What this lesson teaches
I can explain the reasons the Allies won and World War II ended in Europe and the Pacific.
Syllabus K230, War in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, Learning Outcomes. Explain the reasons for the end of World War II.
Make a guess
The USA did not join the war until December 1941. When do you think American supplies began helping Britain?
- From December 1941, once Pearl Harbor brought the USA into the fighting.
- Not until 1944, when American troops landed in France on D-Day.
- From March 1941, through Lend-Lease, before the USA was at war.
Show the answer
From March 1941, through Lend-Lease, before the USA was at war.
Lend-Lease let Britain get supplies without paying cash at once, which mattered when its money ran low.
American factories made the weapons, trucks, fuel and ships the Allies needed, and Lend-Lease got them there even before the USA joined the war.
The Axis powers were Germany, Italy and Japan. The countries fighting them were the Allies. The USA joined the war in December 1941. But from March 1941, Lend-Lease let Allies get American supplies without paying cash straight away. This helped Britain keep fighting when its money ran low. By the end of the war, Lend-Lease aid was worth about 49 billion dollars. About 63 per cent went to Britain and the Commonwealth and about 22 per cent to the USSR.
American industry grew into what President Roosevelt called the "arsenal of democracy". Car factories switched to making tanks and bombers. From 1941 to 1945, American factories built nearly 300,000 aircraft, 86,000 tanks, 2.4 million trucks and 2,710 Liberty cargo ships. In 1944 alone the USA built about 96,000 aircraft. That was more than twice Germany's total and more than three times Japan's. Germany and Japan could not replace their losses at this rate.
The supplies were not just weapons. They included trucks, fuel, food and cargo ships. A tank without fuel cannot move. An army without food cannot advance. American factories replaced lost equipment, and ships carried it where it was needed. The USA also trained and equipped huge armed forces.
So American production helped the Allies replace losses and keep up long campaigns in both Europe and the Pacific. But it did not make victory automatic. Supplies needed safe routes, trained soldiers and good plans. The USSR, Britain, China and other Allies also fought and produced.
- Axis
- Germany, Italy and Japan.
- Lend-Lease, March 1941
- US supplies to Allies without paying cash at once.
- December 1941
- The USA enters the war.
Real examples to use
Aircraft, 1944
USA about 96,300; Germany about 40,600; Japan about 28,200. American output was more than twice Germany's.
US war production, 1941 to 1945
Nearly 300,000 aircraft, 86,000 tanks, 2.4 million trucks and 2,710 Liberty ships.
Lend-Lease to the USSR
About 400,000 vehicles, 14,000 aircraft, 13,000 tanks and 2.7 million tons of petroleum products, which helped Soviet armies move and attack.
Worked example: How can a truck win a battle?
An army needs ammunition and food delivered as it moves forward.
- Factories make the trucks, but that is only the first step.
- Trucks carry supplies, so troops do not run out.
- So production helps armies keep attacking, when combined with good planning.
Watch out for this
Lend-Lease began when the USA joined the war in December 1941.
Lend-Lease began in March 1941, nine months before the USA entered the war.
Check your understanding
When did Lend-Lease begin?
- March 1941, before the USA joined the war.
- December 1941, when the USA joined the war.
- June 1944, when the D-Day landings opened a second front.
Show the answer
March 1941, before the USA joined the war.
Yes. It helped Britain keep fighting while short of money.