesen. "Labor and the Problem of Social Unity during World War II: Katherine Archibald's Wartime Shipyard in Retrospect." ''Labor: Studies in Working-Class History of the Americas'' 3.1 (2006): 113-146. * Lotchin, Roger. "The Triumphant Partnership: California Cities and the Winning of World War II" ''Southern California Quarterly'' 88.1 (2006): 71–95. [ online] ** Lotchin, Roger W. ''The Bad City in the Good War: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Diego'' (Indiana University Press, 2003) ** Lotchin, Roger W. ''Fortress California, 1910–1961: From Warfare to Welfare'' (U of Illinois Press, 2002). pp 131–170. ** Lotchin, Roger W. ''The Way We Really Were: The Golden State in the Second Great War'' (U of Illinois Press, 2000) ** Lotchin, Roger W. "California Cities and the Hurricane of Change: World War II in the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego Metropolitan Areas." ''Pacific Historical Review'' 63.3 (1994): 393–420
online
** Lotchin, Roger W. "World War II and urban California: city planning and the transformation hypothesis." ''Pacific Historical Review'' 62.2 (1993): 143-171
online
* Lothrop, Gloria Ricci. "Unwelcome in Freedom's Land: The Impact of World War II on Italian Aliens in Southern California." ''Southern California Quarterly'' 81.4 (1999): 507–544. * McLeod, Dean L. ''Port Chicago'' (2007
excerpt
* Mitchell, Don. "Battle/fields: Braceros, agribusiness, and the violent reproduction of the California agricultural landscape during World War II." ''Journal of historical geography'' 36.2 (2010): 143-156. * Nash, Gerald D. ''The American West Transformed: The Impact of the Second World War'' (1990) * Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II'' (2013). * Sánchez, George J. ''Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945'' (Oxford University Press, 1993). * Starr, Kevin. ''Embattled Dreams: California in War and Peace, 1940-1950'' (Oxford University Press, 2002). * Verge, Arthur C. “The Impact of the Second World War on Los Angeles.” The ''Pacific Historical Review'' 63#3 (1994): 289–314
online
* Verge, Arthur C. "World War II" in ''A Companion to California History'' ed. by William Deverell and David Igler. (2008) pp 312–32
online


Japanese internment

* Leonard, Kevin Allen. "'Is That What We Fought for?' Japanese Americans and Racism in California, The Impact of World War II." ''Western Historical Quarterly'' 21.4 (1990): 463–482
online
* Lotchin, Roger W. ''Japanese American Relocation in World War II: A Reconsideration'' (Cambridge University Press, 2018) * Ng, Wendy L. ''Japanese American Internment During World War II: A History and Reference Guide'' (Greenwood, 2002).


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:World War II, California during 1940s in California History of California United States during World War II by state, California Economy of California Military in California United States home front during World War II, California during World War II