Figure 1.--Australia after the fall of Malaya and the British surrender of Singapore as well as the Japanese invasion of New Guinea was in a desperate situation. Australia produced few weapons, especially advanced weaponry like artillery, tanks, and planes. The Japanese drove the Royal Navy from the Pacific and Indian Oceans. And important natural resources were lacking, especially oil and rubber. Here Australian school kids are engaged in a rubber drive (probably about March-April 1942). At the time it was the only source of rubber available in Australia. The only thing standing between Australia and the Japanese were three American carriers.--'Enterprise', 'Lexington', and 'Yorktown'.

The primary Japanese objective in seizing the Southrn Resource Area (SRA) was oil, but rubber and other natural resources was an important bonus. American supplied all the oil Britain needed, but there were no major alternative sources of natural rubber for America and Britain. Rubber suddenly became a problem for the Allies. The Allied response was thus what the Germans had already done -- rapid development of a synthetic rubber industry. Perhps the greatest weakness of the German war industry was the lack of oil resources. As a result they developed a major synthetic oil industry. It was inadeqyate and very inefficent, but it provided important quntities of oil that the Germans desperately needed. Rubber production was an adjunct of that effort. The Germans began this effort before the War. IG Farben played a major role. The United States, however, other than a variety of resarch efforts, had to start from the ground up. This, however, took time. The immediate resoonse was to reduce rubber consumption and launch rubber drives to collect old tires. and other rubber products. The highly unpopular gas rationing in America was designed more to reduce rubber consumption than the need to conserve gas. Only America had the industrial capacity and world-swide reach to deal with the ensuing crisis. Britain had the techical know-how to produce symthetic rubber, but not the industrial capacity to do so. British industry was fully mobilized in the War effort against the Germams. The United States after Pear Harbor, however was just beginning to mobilize its vast industrial plant. And one of the priorities assigned was to create a syntheic rubber indudtry virtually from scratch. The crash expansion of a synthetic rubber industry and expasion of rubber production in other tropical areas (Brazil and West Africa) allowed the Allies to produce critical rubber products. Fortunately the United Sstates was just beginning to assemble the massive military forces and industrial output requiring rubber. That meant there was some time with which to begin synthetic production. And Standard Oil, because of the pre-NAZI association with IG Farben possessed the basic technology. And fortunately the United Stastes before Pearl Harbor had more than a 1 year stockpile of rubber. Not much for a prplonged war effort, but just enough ti get a synthetic industry up and running. One of the most immediare problens as the Japanese swept into the DEI and New Guinea was Australia. Here the Australian Army was in the Middle East and the Australins did mnot have oil, rubber, or an important weapons indudtry. It would be the American synthetic rubber production and expanded natural rubber projects that would supply the Allied war effort, American forces, British forces, and Allies like Australia. The Sovierts obviously did not have ny natural rubber production, but because of the pre-NAZI collboration with Germany had the synthetic rubber techniology.

Natural Rubber

At the Time of World War II, something like 90 percent same from South est Asia, primarily the British colony of Malaya and to a lesser extent the Dutch East Indies. The primary Japanese objective in seizing the Southrn Resource Area (SRA) was oil, but rubber and other natural resources was an important bonus.

Allied Response

United States

The immediate American response was to reduce domestic rubber consumption and launch rubber drives to collect old tires. and other rubber products. The highly unpopular gas rationing in America was designed more to reduce rubber consumption than the need to conserve gas. Only America had the industrial capacity and world-swide reach to deal with the ensuing crisis. The United States after Pear Harbor, however was just beginning to mobilize its vast industrial plant. And one of the priorities assigned was to create a syntheic rubber indudtry virtually from scratch. The crash expansion of a synthetic rubber industry and expasion of rubber production in other tropical areas (Brazil and West Africa) allowed the Allies to produce critical rubber products. Southeast Asia had several dvantages over Brazil and West Africa, but in the war emergency, gthe United sttes coukld affird the huigher pridyuction costs in these areas. Fortunately the United Sstates was just beginning to assemble the massive military forces and industrial output requiring rubber. That meant there was some time with which to begin synthetic production. And Standard Oil, because of the pre-NAZI association with IG Farben possessed the basic technology. And fortunately the United Stastes before Pearl Harbor had more than a 1 year stockpile of rubber. Not much for a prplonged war effort, but just enough to get a synthetic industry up and running. One of the most immediare problens as the Japanese swept into the DEI and New Guinea was Australia. Here the Australian Army was in the Middle East and the Australins did mnot have oil, rubber, or an important weapons indudtry. It would be the American synthetic rubber production and expanded natural rubber projects that would supply the Allied war effort, American forces, British forces, and Allies like Australia.

Britain

Britain was well supplied with rubber at the inset of the War (1939). Its colony in Maklaya provided mosr of the world's runner. Thus for the first two years of the Ear, there was no prioblem with rubber. Britain had the techical know-how to develop a symthetic rubber, but not the industrial capacity to do so during Wofrld war II. British industry was fully mobilized in the War effort against the Germams. The first factory built in Britain for the large-scale manufacture of synthetic rubber was not built until 1958). Thus after Pearl Hsrbor and the Japanese seizure of Malaya, Britain was totslly deopendent on th United States gto supply its rubber. With American assistance, some rubber was produced in West Africa, but the main supply cane from the synthetic rubber industry created in the United States.

Soviet Union

The Sovierts obviously did not have ny natural rubber production, but because of the pre-NAZI collaboration with Germany had the synthetic rubber techniology. The Soviets also cultivated dabndelions. The root of this weed contains 15 per cent latex, the raw material to make rubber. The Russian dandelion, native to Kazakhstan, was cultivated as a domestic source of rubber brgunning in the 1930s.

Created: 11:09 PM 11/27/2014
Last updated: 4:24 AM 5/23/2023