Series: Dayton and Montgomery County, OH, WWII Heritage City

This a series of lesson plans about the WWII home front, focused on Dayton, Ohio, and Montgomery County, as an American World War II Heritage City. The lessons contain photographs, reading, and a primary source, with an optional activity. The lessons highlight specific contributions (such as defense manufacturing, civilian involvement, Armed Forces presence, and Japanese American resettlement), but connect to larger themes and understandings of the US home front during wartime.

  • Article 1: A Series of Lessons on Dayton, OH, WWII Heritage City

    A group of uniformed women march down the road between a house and a lampost

    Introduction to a series of lessons that support understanding the significance of Dayton, Ohio and Montgomery County as a WWII heritage city, including its contributions to home front efforts such as defense manufacturing, civilian involvement, and Armed Forces presence. One lesson focuses on Dayton, Ohio as a city for Japanese American resettlement. The lessons highlight specific contributions but connect to larger themes and understandings of the US home front. Read more

  • Article 2: (H)our History Lesson: Navy WAVES Building Decryption Bombes in Dayton, Ohio

    Woman operates a massive codebreaking machine with lots of rotors and dials

    This lesson is part of a series teaching about the WWII home front, focused on Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio as a WWII Heritage City. The lesson contains photographs, background reading, and two primary sources to contribute to learners’ understandings of the Navy WAVES contributions to building Bombes, a decryption machine for military intelligence, in Dayton, Ohio. Read more

  • Article 3: (H)our History Lesson: Aviation and Defense Industry in Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio

    Blonde white woman and white man with dark hair sort machine parts at a worktable

    This lesson is part of a series teaching about the WWII home front, focused on Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio as an American World War II Heritage City. During the war many of the local manufacturers turned to necessary war production, and the local military bases expanded, particularly due to an expanding US presence in the air. The lesson contains photographs and readings to contribute to learners’ understandings of local advancements in aviation and defense industry. Read more

  • Article 4: (H)our History Lesson: Japanese American Resettlement in Dayton, Ohio

    Japanese American families wait in line to board a bus.

    This lesson is part of a series teaching about the World War II home front, with Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, as an American World War II Heritage City. Japanese Americans were wrongfully relocated and incarcerated in incarceration sites beginning in 1942 under Executive Order 9066. This lesson focuses on the resettlement of Japanese Americans post-detention, and specifically those who resettled in the Dayton area. Read more

  • Article 5: (H)our History Lesson: Dayton, OH: Comparing and Connecting WWII Home Fronts

    Three senior women use sewing machines to work on white squares of fabric as Red Cross volunteers

    This lesson is part of a series teaching about the World War II home front, focused on Dayton, Ohio, and Montgomery County, as an American World War II Heritage City. The lesson contains photographs, reading, and a primary source, with an optional activity, to contribute to learners’ understandings of the area as a WWII Heritage City. It combines lesson themes from the three other lessons in the collection to summarize the city’s contributions and encourage connections. Read more

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