Figure 1.--At the time of World War II, almost all the world's aviation industries were located in Europe. The only important exceptions were America and Japan. Interestingly this situation has not changed much in recent years. The only important differences are Brazil and China. Here we see an aviation club in Egypt before the War. Note the boys attend a British school in Cairo. The press caption read, "Abou Zahra president du nouveau club des avions apres a invite la Presse cet apres midi dont ke entrain d'expliquer aux jeunes adherents vers details de la contruction de ces petits." That translates as something like, Abu Zahra, president of the new aircraft club, invited the press this afternoon, explaining to the young members details of the construction of these youths. Egypt has universities dating back a millennium, but not one world-class university even today.

The countries on the previous page are the ones with the major aviation industries. Other countries had smaller industries, a few of which played a limited role in the War. We have very limited information on these countrie, but will add details as it becomes available. Notably Canada, a country with only a minimal aviation industry before the War, produced 10,000 modern aircraft to support the Allied war effort. In contrast Germany brought almost al of Europe under its sway, either through alliances or conquest. Even so, the considerable industrial capacity of German dominated Europe, does not seem to have been mobilized to supprt the Luftwaffe and German air war. Some of the countries involved (France and Italy) had substantial aviation industries. Other countries had smaller industries, but combined the industrial potential of the Axis and occupied countries was substantial. Göring was responsible for industrial mobilization, but was unwilling to take on the Gauliters to make needed industrial reforms. He also seemed more interested in seizing art from terrified Jews in the occupied countrues than the hard work of gearing up Germany for a protracted war. Hitler subsequently gave Albert Speer authority to make needed reforms in the Reich (1942). Speer achieved impressive results in the Reich. He made some headway in the occupied countries but was stimied by Hitler's insistence on punitive measures and then the expanding Allied air campaign to which plants were more vulnerable than in the Reich.

Asia

Much of Asia was colonized by European countries. The Only independent countries of any importance were Japan aand China. The only country in Asia with an aviation industry was Japan. This would be a factor in the Second Sino-Jaanese War/World War II. Japan would dominate the air until Japanese aggression brought America into the War by their carrier attack on Pearl Harbor and the arrival of the American Flying Tigers. China had a small airforce which put up a spirited fight at Shangahiai at the onset of the War (1937). It was composed, however, entirely of European aircraft. China did not have the technological and industrial capability of building modern aircraft. And after the first year of combat the Japanese had begun seizing China's industrial cities as well asimports meaning it could not obtain the desperately needed foreign-built aircraft. The United States began bulding up the Chinese Air Force throgh material flown into China over The Hump (1942). But this would be all American aircraft and supplies, even the needed aviation fuel.

America North

The only North American country with an aviation industry was the United States, the country with the world's largest aircraft industry. This gave North America the largest producer of aircraft during the War. A potential that the Germans to detriment chose to ignore. All of this industry, however, at the onset of the War was in the United States. Canada had virtually no domestic aviation industry at the onset of the War. It did, hwever, have an industrial base. It was the only Dominion with a sizeable industrial base. Canadian industry was largely tied into American industry. And while it had no significant aviation industry to begin with. Much of Canada'sindutry, like Americam industry, could be convered for war production--including aircraft production. Canada did not design aircraft but it wound up producing large numbers of aircraft, mistly for thevair war in Europe.

Canada

Canada had a very small aviation industry before World War II, largely set up by U.S. and British companies. Planes were largely imported for use in resource exploration and mail transport. The Canadian companies involved often modified aircraft as a result of the needs to deal with Canada's northerly climate and vast northern wildreness. In demand were aircraft that could operate from short, rough landing strips in isolated areas or from areas where only lakes and rivers offered landing sites. A few planes were built for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) training, aerial survey, and air mail operations. The first plant in Canada was the U.S. Curtiss-Wright assembly plant in Toronto (1915). Pratt & Whitney established an engine repair and overhaul facilities (1928). De Havilland and Vickers opened small-scale aircraft assembly and repair operations. Several companies involved with other areas of transport opened small mantenanance and repair facilities. Fleet Aircraft opened a small design and aircraft manufacturing facility at Fort Erie and Noorduyn in Montreal. Canada followed Britain into World War II after the German invasion of Poland (1939). American neutrlity laws when War broke out prohibited the export of aircraft to beligerant nations. To evade the law, the British imported American parts which were then assembled in Canada. The Roosevelt Adminidstration, anxious to aid the Allies, did not object. President Roosevelt despite opposition from the isolationists managed to convince Congress to amend the Neutrality Laws making this subterfuge uneccessary. Canada's fledgling aviation industry was rapidly expanded. Canada did not design World War II aircraft, Canadian companies, however, began to produce American and Bitish aircraft under license. Canadian companies also produced aircraft parts. A reader cwrites, "Parts of the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver used by the U.S. Navy in the Pacific were made at Canadian Car & Foundry in Montreal. After my dad got discharged from the Army in 1942 that is where he worked as a metal worker until just after the war. They also made parts for the British Hawker Hurricane." Over 10,000 military aircraft were built in Canada during the War. This was an amazing accomplishment for a counry that built almost no aircraft before the War. The Canadian government played an active role in the expansion of the aviation industry. The Government founded Federal Aircraft (1940). Federal Aircraft created two crown corporations. National Steel Car was converted to Victory Aircraft (1943). Canadian Vickers became Canadair (1944). Boeing in Vancouver and Fairchild in Montreal opened operations. Another major Canadian contribution to the air war was the opening of air training faciities. War conditions in Britain impeded training operations. Facilities in Canada benefited from the vast Candian territory unimpeded by enenemy attack.

Europe

Most of the World War II beligerants were European countries. Hitler and Stalin launched the War (1939). Every country in Europe was affected, imcluding the small number of countries thatwere avle to remain neutral. And most of the world's important avaiatiion indistries were located in Europe. This is because the countries with technological capabilities were located in Europe. You can see this in both Nobel Prize awards and the size of the economies. Only a large country could amass a large aviation and afford a sizeable air force. Smaller countries could have aviation industries, but not really large ones or sizeable airforces. Belgium and the Netherlands were advanced, highly industrial countries, but their aviation industries and air forces were simplly no match with the Germans willing to spend vast sums. The European countries with sizeable aviation industries and airforces included: Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union. Several other countries had aviation indistries of various importances.

Belgium

Bulgaria

The NAZIs forced the Bulgarians to join the Axis. The country, however, had no aviation industry of any importance.

Croatia

Croatia was part of Yugoslavia when the Germans invaded (April 1941). The Germans recoginzed Croatia as an independent state and it became a NAZI ally. It did not, however, have an aviation industry.

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia was created after World War I as part of the Allied commitment to support natioinal self determination. It was largely surrounded by unfriendly states carved out of the former Central Powers. This was why the German populated Sudetenland was trasferred to the country so that it would have defenseable borders. The country was a land-locked country. So leaders coined the motto, "Our sea is the air," meaning that Czechs could remain in contact with other countries through air connections. The Czechs had a very small aviation industry. Several relatively small aviation industry companies were formed during the inter-War era. The Czechs, however, were no match for the much larger German aviation indusry financed by the NAZIs after they seized power. The Czechs seem ready to fight after the British and French abandoned at Munich (September 1938). The Czechs had a substantial industrial base and the Army was well equipped with artilery and armored vehicles. It was the threat of aerial bombardment, however, that ultimately forced the Cechs to submit. The Czechs had a small air force, but the plane types were lrgely obsolete biplanes. the threat of Luftwaffe bombardment of Prague and other cities forced them to accept the terms forced upon them. The NAZIs subsequently occupied the rest of the country (March 1939). Slovakia seceeded and became a slavish NAZI puppet state. The NAZIs turned the Czech lands into the Protectorate of Bohemi and Moravia and began to plan the deportation of Czechs and their replsacement with Geran settlers. Some Czech pilots managed to escape to France, where they helped first to fight the NNAZI invasion (May 1940) and then on to Beitain where they fought with the Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain and subsequent air war. Czech airmen were formed into fighter and bomber squadrons, part of Czechoslovak army in exile. Czech fighter ace Josef František was one of the top scoring Allied fighter pilot of the Battle of Britain. Other Czech pilots managed to escape east and fight against the Germans after they invaded the Soviet Union. The Germans in occupied Czechoslovakia absorbed the Czech arms industry into the German war industry. The Skoda complex played a major role in tank and artillery prodution, but the aviation industry was use to produce German aircraft and engines.

Denmark

Finland

Finland did bot have an aviation industry. The country in the pre-War era expressed an interest in German aircraft, but the Air Ministry showed little willingness to sell advanced types. The Finnish state aircraft factory, as a result, negotiated an licensing agreement with the Dutch Fokker company to build D XXI fighter (1937). The Finns also imported some American aircraft. The Finns were, however, not match for the massive Red Airforce when the Soviets invaded, launching the Winter War (1939). The Soviets annexed large areas of Finland. Finland entered World War II as a co-beligerant rather than an ally when Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Its sole objective was to regain the territory seized by the Soviets in the Winter War.

Greece

Hungary

Hungary had been part of the Austria-Hungarian Empire and fought with Germany as the core of the Central Powers in World War I. It had lost territory to neigboring countries that had fought with the Allies or that were created afyer the War (Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia). Thus Hungary had some afinity with Germany in overturning the World War I peace settlement. NAZI Germany did not, however, prepare its future allies for coalition war. Rather NAZI policies were strongly inflienced by the concept of Mitteleuropa. This was essentially the belief that Europe would be dominated by industrial Germany and that its satellites would devote themselves to agriculture ad supplying raw materials. Thus NAZI policies focused over establishing domination over potential allies rather than provding modern military equipment or promoting industriaes such as a technologically sophisticated aviation industry that would in the future compete with German production. [Corum] This not only impeded efforts to prepare for war in the pre-War era, but even coordinated operations once Hungary joined the Axis and entered the War. Hungary attenpted beginning in 1934 to purchase German aircraft. Several high-level missions attempted to purchase advanced German aircraft types. The Air Ministry rebiffed Hungarian offers, both to purchased advanced arcraft or buid them in Hungary under license. The Hungarians were only allowed to purchase obsolete or surplus arcraft. [Corum] Hungary as a result turned to the Italians and produced Italian Regianne 2000 fighter and the Caproni Ca 135 bomber under license in the pre-War era. Hungary attempted to adapt foreign airframe designs to domestically built aircraft engines, in several cases French licensed aircraft engines. This essentially meant that Hungary entered the War with poorly powered aircraft. [Corum] The German failure to ensure that its allies were well equipped would lead to dissaster during the War. It should be remembered that the Red Army in its 1942 Stalingrad offensive broke through poolrly equipped Hungarian and Romanian units nort and south of Stlingrad.

(The) Netherlands

The Netherlandsdid not develop an important aviation infustry before World War I. Dutch speialists interested in aircraft designers went abroad to work with foreign companies. Frits Koolhoven worked in Britain (1911). The Dutch were neutral in World War I and little changed in the Netherlands regarding aviation during the War. Koolhoven returned to the Netherlands in 1920 and eventually opened an aircraft factory (1930). He produced the FK51 and other types. The Luftwaffe bombed the factory (1940) and it was not reopened during the German occupation. The best known Dutch individual involved in aviation was Anthony Fokker. He had strong connections with Germany where he was educated . He began working with aviation in Germany where he built his first aircraft before World War I. The Netherlands was netral in Wold war I, but Fokker factories built 7,600 airplanes in Germany. Some of his aircraft were quite notable: the Fokker Eindecker, the Fokker D-III, and D-VII. The Versailles Treaty ending World war I placed restrictions on German aviation (1910). Fokker succeeded in smuggling 200 aircraft, 500 engines, and other parts from his plants to the Netherlands where he essentially founded the Dutch aviation industry at the Sciphol factory near Amsterdam. The Dutch aviation industry thus benefited from the tremendous advances made in Germany durng the War. Fokker produced both civil and military aircraft in the inter-war years. The Germans managed to evade some Versailles Treaty restrictions by working with Fokker. The Netherlands attempted to remain neutral when World War II broke out (September 1939). The small Dutch Air Force was largely destroyed by the Luftwaffe at the onset of the German Western Offensive (May 10, 1940). There was thus no air defense for Dutch cities. The Luftwaffe destroyed large areas of Rotterdam. The Dutch aviation industry played little role in World War II. This is one of many examples of the NAZIs not fully utilizing the industrial capacity of occupied countries during the War. We do not fully understand the reasons for this. There are some obvious factors. The fact tht the NAZIs in 1940 thought they had won the War did not encourage them to mobilize the Dutch aviation industry. There was also the issue of security and not trusting the Dutch with technological advances. Aircraft plants in the Netherlands were also very vulnerable to Allied bombing. The availability of aluminum was another factor. The NAZIs used the occupied countries to support the war effort, but they were much better at exploting the resources of the occupied countries than utilizing their industrial capacity. (The major exception here was Czechoslovalia.) Compare the Netherlands with Canada. The Dutch had an established aviation industry, but built very few planes to support the German war effort. Canada had virtually no aviaion inustry before the War, but wound up producung 10,000 aircraft to support the Allied war effort. This is just one example of how poorly managed the German war economy was.

Poland

Romania

Romania developed a small aviation industry after World War I. The country in the 1930s found itself in a isolated position. The Soviet Union to the east coveted Romanian territory that had been pat of the Tsarist Empire. Other neighborts had fought with the Central Power and sought territorylost in World War I. The Romanians like other European states participated in the Europen-wide arms race. The Romanians were especially interested in acquiring modern German aircraft after the existence of the Luftwaffe was announced (1935). The Germans were not at all interested in exporting it more successful aircraft types. It mostly offered obsolete or surplus types which understandably did not impress the Romanians. [Corum] The Germans offered Romania Heinkel He 51 fighters (1935). The He 51 was an early German fighter. The Luftwaffe was unimprssed by it and in the process of replaceing it. Thus were trying to see it. The Romanians declined the German offer and bought Italian aircraft. [Corum] They did, however, continue to express an interest in advance German aircraft types. The Germans sold them 24 modern Heinkel He 112 fighters (1939). This was a fighter that the Luftwaffe was also not planning to deploy in numbers. The Air Ministry did not approve a Romanian reuest to purchse 50 Ju 87Bs. The Romanians asked for permission to build the famed Me-109 fighter and Junkers Jumo 211 aircraft engine under license (1939). [Corum] The Air Ministry refussed. Like Hungary, German attitudes seem more affected more by their post-War vission of Mitteleuropa than the need to prepare allies for fighting the War. The German interest uin Rimania was primarily the Ploesti oil fields. Romania under pressure from te NAZIs joined the Axis and participated in the invasion of the Soviet Union (June 1941). Romania like Hungary attempted to adapt foreign airframe designs to domestically built aircraft engines, in several cases French licensed aircraft engines. This essentially meant that Romania entered the War with poorly powered aircraft. [Corum] Romanian companies built more than 80 different models of aircraft and employed 20,000 engineers, technicians, and other workers. Unable to purchase advanced aircrft durin the pre-War era, the Romanians developed their own modern fighter plane--the IAR 80. It was produced by the Rumanian state aircraft company. They also built trainers and small reconnaissance aircraft. If the Germans had provided more technical assistance, the Romanian aviation industry could have played a more important role in the War. The industry did not one produce a single aircraft type that played an important role in the War. The industry was largely destroyed by Allied bombing raids during the War. It should be remembered that the Red Army in its 1942 Stalingrad offensive broke through poolrly equipped Hungarian and Romanian units north and south of Stalingrad.

Slovakia

Slovakia supported the German war effort, but had no aviation industry.

Sweden

Aviation in Sweden has been a significant industry since the 1930s. There were some experments with baloons in the late-19th century. Several aircraft manufacturers had been founded aand were operating. A french pilot, Georges Legagneux, made the first flight with an engined aircraft, a Voisin (1909). Carl Cederström was the first Swedish pilot, He was certified in France (1910). The Swedish Navy got its first bplane, agift from a civilian (1911). Some small companies began producing aircraft unfer French and German licenses. The Thulin company in Landskronawas was the most important of the new aviation companies. It built planes of its own design as well as French and German planes under license. The first Thulin-manufactured aircraft was the Type-A. AOther aviation pioneerd were Oscar Ask and Hjalmar Nyrop. The Swedish Army was also active. Mikael Carlson built the Tummelisa. The German compaies Junkers and Heinkel established 'shadow' aircraft factories in Sweden as a way of evading the World War I Versailles Treaty restrictions (1920s). With the rise of thevNAZOs in Germany and Europe began moving toward War. The Swedish Government helped found Svenska Aeroplanaktiebolaget Saab). The first Swedish designed plane was the light bomber/reconnaissance plane B 17 (S 17). Successful Saab designs followed, both military and civil aircraft.

Switzerland

Yugoslavia

There wre individuals interested in aviation in Serbia as was the case in other European countries. A HBC reader has provided us an account of some Serbian boys before World War I. Serbia after the War becae the core of Yugoslavia. The country developed a modest aviaion industry. everal companies produced small numbers of planes. M. Mitrovich was one of the most noted Yugoslav aircraft designers in the inter-war era. He desgned several aircraft (1928-40). His greatest success was the MMS.3 light transport with twin tail-booms. PSFA Rogojarsky aircraft factory of Zivojin Rogozarski was opened (1923). The company bregan by repairing mostly German aircraft confiscated after World War I. It gradually began manufacturing small numers of plane, some foreign designs produced under license. Production included: little Brandenburg, Fizir FN, Sim 14, R-100, IK-3, Hurricane Mk 1 and others. They produced 286 planes. The first Serbian aviation company was IKARUS AD which was opened in Novi Sad (1923). Aircraft was only part of their operations. The Zemun factory was opened with an air field (1927). The factory designed and built several aircraft as well as produced other aircraft under license, primarily with British companies. Output included the Potez 15, Hawker Fury, Bristol Blenheim, IK-2 Orkan. Petrovic and Steric opened the Zmaj-Zemun aircraft plant (1927). It began by producing aircraft under French license. Theythen began producing local designs (1932). Aircraft produced included: Dewoitine, Fizir, FP-2, Hawker Fury, Hawker Hurricane, and passenger Spartan to AEROPUT requirements. About 359 planes were produced. The INDUSTRIJA AEROPLANSKIH MOTORA AD produced aircraft engines (1927). It was a foreign joint venture. The company had facilities in Rakovica. It was nationalized (1936). It produced engines under licene, including: Jupiter (Gnome-Rhone), then K-7, K-9 and K-14. Germany attempted to force Yugoslavia to join the Axis. Prince Paul who reluctantly joined the AXis, was overthrown. The Luftwaffe quickly destroyed the small Yugoslav Royal Airforce (April 1941). Hitler then ordered the terror bombing of Belgrade to punish the Serbs for rejecting the Axis alliance. The Axis occupation was primarily focused on exploiting Balkan raw materials. The Germans made no real effort to utilize or expand industrial production.

Latin America

Most of Latin America were made up of indepepent countries. Industrial develooment, however, was very limited. Most of the region had economies based on exporting raw material. We know of no aviation industries in Latin America. Most of the commercial airlines in the region had connections with European or american airlinrs. The planes flown were all American- or European-built. No Latin American country had a large or modern airforce. And the airfirces that existed were almost entirely imported American or European aircraft. This is not much changed today, although Brazil is frveloping a small aviatioin induxtry.

Middle East

Most of the Middle East at the time of World War II was colonized by the Europeans (after cebturies of Ottoman control, or under varying degrees of European control. None of these countries had sizeable industrial establishments, althouh oil was beginning to bring money into the area (Iran and Iraq) for the first time in centuries. Not only was industry lacking, but there was virtually no technological capability at all. It was a technological black hole after coming close to basically inventing science in the Islamic Golden Age. There were notable educational institutions, but they gradually evolved into exclusively religious (Islamic) studies. At the time of the War, there were no universities in the Middle East with with advanced technological programs. The region was entirely dependent on Europe and America for all modern technology. This included Egypt, the most advanced of the Arab states. Strangely, the idea of the university was invented in the Islamic world and was not limited to religious studies. But even today with the vast influx of oil money, there is not one single world-class univerity (producing Nobel awards) in the Arab and wider Muslim world.

Oceania

Oceanic covers a vast area of the Pacific. European countries had colonized most of it. The United States had colonized the Philippines Islands (1898), but was preparing the grant independence in 1943. There was little industrial develooment, but substantial oil develooment had occurred in the Dutch East Indies (DEI) and British Borno. The most advanced country was Australia, but even there, industry was limited. And there was virtually no aviation industry. Virtually all the aircraft flown by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) were British and American, mostly American. There was some development of the aviation industry during the War.

Sources

Corum, James S. "The Luftwaffe and its Allied Air Forces in World War II: Parallel War and the Failure of Strategic and Economic Cooperation," Air Power History (June 22, 2004). Corum argues that "the actual and potential force of Germany's allies was ignored or misused by the Luftwaffe throughout the war. Indeed, one of the primary causes for German defeat, and specifically Germany's defeat in the air, was due to the Third Reich's inability to effectively lead a coalition war."

Created: 7:46 PM 9/5/2007
Last updated: 1:48 PM 9/5/2019