The state played a central role in the American war effort, contributing a disproportionately high number of servicemen and natural resources;[1] most famously, it hosted the sites where the world's first nuclear weapon was designed, developed, and tested.

Its sparse population, remoteness, and geography proved ideally suited for top secret military bases and scientific laboratories—most notably at Los Alamos, which undertook the advanced nuclear research that led to the atomic bomb.

Patriotism ran high throughout the state's diverse and disparate populace, including among its long-marginalized Hispanic and indigenous communities; among them were several of the famed Navajo code talkers, who were critical to protecting U.S. wartime communications.

On January 3, 1941, the 200th Coast Artillery of the New Mexico National Guard had been mobilized for one year's service with the United States Army, arriving in the Philippines in September, where they manned anti-aircraft guns at Clark Field and Fort Stotsenburg.

[8] The regiment had a storied history, tracing its origins to the famous New Mexican Cavalry that was deployed to Cuba to fight with Teddy Roosevelt’s "Rough Riders" in the Spanish-American War.

Although their shells could not hit high-flying Japanese bombers, the New Mexicans managed to strike lower altitude fighters, downing eighty-six aircraft, including six in a single day.

Despite the overwhelming odds working against them, the "New Mexico Brigade"[10] and other defenders continued putting up dogged resistance, surprising Japanese forces, who had expected to capture the Philippines sooner.

[7]: 13  However, amid mounting casualties, dwindling ammunition and supplies, and worsening health conditions, American and Filipino surrendered on April 9, 1942; nineteen New Mexicans were killed after nearly four months of fighting.

— U.S. Army General Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV[11]Of the 1,825 New Mexican troops serving in the Philippines, fewer than half, approximately 800 to 900, returned home;[4] of these survivors, an estimated one-third died within a year, most likely due to health complications from their harsh captivity.

[4][14][15][16][17] Eight New Mexicans—five native-born and three who had moved to the state—were awarded the U.S. Armed Forces' highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for distinguished acts of valor during World War II.

Other major bases were located at Clovis, Alamogordo, and Roswell, along with temporary war-time airfields at Hobbs, Deming, Fort Sumner, and the White Sands Proving Ground.

Heading south towards the border with Mexico, the Germans made only fourteen miles before being recaptured by a posse of locals after a brief firefight inside the Lincoln National Forest.

Despite having been heavily weakened by the Great Depression, the state managed to revitalize its farming industry and grow a wide variety of crops for the war effort; among the main agricultural products were carrots, pinto beans, cotton (which was critical for uniforms), beef, and lamb.

The highly mechanized U.S. military was heavily reliant on all types of metals as well as fossil fuels; like many states, New Mexico saw unprecedented investment in its mining and extraction industries, ultimately becoming one of the leading contributors of strategic resources.

During the war, the state ranked first in the production of potash (a key ingredient in explosives), tantalum (a major component in electronics and alloys), and pumice (for use in construction); second in zinc and tin; third in copper, molybdenum, and vanadium; fourth in beryl, lithium, and fluorspar; and seventh in oil and gas.

[31] Among these fatalities were twenty-four of the eighty-four sailors who died with the sinking of the submarine USS Bullhead, which most likely occurred the same day an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima; it was the last U.S. naval vessel lost to enemy action during World War II.