WWII
Initial Changes
Prior to the United States’ direct involvement in WWII, Georgia Tech was included in preparations for war. In 1939 the Army Air Corps decided to double the number of pilots in training. They decided to enroll around twenty thousand college students in thirteen different schools, Georgia Tech being one of them. Tech had nearly one hundred students enrolled in this Air Corps program in 1939 alone. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, students were given an option to join specialized army and navy programs, beyond ROTC. These programs included the Navy V-I program and later, the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP). Georgia Tech was the first school in the Southeast to enter the ASTP requiring the school to lease some of their facilities to the War Department. With these new programs came large numbers of students. By the end of 1943 there were about 1050 Navy trainees, 1000 ASTP trainees, and only 850 regular students. There was not enough housing in place for all of these men, so about 400 of them were lodged in temporary wooden barracks located at the corner of 3rd street and Techwood Drive.
Militarization of GT
During WWII, Georgia Tech became heavily militarized. The new Army and Navy programs were both mentally and physically strenuous. The ASTP trainees were required to take twenty four hours of classes in addition to military study, drill, and physical training every day. The presence of the military at Georgia Tech was apparent by 1943 when there were five classifications for students at Tech. Students were civilian, cooperative civilian, Army ASTP, Army ASTP-ROTC, or Navy and Marine Corps.
In February 1944 the War Department announced that there was a sudden need for 200,000 troops and that they were discontinuing all ASTP programs by April 1st. The entire Georgia Tech ASTP contingent was ordered to fight and they left campus on March 28, 1944. Most of these students were shipped overseas. The Army was sure that the integration of these intelligent ASTP students would reinforce the power of its troops. After the evacuation of the ASTP students, Georgia Tech became financially burdened. The captain of the Navy V-12 program contacted the Navy Department to inform them of the availability of space at Georgia Tech. The program did largely increase and remained a part of Georgia Tech through 1945.
Women at GT
During WWII there was a social change affecting women across the nation. Six million women worked in manufacturing plants that produced materials for WWII. Many of these women believed it was their patriotic right to enter the workforce. At Georgia Tech, people questioned women’s rights. In 1939, the M.L. Brittain debating society addressed whether or not there should be women at Tech. The outcome of the debate resulted in a loss on the women’s side. It wouldn’t be until 1952 that the first women would be admitted to Georgia Tech as full time day students.
Tech students who greatly contributed to the war effort:
General Raymond G. Davis, USMC
General Davis was a Chemical Engineer from the class of 1939. He fought in many battles during World War II, including Guadalcanal, Peleiu and Tulagi. Just some of his awards include: the Medal of Honor, a Purple Heart, the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star with Combat "V", the Legion of Merit with Combat "V", and the Distinguished Service Medal.
Captain David McCampbell, USN
Captain McCampbell attended Georgia Tech from 1928 to 1929, when he transferred to the United States Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1933 with a Marine Engineering degree. He is the Navy's all-time best "ace" with 34 victories in the air. In one battle, he and one other pilot decided to engage 60 enemy Japanese fighters. He then proceeded to set a single-flight record by downing nine enemy fighters, landing with the fuel gauge on empty and with only two bullets left. For this feat, he became the first and only fast carrier task force pilot to date to earn the Medal of Honor. Captain McCampbell was the commander of Air Group 15 between September of 1943 and September of 1944. Air Group 15 was a group of bombers and fighters on the aircraft carrier USS Essex. Under his command, this group destroyed 663 aircraft (more than any group before or since) as well as more ships than any group in the Pacific War during many small skirmishes as well as two main battles (the First and Second Battles of the Phillipine Sea). At then end of his long and illustrious career, he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Legion of Merit with Combat "V", the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Gold Stars, the Air Medal and the Silver Star Medal.
Roy Evans
Roy Evans graduated from Georgia Tech in the 1920's. He was an incredibly hard worker, and paid his way from grammar school all the way through college. He experienced ups and downs during his career, at one point having nothing to his name except $20 and a $5000 diamond ring. He eventually became the youngest man to own a car company, the American Bantam Car Company. This company produced the design and prototype for the Jeep military vehicle, which was used extensively in World War II.
Thomas Buchanan McGuire
Major Thomas Buchanan McGuire Jr. was one of three Georgia Tech men to receive the Medal of Honor. McGuire was enrolled at Georgia Tech for three years before leaving to join the US Army Air Corps in 1941. During WWII he became a P-38 Lightning pilot. Throughout his career, McGuire successfully shot down 38 Japanese planes, only two short of the WWII record. While trying to escape an attack from a Japanese aircraft and protect his wingman, McGuire crashed his P-38 plane and was killed upon impact. McGuire was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
