Question

Georgia played a major role in providing training and materials for World War II. The state built many
training camps and bases. There were also expansions and construction of airports for training. The war
produced many jobs and wartime industries for the citizens. World War II occurred when Georgia was facing
social, political, and economic changes. The war accelerated the state out of relying on rural farming to a
more modern state. Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia would become the largest infantry training facility in
the nation. Georgia welcomed hundreds of thousands of soldiers for training. The largest economic impact
came from military facilities, the Bell Bomber plant, and the shipyards.
Georgia would see a major increase in the number of military facilities before and during the war. The
facilities would train many different soldiers for a variety of functions in the war. Warner Robins Base in
Macon employed over 12,000 civilians. The Navy would train pilots in a variety of bases in the state and built
several airports in small towns for the training. During World War II, Georgia had more military facilities built
and operated than any other state. Most of the major military bases built during World War II are still operating
and providing long term employment for civilians.
The Bell Bomber Plant was constructed in Marietta, Georgia. The Bomber was critical in the allies wining
the war. The plant employed over 28,000 Georgian residents. The population of Marietta would almost triple
in the next few years. This bomber plant was the largest industrial facility ever constructed in the state. After
the war, there was no longer the same demand for this type of aircraft and the plant closed until 1951.
Lockheed Martin purchased the facility, and it began operating again in the construction of a variety of
airplanes. This facility provided jobs to civilians during the war and brought skilled and higher paying jobs
after the war.
Georgia would also prove to be a great place to build ships for the war effort. Savannah and Brunswick
would both produce liberty ships in record numbers. The country needed these ships to transport soldiers and
goods to the war effort in Europe. The ships were 440 feet long and they produced a new ship on average
every 89 days. The two ports built 187 liberty ships during the war. In 1942, the southeastern shipbuilding
corporation began building the ships in Savannah. The Savannah shipyard employed 15,000 civilians. The
JA Jones shipyard in Brunswick efficiently manufactured ships as well. The towns in and surrounding
Brunswick saw major economic growth from employment in the shipyards. Brunswick ended up building
ninety-nine liberty ships.
The production of military equipment in Georgia yielded a positive economic impact. The involvement in
behind-the-scenes production of military ships helped Georgia sustain economically during
World War II. In 2-3 sentences, discuss Georgia before World War II.
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9. In a paragraph, discuss the economic impact of the Bell Bomber plant, military facilities, and shipyards.

Answer 1

Before World War II, Georgia was largely rural and agrarian, relying on small-scale farming and facing significant social, political, and economic change. The state was beginning to modernize but still lagged behind industrialized regions, making it vulnerable to shifts in the national economy.

The Bell Bomber plant, military facilities, and shipyards transformed Georgia’s economy by creating large-scale employment, stimulating urban growth, and building new industrial capacity. The Bell Bomber in Marietta employed over 28,000 people and nearly tripled the town’s population, becoming the state’s largest industrial facility and later providing higher-skilled jobs under Lockheed Martin. Military bases such as Fort Benning and Warner Robins brought hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands of civilian jobs (Warner Robins alone employed over 12,000), while Georgia hosted more wartime facilities than any other state, providing long-term employment and infrastructure. Shipyards in Savannah and Brunswick produced 187 liberty ships, with the Savannah yard employing about 15,000 and Brunswick building 99 ships, spurring local economic growth. Together these wartime industries pulled Georgia out of an agriculture-centered economy, sustained it during the war, and laid foundations for postwar industrialization and urbanization.