Ghost Towns of the Second World War: Arizona’s Historic Military Sites

When America entered the Second World War, Arizona’s sparse population and mild weather made it an ideal location for training facilities and prisoner of war camps.  By war’s end, Arizona had trained more pilots than any other state, hosted the country’s largest POW camp, and was part of the largest military training grounds in history.  This presentation tells Arizona’s war-time role by focusing on the stories of those WW2 sites in Arizona that still have significant remaining features from the war period.  Includes many photographs and first-hand accounts.

Raised in Flagstaff, Erik Berg is an award-winning historian and writer with a special interest in the early twentieth century southwest and the impact of science and technology.  In addition to contributing to several books, his work has appeared in the Journal of Arizona History, Arizona Highways, and Sedona Magazine.  A past-president of the Grand Canyon Historical Society, Berg currently lives in Phoenix.