A Production Miracle
U.S Mobilization of resources
Sara Perry
War Life
• Many different racial and ethnic backgrounds joined the fight.
• Within a year the army grew from about 1. 4 million to more than 3
million.
• The navy increased from under 300,000 to more then 600,000.
• The marines expanded from only about 54,000 to almost 150,000
• 300,000 Mexican Americas
• 25,000 Native Americans
• Mexican and Native Americans served in integrated units.
• About 1,000,000 African Americas joined and served in segregated
units.
• As more casualties occurred African Americas sat more active
combat, and even white combats.
• Over 350,000 women responded to the call.
• In 1941 a women's army auxiliary corps was established.
• Women army corps provided clerical workers, truck drivers,
instructors, and lab technicians for the U.S army.
• Over 150,000 women, volunteered for this service.
• More then 57,000 women served in the army nurse corps, putting
themselves in danger to care for the wounded.
• America started to mobilize in response to the lend-lease act.
• January 1942- the government set up the war Production Board.
– To over see the conversation of peacetime industry to war industry.
– Office of the war mobilization was there to supervise all of the efforts
of citizens.
• Production of good
• Production contracts
• Negotiate with organized labor
• controlling inflation.
• By the end of 1944 the allies had a large advantage over the axis’.
the reason for that was because American Production levels were
double the axis’ put together.
• “To American Production, without which the war would be lost”
– Joseph Stalin, an allied leader.
• At first only the army, the largest wing of the military services, took
draftees.
• In order to keep the nations vital flow of weapons and food from
being disrupted, draft boards could differ farmers and workers
employed in war industries.
– The armies own doctors in the first year of the draft rejected
nearsighted and even one-eyed men, illiterates and convicted
criminals.
Clothing, Equipment and training
• Clothing and Equipment evolved to meet the needs revealed by over
seas combat.
– Leather soled boots
– The cloth “leggings”
– U.S soldiers had wound around their calves were abandoned when
army boots were redesigned to fit higher on the leg
– Tin-helmets or round helmets with liner
• After training many combat veterans complained that their training
had been to hurried or that they had been too tired to pay attention.
• They pointed out many of the subjects taught in training were
irrelevant to the actually challenged they faced in battle.
Ration Cards
• The C ration and K ration that were issued to soldiers went into
combat improved.
• Army nutritionists discovered the foods that soldiers did not want
any part of.
– A type of food canned meat
– Vegetable hash
– Instant lemonade
Were not so popular.
• Instant coffee