State of War: A History of World War II in Florida - Paperback

by Anthony D. Atwood (Author)

A deeply researched history of Florida's strategic and
military roles in World War II

The first book to share
the entire history of Florida's involvement in World War II, State of
War explores how the war transformed the state into a major hub of military
industry and an important training base for ground, naval, and air forces.

Drawing on
historic photographs, military archival data, and civilian reporting in
newspapers of the time, Anthony Atwood explores Florida's military history and
geography during the war years. The state offered strategic potential in both
its available space and its location near critical sea lanes. This unique
combination made Florida the site of over 250 military installations and a launching
pad for US military power around the globe. Florida was even a seat of war,
serving as headquarters for the Battle of the Gulf-Sea Frontier against Nazi U-boats.

Atwood also uses
census data to show how the demographics of Florida were changed by the war. Before
World War II, less than two percent of Americans lived in Florida and the state
was seen as a quiet, rural southern backwater. During the war there were more
soldiers than civilians in Florida and the influx of people led to rapid
urbanization. Atwood describes how hundreds of thousands of women helped build
ships and aircraft and African Americans fought a battle in two fronts--to win
the war against the Nazis and to win civil rights at home.

World War II accelerated
the state's relationship with the military, and this book details the war's
lasting impacts. In addition to the airports and other infrastructure built
during wartime, Florida remains an important part of military operations. Florida
is now the base of three unified combatant commands of the US Department of
Defense and is home to the third largest population of veterans in the nation.