Mobilizing for War Chapter 14 Section 11

American Industry Gets the Job Done By the fall of 1941, much had already been done to prepare the economy for war, but it was still only partially mobilized. Even though many companies were making military equipment, most still preferred to make consumer goods. After all, the Depression was ending and sales were rising.

American Industry Gets the Job Done After Pearl Harbor was attacked, everything changed. By summer of 1942, almost all major industries and some 200,000 companies had converted to wartime production.

American Industry Gets the Job Done The automobile making industry was specially suited to the mass production of military equipment.

American Industry Gets the Job Done Not only did these former auto factories make jeeps, tanks, and trucks, but they also made rifles, mines, helmets, pontoon bridges, cooking pots, and dozens of other pieces of military equipment.

American Industry Gets the Job Done Henry Ford launched one of the most ambitious projects when he created an assembly line for the enormous B-24 bomber known as the “Liberator” BY the end of the war, his factory had produced over 8,600 aircraft.

American Industry Gets the Job Done Overall, the automobile industry produced nearly 1/3 of the military equipment manufactured during the war.

American Industry Gets the Job Done Henry Kaiser—Shipbuilding His Liberty Ship was the basic cargo ship used during the war. Most Liberty ships were welded instead of riveted. Welded ships were cheap, easy to build, and were harder to sink than the riveted ships

Building an Army After France surrendered to Germany in June 1940, two members of Congress introduced the Selective Service and Training Act. This was a plan for the first peacetime draft in American history.

Building an Army At first the flood of draftees overwhelmed the army’s training facilities. Many recruits actually had to live in tents There were also equipment shortages for drills (men practiced with sticks not guns, threw rocks instead of grenades, and practiced maneuvers with trucks carrying signs that said “TANK”)

Building an Army Men would be sent, initially, to a reception center, where the got a medical exam and injections against smallpox and typhoid. Then the draftees got uniforms. The clothing had the label “G.I” on it (meaning Government Issue”), which is why they were called “G.Is”

Building an Army Next, men would go to basic training camp Soldiers were pushed through training too quickly. The physical training left them too tired to learn the skills they needed. BUT, in spite of all the problems, basic training helped the men become units—it connected them with each other.

Segregated Army At the start of the war, the U.S. military was completely segregated. Whites did not train with the African Americans There were separate barracks, mess halls, latrines, and recreational facilities.

Segregated Army Once trained, the African Americans were organized into their own military units, but white officers were generally in charge of them. But a lot of African Americans were not in favor of supporting a war overseas because they were still in a rights war in the U.S. against racism.

Segregated Army With those feelings in mind, leading African American newspaper launched the “Double V” campaign. It said that African Americans should join the war in order to achieve a double victory—a victory over Hitler’s racism overseas and a victory over racism at home.

Tuskegee Airmen First African American air force unit Flew 200 protection missions and did not lose a single member to enemy aircraft.

Women in the Armed Forces The army enlisted women for the first time, although they were barred from combat. The women were needed to do everyday office jobs for the military so a man could be used to fight instead of doing an office job.

Women in the Armed Forces Congress allowed the first women in the military in May 1942, when it established the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and appointed Oveta Culp Hobby to serve as its first director.

Women in the Armed Forces Although women were happy with the WAAC, many were unhappy because it was only an auxiliary corps and not part of the regular army. A year later the WAAC was replaced by the WAC (Women’s Army Corps)