The history of Arizona during World War II begins in 1940, when the United States government began constructing military bases within the state in preparation for war. Arizona's contribution to the Allied war effort was significant both in terms of manpower and facilities supported in the state. Prisoner of war camps were operated at Camp Florence and Papago Park. Also, two incarceration camps – the Gila River War Relocation Center and the Poston War Relocation Center – housed Japanese-American citizens and Japanese immigrants who had been forcibly removed from the West Coast.

The war years provided great economic stimulus, both because of the numbers of troops at camps in the state, and increase in demand, and the expansion of wartime demand for such materials as copper and other metals. Industries expanded, adding to the state's recovery from the Great Depression.

Latinos During the war, Mexican-American community organizations promoted efforts to support American troops abroad. They worked both to support the war effort materially and to provide moral support for young American men fighting the war, especially their young Mexican-American men from local communities. Some community projects were cooperative between Anglo and Hispanic communities, but most were localized within the Mexican-American community.Christine Marín, "Mexican Americans on the Home Front: Community Organizations in Arizona During World War II," Perspectives in Mexican American Studies (1993) 4:75–92 Mexican-American women also organized to assist their servicemen and the war effort; an underlying goal of Tucson's Spanish-American Mothers and Wives Association was the reinforcement of the woman's role in Spanish-Mexican culture. Members raised thousands of dollars, wrote letters, and joined in numerous celebrations of their culture and their support for Mexican-American servicemen. Membership reached more than 300 during the war. The organization stopped operating in 1976.Julie A. Campbell, "Madres Y Esposas: Tucson's Spanish-American Mothers and Wives Association," Journal of Arizona History (1990) 31#2 pp: 161–182,

Casualties +Army and Air Forces County Killed inAction (KIA) Died ofWounds (DOW) Died ofInjuries (DOI) Died,Non-Battle (DNB) Finding ofDeath (FOD) Missing inAction (MIA) Total Apache 27 3 20 1 51 Cochise 68 8 24 10 1 111 Coconino 31 14 4 49 Gila 47 12 21 7 87 Graham 31 4 12 1 1 49 Greenlee 18 4 6 2 1 31 Maricopa 277 35 161 40 1 514 Mohave 9 2 9 2 22 Navajo 36 5 17 6 64 Pima 145 13 1 67 12 1 239 Pinal 66 15 32 2 115 Santa Cruz 28 1 13 1 43 Yavapai 47 4 22 7 80 Yuma 55 6 1 13 5 80 State at Large 31 3 33 8 3 78 Total 916 115 2 464 108 8 1613

+Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Type TotalKilled in Action (KIA)27Killed in Prison Camps11Missing in Action (MIA)17Wounded in Action (WIA)41Released from Prison Camps17Total113

Incarceration camps

During World War II, the United States government wrongfully removed and incarcerated approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants, sending them first to temporary assembly centers, and then to inland concentration camps.“Introduction to WWII Incarceration.” Densho: Japanese American Incarceration and Japanese Internment, 2024, https://densho.org/learn/introduction/. Accessed 12 May 2025. Arizona was home to an assembly center in Mayer, Arizona and one in Poston (called the Parker Dam Reception Center), and two incarceration camps – the Gila River War Relocation Center and Poston War Relocation Center, which together held approximately 24,000 men, women, and children.Bassler, Hunter. “Remembering Arizona’s Role in the WWII Mass Incarceration of Japanese-Americans, 80 Years Later.” 12news.com, 24 Feb. 2022, www.12news.com/article/news/history/arizona-japanese-americans-incarceration-camp-world-war-wwii-80-years/75-19e109cd-603a-4a15-b45c-cac2e390ca86. Accessed 12 May 2025. The state was also home to the Leupp Isolation Center, which held “troublemakers” from other incarceration camps,Flanders, Christian. “Japanese Interment in Camp Leupp | Intermountain Histories.” Intermountain Histories, Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at BYU, 2017, www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/52. Accessed 12 May 2025. and the Catalina Federal Honor Camp (renamed as the Gordon Hirabayashi Campground in 1999) which held draft resisters and conscientious objectors.“Gordon Hirabayashi Campground.” Pima County Public Library, 2016, www.library.pima.gov/content/gordon-hirabayashi-campground/. Accessed 12 May 2025.

Prisoner of war camps

Arizona's Camp Florence, on the Florence Military Reservation, was the first permanent alien enemy camp constructed during World War II. Construction began during 1942 to house 3000 internees, with room to expand to 6000. The initial construction budget was $4.8 million. The United States did not detain numerous enemy aliens here, so the Army used Camp Florence as a POW camp.

Gallery

See also

American Theater (World War II) Battle of Ambos Nogales Bisbee Riot Fort Lawton Riot Military history of the United States during World War II Nevada during World War II New Mexico during World War II Arizona World War II Army Airfields

Further reading Densho.org, a nonprofit organization that documents the stories of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II.

References

External links