Mobilizing for War

The United States quickly mobilized its economy and armed forces to fight in World War II.

cost-plus: A contract system where the government pays the cost of production plus a guaranteed profit.
Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC): A government agency authorized to make loans to companies for war production.
Liberty ship: A basic cargo ship used during WWII, known for being weldable and resilient.
War Production Board: Established to coordinate the production of war materials and manage supplies.
Selective Service and Training Act: Introduced the first peacetime draft in the U.S.
Disfranchise: The denial of the right to vote, often affecting African Americans.

Individual Action: The success of the U.S. in mobilizing for war was largely due to individual cooperation.

Industrial Power: Churchill referred to the American economy as a "giant boiler" that could produce massive war materials.
U.S. productivity during the war:
- American workers were twice as productive as Germans and five times as productive as Japanese workers.
U.S. war production shifted rapidly after the Pearl Harbor attack due to prior mobilization efforts, starting with the national emergency declared in 1940.

Cost-plus Contracts: Enabled rapid production by incentivizing companies to produce faster.
The RFC was allowed to provide loans for factory conversions to war production.
By mid-1942, about 200,000 companies had shifted to war production, making what was called the wartime "miracle" possible.

The automobile industry changed production methods to create military vehicles such as trucks, jeeps, and tanks, critical for troop movement.
Henry Ford’s B-24 bomber production: Significant output at Willow Run Airport; over 8,600 aircraft produced.

Production by Henry Kaiser: Established shipyards that built Liberty ships, which were efficient due to welding rather than riveting.
Liberty ships were designed to withstand damage, making them crucial for cargo transport during the war.

Created to streamline war production amid conflicts between military agencies and business leaders on priorities and contracts.

Post-Germany’s attack on Poland, there was an expansion of the U.S. Army to 227,000 soldiers.
The Selective Service and Training Act began the peacetime draft, approved by Congress after France’s fall to Germany.
Draftees had a rushed training process, often lacking adequate supplies or facilities.

Initial training faced criticism for being ineffective; recruits often lacked necessary skills due to rushed schedules.
Despite challenges, training fostered camaraderie among soldiers.

The military was segregated, with African American soldiers training in separate facilities and units.
Efforts for equality culminated in the creation of the Tuskegee Airmen and their significant contributions to various campaigns.
- Also involved in the Double V campaign for civil rights at home while fighting abroad.

Women joined the military, first through the WAAC and later the WAC, fulfilling non-combat roles that freed men for combat.
By the end of the war, women also served as nurses in the army and navy.

Initial restrictions existed for both women and African Americans, but their roles expanded as demand increased for manpower in various capacities.
Despite adversities, the United States armed forces adapted and performed well during combat, backed by civilian effort and organization.