Figure 1.--Eutopean streets were very differnt thsn bustling American cities and towns filled with automobiles and trucks. We are not sure just wehere this is in France, but it looks to have been juat before the War. Germny was the largest industrial power in Europe, but motor vehicle ownerhip was a frction of British and French ownership even after Hitler expanded the German industry. We are not sure what town this was. Hopefully our French readers will recognize it.

France along with Germany was an automotive pioneer. Some automobile historians say that French invented the automobile. French engineer Nicolas Joseph Cugnot invented the first self-propelled vehicle, a steam-powered military tractor (1769). But as not much came of that, the honor is normally given to Karl Benz in Germany who adopted an internal combustion engine. French inventors experimented with various power systems in the 19th century. At first, steam was the preferred propulsion system. 1859 - Jean Joseph Étienne Lenoir constructed an internal combustion engine (1859). Edouard Delamare-Deboutteville built the first gasoline-powered automobile (1884). René Panhard and Émile Levassor founded Panhard et Levassor a car manufacturing company (1887). The first car was produced (1891). Armand Peugeot built a four-wheeled car powered by a Daimler gasoline fueled internal combustion engine (1890). Darracq was founded (1896). At the turm of the 20th century, Europe led America in automonile production. France was a smaller industrial power than Germany, but it developed a larger motor vehicle industry. France produced over 30,000 cars, alost half of world production (1903). America at the time produced only some 11,000 cars. [Bellu, p. 18.] Hotchkiss et Cie was founded (1903). It wsas bought by Peugeot after World War II in 1950. Louis Delage founded Delage (1905). It was founded by Delahaye in 1935 Herenr Ford introduced the Model-T Ford and mass poroduction, beginning the meteroric rise of the American automobile industry. Ettore Bugatti started up the Bugatti company in Molsheim which before Wiorkd War I was part of Germany. he French branch of Hispano-Suiza was fojunded (1911). They ended csar production just before the War (1938). Paris became famous for its taxis. Those taxis helped deliver French force to an attck on the flank of the German First Army as they veered in their advnce toward Paris, bringing about the Mircle on the Marne (September 1914). During the War, trucks were a major American indusdtrial contriubution. Several new automobile componies were founded after the War. Gabriel Voisin founded Avions Voisin (1919). Production ceased in 1939. Andre Citroën founded Citroën (1919). Darracq merged with with Sunbeam and Talbot (1920). Amilcar was is founded 1921). The company merged with Hotchkiss et Cie in 1937 and ceases production in 1939. Salmson begins auto production began (1921). French annual automobile production peaked at 253,000 passenger cars (1929). This was the record high until after World War II. The industry then declined because of the Deoression. Production plummeted to 141,000 casrs. As a result, France dropped to second place in European car production. Britain produced 220,775. The French still had the largest number of registered vehicles (1.5 milliom) compared to Britain's (1.2 million). Germany's 0.5 million cars show how fr behind the country's motor vegile industry was. Henri Pigozzi st up the Simca divuision to build Fiat cars (1934). Citroën in the same year introduced the Traction Avant, featuring front wheel drive and unitary construction. Citroën goes bankrupt and was taken over by the Michelin Tire Company. Matford begins building Ford cars (1934), but ceased production (1939). After the War, the company is reorganized as Ford SAF and sells cars under the Ford name. As a result the economy dfid nit prosper. The decdec was notale for destructive strikes and economic paralysis during the decade. A coaition of left-wing parties won the general election, bringing Léon Blum Popular Front Goverment to power. Major social reforms were enacted. No consuderation was given to the profiitability of corporatuion, inncluding the motoir vehicle sector. The result was there were no investments in the industry. The situation couild not hve been more different in Germany. Hitler supressed the free tradevunion movement ns strikes seere not permitted. Hitler and the NAZIs seized power. Hitler who loved cars, espcully big powerful Merccedes, assigned the automobile indusdtry a central role in his radical economic strategy of fiscal stimulus and massive military spending. As a result, France declined from second to third place in European motor vehicle production. One source reports French production at 204,000 cars [Anonymous 2, while Germany's production was slightly higher -- over 213,000 cars. [Oswald, p. 531.] (These numberswere a small fraction of American production of 4.4 million cars.) We are not entirely sure if the French and German figures deal with passenger cars or motor vehicles in general. While German motor vehicle production expanded, it did not significntlh modernize. In fact NAZI subsidies allowed the German compnanies to maintain many inefficent craft-style production. The French industry, while not expanding was more efficent with mass production opwearions. The French motor vehicle industry was the most modern in Europe, although smaller thsn the British industry. The French had gone far further toward mass production than the Germans. The most imprtant companies were Citroen, Peugeot, and Renault. The Germans after the fall of France (1940) attempted to use the French motor vehicle to produce trucks and aircraft parts. Incorporating the French motor vehicle industry into the German wae economy would hve basically doubled Germn motor vehicle production. Although the French factiries were not damaged in the German invsion, this did not occur, The Gemans were bever able to get substantial production out of France. Renault was especially important in truck construction, but production plummeted. YThere are reports thst quality also declined, because of sabotage, but we are not sure how to confirm tius. Puegeot made parts for the V-1, believing thhy were aircraft parts. This attracted British RAF and American Eighth Air Force attention. Unlike the Reich, German fighter defenses in France were rapidly weakening as the NAZIs doicused on defending German cities.

Sources

Anonymous 2. "Automobilia: Toutes les voitures françaises 1937," Salon (October 1936). Nr. 3. Vol 8.

Oswald, Werner. Deutsche Autos 1920-1945 Vol. 2 (Motorbuch Verlag: 2001).

Created:7:48 PM 4/23/2022
Last updated: 2:42 AM 8/19/2021