Mobilization for War Essay

Herman Goering thought that no Air force or military in the world could stand up to that of the Nazi Luftwaffe. His boastful statement was made with well acclaim in that the Luftwaffe was a very powerful aerial force, but he was being narrow-minded when he made this statement against the production potential of the United States, which has time and time again has proved to be the most powerful nation in the world. Without the military production of the United States, the Allies would not have had a chance against the Germans and their powerful forces. Through many changes, the labor and production force of the U.S. changed from producing civilian goods, to producing military goods. These goods were supplied to all nations of the Allied Powers, and the United States quickly became the most important factor in World War II. Starting in 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised to help the United Kingdom fight Nazi Germany by providing them with military supplies, but while staying out of actual combat. Roosevelt gave a radio broadcast on December 29, 1940, to address Americans to support the Allies in Europe and China, in their war against Germany and Japan. He called the nation an â€Å"Arsenal of Democracy† to  reference the powerful industrial machine it is, and how it can be the supplier of military goods to the Allied war effort. The United States military forces and most allied forces relied on the United States production of food and military goods. This meant that Americans on the home-front had to be rationed for what they can have, which meant they can only purchase so much of certain items. Many consumer goods had to be severely rationed or taken out of the market totally, because they were needed for the war effort. This is why Americans were encouraged to grow â€Å"Victory Gardens† so that they produced their own food, and what food they normally consumed from markets could help contribute to our troops as well as those of the Allied forces. Food production was then focused on providing for the troops instead of the everyday consumer, because they were expected to contribute for themselves and thus help contribute to the soldiers. The United States also made many technological innovations that helped revolutionize certain aspects of war, one of these being the pressurized air cabin in air planes. This helped prevent pilots from getting hypoxia (low oxygen levels in the blood), while also letting planes fly higher, and with more comfort for its passengers. This meant allied bombers like the b-29 could fly higher and escape low anti air missiles and fire from the ground. The Manhattan Project that the U.S. held with the United Kingdom and Canada also helped produce many technological innovations. The main product of this research program was the atomic bomb that would eventually be ordered into use on Japan, and would usher in their surrender and the end of the Second World War. We all know now that Goering’s statement was terribly misinformed, otherwise Germany and the Axis Powers would not have been defeated by the Allies. The United States was the team Captain in this effort and without them the chances of winning would have been slim to none. In the case of this war, and in the case of any war, production plays a key role, and in World War Two, the United States â€Å"Arsenal of Democracy† provided the Allies with the goods and resources necessary for victory.