World War II in North State California

On Sunday morning, December 7, 1941 the world changed for the North State—and the nation.

A national call to arms by President Franklin D. Roosevelt after the bombing of Pearl Harbor spurred local residents to action, and the normal rhythm of life immediately and dramatically changed. By Christmas of that year, everyone understood their roles. Those who could enlist served in Army and Navy operations in the Pacific and Europe. The rest gave their all to support the war from the home front. Residents volunteered their time and skills, served as Red Cross workers, airplane spotters and scrap metal collectors. Local factories and canneries ramped up production. And building the Shasta Dam to provide power became a crucial part of the war effort.

Author Al M. Rocca recounts the determination and tribulations of North State citizens during World War II.

Al M. Rocca is Professor Emeritus of education and history at Simpson University in Redding, California. He has written extensively on the history of the North State and contributed to multiple Arcadia Publishing books. More recently, Dr. Rocca has published Mapping Christopher Columbus: A Historical Geography of His Early Life to 1492 with McFarland Publishers, and First Voyage: A Reassessment of Christopher Columbus and His Caribbean Encounter with Indigenous Peoples, 1492-93 is forthcoming.