Figure 1.--

Aluminum was not an industrial metal of major importance before World War I. Some aluminum was used by the automobil industry, especially the massive and growing American automobile industry. Nor was it of any importance in the manufacture of weaponry. The scientists of the beligerent countries went into high gear. And no other metal received more scientific attention during the war than aluminum, in part because it was a kargly unkniwn metal. A range of research projects significantly expanded the uses of aluninum, increasing demand. The result was new markets and alloys. Surprisingly, the most important new use was not the aircraft industry. The mist imopotant use of aluminum during the war was to produce ammonal. This was mixing aluminum powder and ammonium nitrate to manufacture munitions. Some of the new war-time uses developed were in: fuses, fayers, castings for engines, personal equipment, mess equipment and a deoxidizer in steel production. Prices for aluminum skyrocketed during the War. The United States played a major role in supplying aluminum to Britain and France. None other than Bernard Baruch, the chairman of the American War Industries Board wrote, "Not enough aluminum could be produced to supply the war needs of ourselves and the Allies and at the same time supply normal civilian requirements. Hence the control to be exercised by the board had to be directed chiefy to two problems: Control of distribution and control of prices. The board also assisted the Aluminum Co. of America in securing power for increased production and encouraged the recovery of secondary metal from scrap." The Allies could turn to Ameruca for aluminum and iother matrials, Germany was on its own. The Germans had prepared wekk, equipping its Army for a short victorious war. When the French stopped the German Army at the Marne onlyb one month into the war, the possibility of a short war evaportated And aluninum was only one area that the Gernmans would need for a long war and for which they had not prepared. Germany had no way of meeting the war time needs of its military forces. The country had only a single smelter--the Rheinfelden smelter operated by Aluminium-Industrie AG Neuhausen, with an annual capacity of only 1,000 tons. The Grrmans built five new smelters increasing Germany annual capacity to 35,000 tons. Construction of a sixth smelter was begun, but still unfinished when Germany was forced to ask for an armistice. [Hanners, p.3.] There were also alumina refineries. But this could not begin the match Allied production, bolstered by American industry. The Germans produced the finest aircraftv if the War, but could not match the Allies greater industrial capacity. The Germans after the War not only prepared militarily for another War, but the NAZI Giovernment began preparing economically--something the Kaiser had not done. Part of those preparations was to signifuicantly increase almuminum production capacity. One lesson not learned from the World War I was the tremenous industrial capacity of feee market economies, especially thatb of the United States. Before the War, aluminum was not used for aircraft. Aluminum was not widely available and was very expensive. The war changed that. The unexpected entrance of aircraft and the launching of the first air war was not yet a major fsctor. World War I aircraft were made with wood and canvas, but during World War I, lightweight aluminum began to replace wood as an essengtil building material. And asluminum began to be used in aircraft engines. Hugo Junlers built the girst all metl monoplane. He used an asluminum alloy with copper, magnesium and manganese. One reason the Germans began using aluminum is that they had experience with it. Aluninum was used in the construction d Zepplins befiore the war. American automobile companies before the War begasn experimenting with aluminum in the construction of engines, but as prices increased durung the War, recalculaed their plans.

Sources

Hanners, Richard. MiontanaAluinum Industry. Chapter 10 (2017).

Created: 10:44 PM 12/14/2022
Last updated: 10:44 PM 12/14/2022