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Kansas at War II

Part II: Mobilizing the Economy

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When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, few could have predicted the extraordinary transformation about to unfold across the Kansas plains. This heartland region, better known for wheat fields than factory floors, would become a vital cog in America's war machine, demonstrating how completely a peacetime economy could be mobilized for global conflict.

An Aviation Boomtown

Wichita emerged as one of the nation's most crucial centers of aircraft production. What began as a modest aviation industry exploded into a manufacturing colossus that helped win the war in the skies. The statistics tell a staggering story of growth: aviation employment in Sedgwick County jumped from fewer than 700 workers in 1939 to over 51,000 by January 1944—a more than 70-fold increase in just five years.

The cornerstone of this transformation was Boeing's massive new Plant II, where construction began in 1941 to build the revolutionary B-29 Superfortress long-range bomber. At its peak, Boeing's Wichita operation employed approximately 30,000 workers, becoming the city's largest employer virtually overnight. By war's end, this single plant had produced 1,644 B-29 Superfortresses—nearly half of all B-29s manufactured nationwide—making Wichita indispensable to America's strategic bombing campaigns in the Pacific.

Other local manufacturers underwent similar expansions. Beech Aircraft grew to employ over 14,000 workers by 1945, while Cessna Aircraft added more than 6,000 jobs. Together, these companies turned out thousands of training aircraft, transport planes, and critical components that kept Allied air forces flying.
This industrial surge reshuffled the region's demographics and workforce. Most notably, women stepped into factory roles previously dominated by men. As manpower grew increasingly scarce after 1943, women came to comprise approximately 60% of Wichita's aircraft plant workforce. These "Rosie the Riveters" mastered technical skills from riveting to engine assembly, defying pre-war notions about gender-appropriate work.

Fields of Plenty: Kansas Agriculture

While Wichita's factories hummed with activity, an equally vital mobilization was underway across central Kansas's farmlands. As America's breadbasket, the region faced enormous pressure to feed not only U.S. forces but also Allied nations whose agricultural production had been devastated by war.

This challenge was complicated by a severe farm labor shortage as young men enlisted or were drafted. Rural communities responded with remarkable adaptability and determination. Mechanization accelerated, with tractors and combines increasingly replacing human labor. Neighbors formed cooperative harvesting crews, sharing equipment and manpower to ensure crops didn't rot in the fields.

The Women's Land Army became a crucial initiative, recruiting approximately 36,000 Kansas women to fill the agricultural labor gap. Farm wives and daughters took on expanded responsibilities, while women from towns and cities learned to drive tractors, milk cows, and bring in harvests—often for the first time.

Youth mobilization proved equally important. An estimated 25,000 Kansas Boy Scouts helped during the 1943 harvest season alone. 4-H clubs, Future Farmers of America, and Girl Scouts all participated in similar efforts, demonstrating how completely the war effort engaged Americans of all ages.

Victory Gardens and Community Production

With many foods rationed or prioritized for military use, Kansans embraced "Victory Gardens" with remarkable enthusiasm. Yards, vacant lots, school grounds, and even public parks were transformed into productive vegetable plots. In Topeka alone, citizens planted over 17,000 victory gardens in 1943, part of a national movement that produced an estimated one-quarter of all U.S. vegetables by weight that year.

These community food production efforts served multiple purposes: they supplemented commercial agriculture, eased pressure on the public food supply, allowed more canned goods to be sent overseas, and gave civilians a tangible way to contribute to the war effort. Home canning and preservation became patriotic duties, with extension services offering demonstrations and workshops to ensure harvests weren't wasted.

Arsenal of Democracy, Breadbasket of Liberty

Central Kansas's wartime transformation exemplifies how completely America converted to a war economy between 1941 and 1945. From the Boeing assembly lines in Wichita to the wheat fields of Saline and Ellis counties, Kansans harnessed both industry and agriculture to fuel the Allied war machine. The planes that bombed Tokyo and the wheat that fed Londoners during the Blitz both originated from the same Kansas heartland.

This economic mobilization altered not just production statistics but the fabric of daily life. Communities adapted to new realities of labor, gender roles, and shared sacrifice. These social changes will be explored next week in Kansas at War’s final entry, Part 3: "The Homefront."