Figure 1.--American oil fields were tghe world's prumary source of oil at the time of World War II. The most imprtat was the Southern Plains (Texas and Oklahoma) and Califiornia. Here we secene in Los Angeles (1941). The red civertabe is what America was producing in 1941. While the rest of the workd was producing tanks and other armored cars to decide the future of the world. Notice the chrome. This was a critical industrial metal used to mrodyc high quality steel alloys.

The major source of oil in the late-19th and early-20th century was the United States. Initally it was fields in Pennsylvania. The primary purose was to create kerosine for home lighting. Lubricatiion was also importabnt. European countries were also interested in oil for the same rasons. Oil production was a minor factor in the 19th century kerosene replaced whale oil and lubricants becoming essential un tghe undustrial revolution. With the develoment of the internal combustion engine and autmobile, oil became even more important. And European counties began developing oil fields as well. The problem for the Europeans here was that there was not much oil in Europe except for Romania and Russia. There was oil in European colonies and countries that they influenced. Here the major British effort was in Iraq and Iran abnd Southeast Asia, esopecially British Borneo and the Dutch East Indies. The American oil industry with the discovery of the Spindletop field in Texas (1901) began a shift to the southern plains (Oaklahoma and Texas). his became the primary fields poducing oil. Pipelines would eventually be built to deliever oil to industrial cities of the Midwest and Northeast. California also became very important, for a time supplying nearly 10 percet iof American production. Oil became a major California industry with the discovery on fields around Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley, and the huhge increase in demand for gasoline to fuel automobiles and trucks. Oil fields were also developed in Latin America, especially Venezuela. The break up of Standard oil spawned companies such as Cheveron, Esso/Exxon, Gulf Oil, Texaco, and others. The United States dominated the oil industry. And until after World Wat II, no matter where oil was produced around the world, the price was fixed at that of the Gulf of Mexico, today expressed as West Texas Intermediate (WTI). American production of oil would be a factor in World War I and a huge if no decisive factor in World War II. America had oil, the Axus (Germans. Italian, and Japanese) did not and needed it. And the war in many ways swirled arund the Axis efforts to obtain the oil neededv by the military abd industry.

Created: 12:20 AM 1/6/2023
Last updated: 12:20 AM 1/6/2023