- When the United States entered World War II, the fighting happened thousands of miles away.

But Georgia quickly became essential to the war effort.

Across the state, factories were built.

Military bases expanded, and shipyards went into overdrive to meet the nation's urgent needs.

Georgia helped supply planes, train soldiers and build ships that carried troops and materials across the world.

These efforts supported the Allies overseas while dramatically changing life at home.

So what roles did places like the Bell Bomber Plant, Georgia's military bases, and the Savannah and Brunswick Shipyards play in the war, and how did they reshape Georgia's economy during World War II?

(dramatic music) When the United States officially entered World War II in 1941, the country needed weapons, vehicles, ships, and well-trained soldiers, and it needed them fast.

Georgia was perfectly positioned to help.

It had a warm climate for year-round training, cheap land, railroads, and deep water ports, and strong political leaders supporting military growth.

As a result, Georgia became one of the most important states supporting the war effort.

In North Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, a massive factory popped up almost overnight.

The Bell Bomber Plant in Marietta became one of the most important aircraft factories in the country.

Inside, workers assembled the B-29 Super Fortress, the most advanced bomber of World War II.

These planes could fly farther and higher and carry heavier loads than any bomber before them, making them critical to the war effort.

Nearly 30,000 people, many of them women and African Americans, worked at the Bell Plant during the war.

A lot of them had never worked in a factory before.

Thousands of Georgians left farms and small towns for steady paychecks at industrial plants like the Bell Bomber.

By the end of the war, more than 650 B-29 bombers had rolled out of the Marietta Plant and into military service.

When the war ended, the factory closed, but its impact did not.

The skills workers learned there helped transform Georgia into an industrial state.

Years later, the plant reopened under Lockheed Martin, a defense and aerospace manufacturer.

Today, it continues to provide jobs and shape Georgia's economy.

While bombers were being built in Marietta, Georgia was also becoming a training ground for America's military.

Because of its warm climate, cheap land and strong rail system, Georgia expanded its military bases during World War II.

In fact, only Texas had more military bases than Georgia.

Young men and women from across the country arrived in the state for training.

Many seeing Georgia for the first time.

One of the most important bases was Fort Benning near Columbus, known as the home of the US Infantry, it became the largest infantry training center in the world.

Soldiers learned how to march, fight and survive before being sent overseas.

Other bases across the state trained pilots, prepared aircraft and supplied troops.

These bases didn't just support the war.

They supported Georgia's economy.

They provided thousands of civilian jobs and brought money into nearby towns, and many of these bases still operate today, continuing to shape the state long after the war ended.

Far from the training grounds and factories, Georgia's coastline played another crucial role.

At the ports of Savannah and Brunswick, shipyards worked around the clock building liberty ships.

These cargo ships carried troops, food, weapons and supplies across dangerous waters to both the European and Pacific fronts.

Without them, the Allied forces could not stay supplied.

More than 50,000 workers, many of them women, built over 170 liberty ships in Georgia during the war.

Each launch was a moment of pride and proof that Georgia was helping power the war effort overseas.

The shipyards also transform coastal communities.

Take Brunswick for example.

At its peak, the Brunswick Shipyard employed 16,000 people.

That's more than the population of the entire city when the US joined the war.

Workers spent their wages in local businesses boosting the economy and creating new opportunities for families across the region.

By the time World War II ended, Georgia had changed.

The state had shifted from mostly farming to manufacturing.

Average incomes had doubled, new skills, new industries and new opportunities reshaped Georgia's future.

Thousands of Georgians served overseas and thousands more supported them from home.

Georgia may not have been a battlefield, but it was a backbone of the American war effort.

Through planes, bases and ships, the state helped fuel Allied victory.

And in the process, set itself on a new path that would last long after the war was over.

(bright music) (electronic music)