Florida During World War II
This guide from the State Library of Florida explores Florida’s World War II history and heritage.
Materials are generally available through interlibrary loan from the circulating collection of the State Library.
Links within the bibliographies take you to information in our State Library catalog or to more information on external sites.
Books
- Billinger, Robert D. Hitler’s Soldiers in the Sunshine State: German POWs in Florida. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2000.
- Craft, Stephen G. Embry-Riddle at War: Aviation Training During World War II. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2009.
- De Quesada, A. M. The Royal Air Force Over Florida. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 1998.
- De Quesada, A. M. World War II in Tampa Bay. Dover, NH: Arcadia, 1997.
- Dusenbery, Eric. Veteran Voices: WWII Veterans in Florida, a Photographic Essay. Orlando, FL: Dimensions Photography, 2003.
- Evans, Jon S. Weathering the Storm: Florida Politics During the Administration of Spessard L. Holland in World War II. Diss. Florida State University, 2011.
- Florida Division of Historical Resources. Florida World War II Heritage Trail. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Department of State, 2004. Web. 1 June 2015.
- Freitus, Joseph, and Anne Freitus. Florida: The War Years, 1938-1945. Niceville, FL: Wild Canyon Publishing, 1998.
- Gannon, Michael. Operation Drumbeat: The Dramatic True Story of Germany’s First U-Boat Attacks Along the American Coast in World War II. New York, NY: Harper, 1990.
- Kleinberg, Eliot. War in Paradise: Stories of World War II in Florida. Melbourne, FL: Florida Historical Society Press, 1999.
- Largent, Willard. RAF Wings Over Florida: Memories of World War II British Air Cadets. Ed. Todd Roberts. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 2000.
- Ling, Sally J. Small Town, Big Secrets: Inside the Boca Raton Army Airfield During World War II. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2012.
- Litoff, Judy Barrett et al. Miss You: The World War II Letters of Barbara Woodall Taylor and Charles E. Taylor. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 1990.
- Sage-Gagne, Waneta. Pilots in the Sun: Primary Pilot Training Schools in Lakeland and Avon Park, Florida, 1940-1945. Lakeland, FL: Friends of the Library, 1990.
- Smith, W. Stanford. Camp Blanding: Florida Star in Peace and War. Fuquay Varina, NC: Research Triangle Publishing, 1998.
- Taylor, Robert A. World War II in Fort Pierce. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 1999.
- Wynne, Lewis Nicholas. Florida at War. Saint Leo, FL: Saint Leo College Press, 1993.
- Wynne, Nick. Florida in World War II: Floating Fortress. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2010.
Journal articles
- Coles, David J. “‘Hell-By-The-Sea’: Florida’s Camp Gordon Johnston in World War II.” Florida Historical Quarterly 73.1 (1994): 1–22.
- Evans, Jon. “The Origins of Tallahassee’s Racial Disturbance Plan: Segregation, Racial Tensions, and Violence During World War II.” Florida Historical Quarterly 79.3 (2001): 346–364.
- Mormino, Gary R. “GI Joe Meets Jim Crow: Racial Violence and Reform in World War II Florida.” Florida Historical Quarterly 73.1 (1994): 23–42.
- Prior, Leon O. “Nazi Invasion of Florida!” Florida Historical Quarterly 49.2 (1970): 129–139.
- Rogers, Ben F. “Florida in World War II: Tourists and Citrus.” Florida Historical Quarterly 39.1 (1960): 34–41.
State government publications
- Camp Blanding Report. Camp Blanding, FL, 1944.
- Florida Department of Military Affairs. Camp Blanding, Florida: Three Unofficial Histories. St. Augustine, FL: Florida State Arsenal, 1988.
- Florida Department of Military Affairs. Florida Fatal Casualties (All Services) World War I, World War II. St. Augustine, FL: Florida State Arsenal, 1980s.
- Florida Department of Military Affairs. Florida National Guard Killed or Died: World War II Biographical/Service Abstracts. St. Augustine, FL: Florida State Arsenal, 1988.
- Florida Department of Military Affairs. Roster of Officers, Warrant Officers and Enlisted Men, Active and Inactive National Guard, Inducted into Active Military Service: World War II With the National Guard Units. St. Augustine, FL: Florida State Arsenal, 1988.
Florida Memory
- State Archives of Florida. “Florida During World War II.” Florida Memory. Florida Division of Library and Information Services.
- State Archives of Florida. “Wakulla Springs and WWII Troop Maneuvers.” Florida Memory. Florida Division of Library and Information Services.