New Mexico during World War II
New Mexico during World War II | |
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Trinity explosion – July 16, 1945 |
The history of New Mexico during World War II is characterized by dramatic and lasting changes to its economy, society, and politics. The state played a central role in the American war effort, contributing a disproportionately high number of servicemen and natural resources;[1] most famously, it hosted the sites where the world's first nuclear weapon was designed, developed, and tested.[2]
When the United States
New Mexicans were among the first Americans to see combat in the war, with over 1,800 fighting
World War II had an immediate and enduring transformative effect on New Mexico. Government investment precipitated an unprecedented economic and demographic boom, with the state's pre-war population of 530,000 nearly doubling to 950,000 by 1960. New Mexico's largely agrarian prewar economy became more industrialized, and its mostly rural population became increasingly urban. Many of the military and scientific installations built during the war remain active and strategically valuable to this day; the wartime development of modern military technology fostered a unique and continuing relationship between New Mexico, the federal government, and the scientific community.[4][5][6]
Military personnel
The United States participated in the Second World War from December 1941 to August 1945. During that time, 49,579 New Mexicans volunteered or were drafted into military service, accounting for roughly 9 percent of the total population—the highest rate of service among all forty-eight states at the time.[4] New Mexico also endured the highest proportion of fatalities among U.S. states, losing over 2,200 citizens by the war's end.[7]: 7
Bataan Death March
Soldiers from New Mexico were among the first Americans to fight in the war. On January 3, 1941, the
The regiment saw action just ten hours after the December 8th
Despite the overwhelming odds working against them, the "New Mexico Brigade"[10] and other defenders continued putting up dogged resistance, surprising Japanese forces, who had expected to capture the Philippines sooner.[7]: 13 However, amid mounting casualties, dwindling ammunition and supplies, and worsening health conditions, American and Filipino surrendered on April 9, 1942; nineteen New Mexicans were killed after nearly four months of fighting.[7]: 13 The survivors joined other captured troops in the infamous Bataan Death March that followed, in which thousands of Allied prisoners of war died during an arduous march from the battlefield to camps at Balanga; thousands died during the nearly two-week trek, due to thirst, hunger, exhaustion, disease, and mistreatment by Japanese troops, including torture and executions. The majority of New Mexicans and their fellow POWs remained in Japanese captivity until the end of the war, with many perishing in camps throughout the Philippines as well as in hell ships that transported them in inhumane conditions across the Japanese Empire to serve as forced labor.
On December 8, 1941, when the Japanese unexpectedly attacked the Philippine Islands, the first point bombed was Ft. Stotsenberg. The 200th Coast Artillery, assigned to defend the Fort, was the first unit, under The General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, to go into action defending our flag in the Pacific. First to fire, and last to lay down their arms! A fitting epitaph for a valiant Brigade which fought standing firmly in its appointed place and facing forward to the enemy. — U.S. Army General Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV[11]
Of the 1,825 New Mexican troops serving in the Philippines, fewer than half, approximately 800 to 900, returned home;[4] of these survivors, an estimated one-third died within a year, most likely due to health complications from their harsh captivity.[12] The infamy of the Bataan Death March, and its accounting for half New Mexico's war dead, has led to it being heavily memorialized in the state. Monuments and statues dedicated to Bataan are found in most major cities and towns, including Taos, Las Cruces, Roswell, and Deming, where a disproportionate number of residents served with the 200th Coast Artillery; the largest commemorative site is Bataan Memorial Park in Albuquerque, which bears inscriptions of the names of all those who served in the Philippines. Several streets, plazas, and government buildings are named after the event, including the Bataan Memorial Building in Santa Fe, which was once the state capitol and today hosts several state agencies.[13]
Many of the famed
Medal of Honor recipients
Eight New Mexicans—five native-born and three who had moved to the state—were awarded the U.S. Armed Forces' highest military decoration, the
Military installations
Several military installations were built in New Mexico just after the war began, including
The prisoner of war and internment camps in New Mexico were among the largest in the United States during World War II. Most prisoners were
Life at the camps was mostly peaceful and unexciting, however, there was an
Military installations[5] | Total |
---|---|
Major Airbases | 8 |
Dispersal Bases | 5 |
Bombing & Gunnery Ranges | 13 |
Army Hospitals | 4 |
Camps | 2 |
National Cemeteries | 3 |
POW Camps | 3 |
Branch POW Camps | 19 |
National Guard Armories | 11 |
Colleges & Universities | 7 |
Specialized Military Locations | 7 |
Scientific research
New Mexico became a center for advanced,
Manhattan Project
The most important of all the secret weapons programs in New Mexico was the Manhattan Project, the codename for the nuclear weapons experiments taking place across the United States, Canada, and Britain. It began in 1942 after physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer assembled "the greatest concentration of scientific resources and brainpower in history" to build the world's first atomic bomb. Based on Oppenheimer's proposal for a dedicated bomb laboratory, in 1943 the U.S. government ordered the army to construct the giant Los Alamos National Laboratory in a remote location twenty miles northwest of Santa Fe, then sealed off the entire area to keep it secret.[22] Then known as Project Y, the site was selected for its combination of isolation, relative accessibility, and natural beauty.[23]
By the end of the war in 1945, some 5,000 people lived at Los Alamos, which led to the founding of the present-day town.[4][24][25] The eponymous lab remains a federal facility, serving as one of the largest scientific institutions in the world.[26]
Economy
Despite its reputation as an arid desert, New Mexico's pre-war economy was largely agrarian, centered mainly on cattle ranching and subsistence-level farming. Despite having been heavily weakened by the Great Depression, the state managed to revitalize its farming industry and grow a wide variety of crops for the war effort; among the main agricultural products were carrots, pinto beans, cotton (which was critical for uniforms), beef, and lamb.[7]: 75 Like other western states, New Mexico was a major recipient of Mexican laborers imported into the U.S. through the Bracero Program with Mexico.[27]
New Mexico had long been known for its abundant natural resources, ranging from petroleum to various metals. At the time the U.S. entered World War II, the state had already experienced increased production of copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum, and manganese. The highly mechanized U.S. military was heavily reliant on all types of metals as well as fossil fuels; like many states, New Mexico saw unprecedented investment in its mining and extraction industries, ultimately becoming one of the leading contributors of strategic resources. During the war, the state ranked first in the production of potash (a key ingredient in explosives), tantalum (a major component in electronics and alloys), and pumice (for use in construction); second in zinc and tin; third in copper, molybdenum, and vanadium; fourth in beryl, lithium, and fluorspar; and seventh in oil and gas. In terms of the overall value of minerals produced, New Mexico ranked fourteenth among U.S. states.[28]
Casualties
Roughly four percent of New Mexicans who served in the war were killed or missing—the highest rate of casualties of any state.[29][30] Approximately half of all deaths were attributed to the Bataan Death March and the captivity that followed, in which POWs were subject to inhumane treatment, malnourishment, torture, and summary execution.
Army and Air Forces
County | Killed in Action (KIA) | Died of Wounds (DOW) | Died of Injuries (DOI) | Died, Non-Battle (DNB) | Finding of Death (FOD) | Missing in Action (MIA) | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bernalillo | 160 | 12 | 1 | 163 | 17 | 1 | 354 |
Catron | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 14 | ||
Chaves | 58 | 4 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 93 | |
Colfax | 27 | 4 | 25 | 5 | 61 | ||
Curry | 29 | 5 | 43 | 5 | 2 | 84 | |
De Baca | 7 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 18 | ||
Doña Ana | 53 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 12 | 1 | 98 |
Eddy | 54 | 6 | 53 | 3 | 116 | ||
Grant | 55 | 5 | 43 | 3 | 2 | 108 | |
Guadalupe | 15 | 4 | 10 | 29 | |||
Harding | 8 | 2 | 3 | 13 | |||
Hidalgo | 9 | 1 | 4 | 14 | |||
Lea | 27 | 5 | 29 | 4 | 65 | ||
Lincoln | 21 | 12 | 1 | 34 | |||
Luna | 26 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 58 |
McKinley | 51 | 6 | 41 | 5 | 103 | ||
Mora | 29 | 3 | 9 | 41 | |||
Otero | 19 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 37 | ||
Quay | 12 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 24 | ||
Rio Arriba | 32 | 1 | 20 | 7 | 60 | ||
Roosevelt | 22 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 45 | ||
Sandoval | 21 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 41 | ||
San Juan | 22 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 45 | ||
San Miguel | 42 | 5 | 22 | 2 | 71 | ||
Santa Fe | 59 | 6 | 47 | 5 | 117 | ||
Sierra | 14 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 25 | ||
Socorro | 23 | 4 | 9 | 36 | |||
Taos | 36 | 6 | 26 | 1 | 69 | ||
Torrance | 17 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 33 | ||
Union | 16 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 31 | ||
Valencia | 46 | 5 | 31 | 82 | |||
State at Large | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | ||
Total | 1,023 | 120 | 3 | 771 | 105 | 10 | 2032 |
Over half the New Mexicans who served in the maritime forces—the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard—were killed in action.[31] Among these fatalities were twenty-four of the eighty-four sailors who died with the sinking of the submarine USS Bullhead, which most likely occurred the same day an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima; it was the last U.S. naval vessel lost to enemy action during World War II.[32] The event is commemorated through Bullhead Memorial Park in Albuquerque, a 44-acre park that includes a memorial featuring three inert World War II-era torpedoes and two plaques bearing the names of the men who died aboard.[33]
Type | Total |
---|---|
Killed in Action (KIA) | 219 |
Killed in Prison Camps | 5 |
Missing in Action (MIA) | 7 |
Wounded in Action (WIA) | 330 |
Released from Prison Camps | 19 |
Total | 580 |
Gallery
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Project Bookmobile visiting the school atLlano San Juanto circulate books, show educational films, and sell defense stamps, in December 1941.
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Members of the 200th Coast Artillery during the Philippines Campaign in 1942.
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ThreePueblo Indians watching tourists at San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico. Photograph taken by Ansel Adamsin 1942.
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Japanese internees at Camp Lordsburg sometime between 1942 and 1943.
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A fire at the Carlsbad Army Airfield during the Bat Bomb Incident in 1943.
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Questa, New Mexico in 1943.
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A Santa Fe Railroad streamliner, the "Super Chief," being serviced at the depot in Albuquerque in March 1943.
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A Boeing B-29 Superfortress at Kirtland Field in 1945.
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General Leslie Groves and J. Robert Oppenheimer at the site of the Trinity explosion in September 1945.
See also
- American Theater (1939–1945)
- Arizona during World War II
- Battle of Columbus (1916)
- Military history of the United States during World War II
- Nevada during World War II
- United States home front during World War II
References
- ^ "New Mexico and World War II". HISTORY. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
- ^ "World War II and New Mexico". Atomic Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ "Manhattan Project: Establishing Los Alamos, 1942-1943". www.osti.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8263-4003-0.
- ^ a b c "World War II From a New Mexican Perspective" (PDF). Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ "census.gov" (PDF). Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ OCLC 1243262138.
- ^ "National Guard Gets Its Order to Mobilize". Albuquerque Historical Society. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
- ^ "New Mexico Tells New Mexico History | History: The Great Depression and World War II". online.nmartmuseum.org. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
- ^ Houghton, Woods. "Column: The 200th and 515th - The New Mexico Brigade". Carlsbad Current-Argus. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
- ^ Houghton, Woods. "Column: The 200th and 515th - The New Mexico Brigade". Carlsbad Current-Argus. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
- ^ Houghton, Woods. "Column: The 200th and 515th - The New Mexico Brigade". Carlsbad Current-Argus. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
- ^ "Central Complex | NM GSD". Retrieved 2023-01-17.
- ^ "Native American Indian Heritage Month". Retrieved September 26, 2012.
- ^ "Navajo Code Talkers". Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ a b "Japanese Americans in New Mexico" (PDF). Andrew B. Russel. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ "Roswell Web Magazine: Lifestyle Issue 02". Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ "The Montreal Gazette – Google News Archive Search". Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ "German Sailors On the High Desert: A World War II German Detainment Camp At Fort Stanton" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- OCLC 10913875
- ^ "50th Anniversary Article: Oppenheimer's Better Idea: Ranch School Becomes Arsenal of Democracy". Los Alamos National Laboratory.
- ^ "Event/Exhibition Details Museum of New Mexico Media Center :: Events Calendar :: Events Details". Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ "Los Alamos History of the Manhattan Project". Archived from the original on December 27, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ "Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) | UCOP". www.ucop.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
- ^ "New Mexico Tells New Mexico History | History: The Great Depression and World War II". online.nmartmuseum.org. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
- ^ Contributions of New Mexico's mineral industry to World War II, New Mexico Tech, compiled by T.D. Benjovsky, Socorro (1947).
- ^ "Total Losses for New Mexico World War II Casualties Army and Air Force". Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ "World War II Army Casualties: New Mexico". Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ "World War II Casualties: New Mexico". Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ "Memorial to 84 WWII U.S. Sailors Lost Aboard USS Bullhead Unveiled in Australia". USNI News. 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
- ^ "Submariners Commemorate Sinking of USS Bullhead - Albuquerque Journal". www.abqjournal.com. Retrieved 2023-01-18.