Transcript by 1942, over 200000 companies converted to war production

Ch.12 Overview
America & World War II * 1941 - 1945
Sec.1 Mobilizing for War
Sec.2 The Early battles
Sec.3 Life on the Home front
Sec.4 Pushing the Axis back
Sec.5 The War Ends
America and W.W. II
Chapter 12
Even before the U.S. entered the war,
Roosevelt was preparing the economy by
building up the country’s defenses. the
conversion to a war time economy went at a
rapid pace. a new agency controlled the
production of jeeps, tanks, airplanes, and
ships. America approved the first peace time
draft, W.W.II saw the first African American
combat units and women also advanced,
serving for the first time in the military itself
rather than in auxiliary units.
Henry Stimson Quote
Stimson: Secretary of War
“If you are going to try and go to war, or to prepare
for war in a capitalist country, you have got to let
businesses make money out of the process or
businesses won’t work”
Reasons The U.S. Was
Ready For War
Roosevelt declared national
emergency after Blitzkrieg
in France = he had 50,000
airplanes built
Gave industry an incentive
to change over to wartime
production
Military Contracts
Companies bid on jobs
Company with the most reasonable bid and
production ability would get the military contract
Bid system to slow for wartime production
Need to find better / Quicker system
Cost Plus System
Converting the Economy
Cost-Plus Contracts:
govt agreed to pay a
company what it cost to
build a product and pay a
percentage of the cost for
profit
Made company’s
produce faster
More you produce, the
more you make
reconstruction Finance
Corp.
Not all companies able to
change to war production
due to finances
Made loans to companies
to help convert to war
production
American Industry
by 1942, over 200,000
companies converted to
war production
Automakers
Automakers began to produce
jeeps, trucks tanks
Also Produced: artillery,
rifles, mines, helmets,
pontoon bridges, cooking
pots, & other military
equipment
Henry Ford created an
assembly line for B-24
Bomber “Liberator”
Auto industry produced 1/3
of all equipment for the War
Auto & Tank Production:
Car Production:
1941: 3,779,628 cars
1942: 222,862 cars
1943:139 cars
1944: 610 Cars
1945: 70,001 cars
Liberty Ships
Basic cargo ship - Welded
ship - no rivets
Cheap, easy to build, &
hard to sink
Welded hull was one
solid piece
Riveted ship would fall
apart when hit
War Production Board
Controlled distribution of
materials
Set production goals for
companies
Decided what contracts had
priority
Supervised over $185
Billion in military weapons
and supplies
America & the war
U.S. workers were twice as productive as German
workers
U.S. workers were five times more productive than
Japanese workers
American production turned tide in the favor of the
Allies
In less than 4 years, the U.S. achieved what no
other nation has ever achieved = It fought and won
a two front war against two powerful military
empires & forced EACH of them to surrender
Building an Army
After Germany invaded Poland,
FDR expanded the army to
227,000
After France surrendered to
Germany, Congress introduced
“Selective Service”
1st Peace time draft in
American History
Building an Army II
Sent to basic training for 8
weeks
Army training facilities
overloaded - lived in tents,
temp. bathrooms
Given “G.I.” uniforms
Major equipment shortages
in training
Training ill prepared the
soldiers for actual war!
Quote
“Training created a special sense of kinship, the
reason you storm the beaches is not patriotism or
bravery, it’s that sense of not failing your buddies” Unknown Soldier
Questions??????