Tennessee in World War II-- Part 2: Preparing for War

The war was raging in Europe, but the U.S. was not yet in it, but had determined to  become the "Arsenal of Democracy."  This quickly reversed the  low productivity and high unemployment of the Great Depression.  Defense and armament capabilities greatly increased.

And, in 1940, a further step was taken when the U.S. Congress enacted its first-ever peace-time draft, the Selective Service and Training Act.

Tennessee was one of the first states to engage actively in military preparedness.  After meeting Hitler during a Rotary tour of Europe in 1937, Tennessee Governor Prentice Cooper became convinced that the United States could not avoid war with Germany.

Tennessee established the first state defense organization in 1940, the Advisory Committee on Preparedness.  In January 1941, the state legislature created a Tennessee State Guard, the largest in the South, to provide protection for the state in the absence of the Tennessee National Guard, which had been activated as the 117th Infantry Regiment in the 30th Division.  This regiment served with distinction in Europe until the end of the war.

--GreGen