Ch.12 Overview America & World War II * 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”

Roosevelt declared national emergency after Blitzkrieg in France = he had 50,000 airplanes built Gave industry an incentive to change over to wartime production Reasons The U.S. Was Ready For War

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 Tank Production: 1941: 4,203 tanks 1942: 23,884 Tanks 1943: 29,497 Tanks 1944:17,565 Tanks 1945: 11,184 tanks

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

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 unconditionally America & the war

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

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