The Church and World War II
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- Members of the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency served during
the war, including President Thomas S. Monson (Navy), President James E.
Faust (Army Air Corps), President Boyd K. Packer (Army Air Corps), Elder L.
Tom Perry (Marine Corps), Elder David B. Haight (Navy) and Elder Neal A.
Maxwell (Army).
- Approximately 100,000 Latter-day Saints were in uniform as of 1945.
These servicemen fought for both the Allied and Axis nations.
- Church membership on Sept. 1 1939, was 860,000 with membership in
Germany ranking third behind the United States and Canada.
- Approximately 5,000 LDS serviceman died during WWII. Worldwide, 20
million soldiers and 30 million civilians were killed. Approximately 600
German members died, including three mission presidents.
- Two U.S. Liberty Class Merchant ships were named for Latter-day Saint
prophets: the USS Brigham Young and the
USS Joseph Smith.
- The U.S. military commissioned 46 LDS chaplains in WWII, versus only
three in WWI.
- Full-time missionaries were recalled from Europe at the outset of the
war, but only two of the Church's 12 missions there were closed.
- In April 1942, the Tabernacle was closed, and general conferences here
held in the Salt Lake Temple.
- Due to the war, Christmas lights on Temple Square were discontinued,
and work on the Idaho Falls Temple was halted.
- The Servicemen's Committee was organized in October 1941.
