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WW2 effects: Maine

Discussion in 'WWII Today' started by JJWilson, Nov 29, 2017.

  1. JJWilson

    JJWilson Well-Known Member

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    Hello everyone, I am here to bring the 6th state of my WW2 effects, Maine. Another state I have never visited and know little about. It was enjoyable learning more about "vacationland" and it's contribution to the war effort.
    http://ww2f.com/threads/ww2-effects-louisiana.70354/

    Maine Pre-WW2
    Both before, during, and after the war, Maine has remained a largely overlooked state. However before WW2, this was especially true. Maine was not like many of it's other Easterly neighbours with big cities and huge industrial centers, instead it served as the quiet and simple agricultural center. Before the war and even directly after for a while, Fishing, Lumber, Farming, and shipbuilding were the main contributors to the state's economy. Maine unlike many other states across the country, was one of the most accepting states to minorities and immigrants, an advantage that would carry on through the decades after. Maine's economy was initially hit pretty hard by the Great Depression, but by the early 30's was one of the more stable economies in the nation.

    Maine WW2

    Before Pearl Harbor, like a majority of other states, Maine built a series of training facilities and airfields (3 fields were built in 1940), and was for a time the leading producer in ship tonnage production. The site of the massive shipbuilding effort revived it's name from WW1, "The Bath Iron works", in Bath and Portsmouth. The Largest U.S sub-pen was based in Portland. After the U.S became involved directly in the conflict, Maine sent vast amounts of Dairy, eggs, and other goods to the soldiers on the front lines, and when things were going well towards the end of the war, provided Maple Syrup to sugar deprived troops. The Lumber industry was also heavily relied on to help build infrastructure and other priorities across the Northeast. Maine was one of the few states during the war to get very close to the action. Along with numerous sightings of German U-boats off the coast, two German spies landed at Frenchman's Bay on the 29th of November 1944, only too be captured the 30th of December. Immediately after the war, 4 U-boats would surrender to ports in Maine (Portland Sub-pen).

    Maine Post WW2
    95,000 Mainers served in the armed forces during the war, with 1,110 of whom were killed or died in the conflict. Maine's ship-building industry slumped after the war with the drastic decrease in demand of shipping, but the Lumber industry kept going strong for just about 50 years before the shipping industry took control of the economy once more. Maine has struggled as of late with poverty and people in the lower class (Maine as of 2016 was the poorest state in the Nation), but the population and job opportunities have been trending up. WW2 didn't effect Maine severely, but the impact is still felt and appreciated today.
     
  2. JJWilson

    JJWilson Well-Known Member

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    [​IMG]
    Downtown Augusta 1940.........
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    The Bath ironworks shipyard 1942...........
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    An illustration of the Frenchhman's bay incident.....
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    U-234 captured by the USS Sutton, was brought to the Portsmouth Sub-pen
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    U-3008 in Portsmouth in May of 1945........
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    Beautiful Northern Maine.......
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    Speaking of beautiful.............what a view!
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    Augusta today........
     

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