Figure 1.-- Here we see a scene in rural Colorado in 1929. You can see in tghe home in the background the seconomic status of the peiple who could aford automobiles. American companies built over 3 million motor vehicles in 1928. German production was a small fraction of that. Italiand and Japanese production was a fraction of 1 percent of Ameroivcan production. This would profundly affect the outcome of World War II.

North America was important primarily becausde of the huge Americam automobile industry. It was here that most of the world's motor verhicles were built. This was of enormous stratehic importance because World War II unlike World War I was a war of movement which meant motor vehicles. And plants that built cars and trucks could also build tanks and planes. And even without conversion, trucks were vital to a war of movement. Tanks might blast holes in enemny defense lines, but trucks were needed to move men and equioment through those holes and exploit the break throughs. The Amerucan automobile industry was not producung tanks at the onset of the War and thus caused both Greramy and Japoan to underetimate America as a military threat. American autimobile comanies not only produced tanks, but also aircraft in huge numbers. They not only surprised the American military, but the Axis leaders as well were astonished by the performance of the American Arsenal of Democracy. A major difference between the United States and Germany was that America produced only a small number of tank and truck models, but producrd them in prodigious numbers. The Germans came up with a large numbrer of prototyoes, but even more importantly were comnstantly fiddling with small, oftem virtually useless, changes. All of this adversely affected the production process which from the beginning was more of craft shop than modern mass production assembly lines. Canada was tied into the American automobile industry. While much smaller, Canada by the time of World War II was an industrial nation. unlike World War I. This meant that Canada from the beginning of the War provided invaluabled industrial support for the British war effort.

America

American and European companies made small numbers of luxury autombiles (early-1900s). There was a very large number of small manufactuerers. Henry Ford revolitionized the infudtry with the Model-T Tin Lizzy. Rather than making small numbers of luxury cars, Ford took the vital step of applying assembly line manufacturing techniques to motor vehicle contruction. The result was the Model-T--a vehicle for the average man. It was inmexpensive and American workers were paid enought to aford one. He result was a huge new industry for America's already expanding industry. At the time, the United States was the largest industrial economy in the world. The automobile industry enabled it to grow far beyond the capacity of the European countrues. The reulting economic boom resulting from the automobile industry created an industrial juggernaut far beyond the potential of the Eurpeamn powers. American motor vehicle production was something like 80 percent of world production. American motor vehicle production would be an important factor in World War I--primrily the trucks. When World War I began, transportation was just beginning to make the move from horse carts to trucks. In this trasition, Europe was far behind Anerica, in large part thanks to Ford's Model-T. World War I proved to be a major turning point in transportation. Before the War, goods wre mostly delivered to cities by rail and then horse-drawn waggons to wholesalers and reyailers. This shift began in America with the introduction of the Model-T Ford. Soon small trucks began to be built by Ford in large numbers. And the advantages of motorized vehicles soon became apparent. The Germans asked for an armistice before American industry had fully covered to war production. The automobile sector was of huge economic importance. The automible industry continued to grow in the Roariung Twnties, but production declined some 75 perceny after the Wall Street Crash (1929-32). The industry began to grow again as the economy began to revive (late-1930s). World War II wouild be very different than in World War I. The American automotive industry would play a crucially important role. And it was far larger than in World War I. In fact the American automotive industry had an economic footprint larger than the entire economies of most countries. The American automobile industry washard hit by the Depression. Curiosly many of the unemployed owned cars. Will Rogers quipped, "America was the first country to go to the poor house in the auromobile." The mass production of cars was still largely an American phenomenon, but Europe was beginning to change. In contrast to the Germans, the American automobile industry was fully capable, but American did not have a substantial army to equip. Instead American automobile companies in 1939 were having their first good year since the onset of the Depression, chuning out sleek new cars using large uany\tuies of steel, copper, and chrome. After Pearl Harbor (December 1941), President Roosevelt after nearly a decade of lambasting businessmen, he called then 'economic royalists.' he turned to them in a desperate effort to save America. And he understood the importance of the automotive industry. World War II was an industrial war and industry would be America's route to victory. In fact, the President called the leading and hugest paid businessman (Outside Hollywood) in the country--the chairman of General Motors--William Knudsen. His job became to mobilize the Arsenal of Democracy for war and the automobile industry would be a major part of it. America would not only arm it's own military, but help arm it's fighting allies. And at the heart of the production miracle that followed would be Knudsen and the American automotive industry. America had dominated the sector before the War. Unlike other countries, it was not only the well-to-do who owned cars in America. Henry Ford had brought the automobile within the purchasing power of the average worker. And a huge industry had grown up to fill that demand.

Canada

The Japanese like the Germans in considering war, largely ignored th British Dominions. And Canada was a special case because it actually had a substantial industrial base, including an automobile industry. And significantly, right across the border in the United States was Detroit and the gigantic American motor vehicle industry. Several companies began efforts to build a car at the same time activity was just beginning in America. The Redpath Messenger built am amazing vehicle. It had a wooden carriage and a one-cylinder engine with shaft drive and two speed transmission (1903), It was the first vehicle in all of automotive history with a tilt steering wheel. It was marketed to sell at $600-700 and had a top speed of 10 miles per hour. More advanced production began soon after in Ontario, near Windsor (1904). Gordon McGregor and Wallace Campbell built 117 Ford Model Cs at the Walkerville Wagon Works factory. Quite a range of cars were built: Brooks, Redpath, Tudhope, McKay, Galt Gas-Electric, Gray-Dort, Brockville Atlas, Chatham, Anhunt, Russell (CCM), Hyslop and Ronald, and McLaughlin. World War I pushed the expansion of the industry to aid the British war effort. Canada emerged from World War I with the world's second-largest motor vehicle industry (1923). And this despite the fact that the Canadian manufacturers were small, inefficient plants producing many different models sheltered by a high protective tariff wall Canada entered the big leagues when the American automotive giant purchased McLaughlin and renamed it General Motors of Canada (1918). Studebaker, at the time a major automotive company, built its Rockne model in Canada (1930). High prices and inefficient operation were prevalent which persisted until after World War II. Most of the major manufacturers switched to making war products after the declaration of war (1939). A Canadian reader writes, "This was not just a feat of America but of North America. I told you about how my dad had to leave the Army in 1942 and his first job until after the war was working at Canadian Car and Foundry making parts firstly for the Hawker Hurricane and then also the Curtiss Helldiver. Before 1939 they used to make railroad cars and buses."

Created: 10:36 AM 2/19/2022
Last updated: 10:36 AM 2/19/2022