Figure 1.--These Soviet pilots were photographed on the streets of Fairbanks, Alaska in May 1943. They had come to pick up Americam Lend ease aircrft. The United States Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act March 1941). It was conceived by President Roosevelt to aid Britain which was bankrupted by the War resisting NAZI Germany. When Hitler launched the Barbarossa asault on his Soviet ally (June 1941), Congress at the President's rquest, extended Lend Lease to the Soviet Union. Some 11 billion dollars of Lend Lease aid flowed to the embattled Soviet Union. This included 427,000 trucks, 13,000 combat vehicles, and nearly 15,000 combat planes. The trucks and planes were escpecilly coveted by the Soviets. Lend Lease aid included other items, from diesel engines to shoes. Almost all of the supplies were delivered by ship throuh three sea routes. An exception ws aircraft and naval vessels. Initially, the United States wanted to turn over airplanes to Soviet aircrews in Siberia. Stalin did not want United States military forces flying into Soviet airfields. He at first insisted that Soviet pilots should accept the planes in Alaska. He would eventually permit limited American use to three airfields in Ukraine. The U.S. and the Soviet Union agreed that Ladd Field in Fairbanks would be the delivery point, due to its strategic location and the fact that, of the routes available, it was the safest and quickest. Since the Soviets officially took ownership of the aircraft at Ladd Field, the planes were inspected and painted with a red star to denote that the aircraft were now the property of the Soviet Union. The Soviets would land at Nome for refueling and any needed repairs before crossing the Bering Strait.

The United States through Lend Lease delivered a wide range of weapns and material to the embatteled Soviet Union. Some of the most important items were trucks, planes, and food. The Soviets were not impressed with some Ameican weapons, escpecially the tanks. American tank design was not only behind the Germans, but behind the Soviets as well. But the Soviers were impressed with American trucks and planes. Trucks may not make the World War II list of major weapons, but they are as important as tanlks in the wageing of Blizkrieg. And in terms of major weapins, the Soviet profuction of tanks, artillery, and planes was highly dependent on American Lend Lease shipments of steel, aluminum, and orher raw material. Food is another weapon that does not make the great headlines, but was absolutely critical to the soviet war effort. The Germans occupied some of the most fertile agicultrura; land in the Soviet Union--much of the Black Soil Zone, Depending on just when the estimate we are made, this amounyed to about 40 persent of the productive agricultural land of the Soviet Union. This created a huge problem for the Soviets, how to feed not only the military, but the civilian population manning the factories and mines that supported the Soviet war effort. The United States also dlivered naval vessels to the Soviet Union, most going to support the Arctic convoys and to escort the Pacific convoys. A Russian reader has supplied us some information about deliveries of naval vessels. These deliveries played an important role in the development of the Soviet Navy.

Weaponry

The Soviets were, for good reason, not impressed with many Ameican weapons, escpecially the tanks. American tank design was not only behind the Germans, but behind the Soviets as well. The Soviets were imressed with American aircraft and ships. The United States delivered some5,000 plane to Red Air Force. The United States also ddlivered naval vessels to the Soviet Union, most going to support the Arctic convoys and to escort the Pacific convoys. A Russian reader has supplied us some information about deliveries of naval vessels. These deliveries played an important role in the development of the Soviet Navy.

Vehicles

The Soviers were impressed with American trucks. Trucks may not make the World War II list of major weapons, but they are as important as tanlks in the wageing of Blizkrieg. Tanks coild break through the German front lines, but to exploit those penetrations, men and euipmnt had to follow. And men on foot and equipment pulled by horses move very slowly. This leaves the tanks vulnerble and gives the Germans time to react. American trucks anks transformed the eastetn Front. Russians contributors keep telling me that they had trucks. This is true, but like the Germans had only limited quantities of trucks. The Americans through Lemd Lease provided trucks in huge numbers. SSovierkindustry was impaired by the German invsion,but averaged about 45,000 trucks annully during the war (1941-45). Total production was slighly oer 0.2 million tucks. American shippe over 0.4 millui trucks to the Soviets. (Soviet sources report a lower figure of over 0.3 million. Evcen of the lower Soviet numbers are used. The hugely expanded Red Army mobility is aopparent, even of the lower Soviet figures are used. It provided the Red armt a mobility that the Whermct at the peak of its power could only dream of. And to this the reduced German production s a result of the strategic bonbing campign and increased fuel shortages limited German mobility. The result was that beginning at Kursk, the Red Army delivered one major victory after another nd had themobiity to follow through with penetrations. The Germns were stunned, unable to react to Red Army mobility. Here Hitler was the Red Army's secret weapon. He demanded that the Wehrmacht stand and fight where they were. He resisted pleas from his generals to withdraw in good order to defensible lines. This tactical docrtrine gave the force ith the greatest mobility (namely the Red Army) a huge advantage. Trucks were the most important vehicle type delivered through Lend Lease, but only about 65 percent of all vehichle deliveries. In addition to trucks, the Americans also provided motorcycles, jeeps and other vehicles to the Soviets.

Raw Material

In terms of major weapons, the Soviet profuction of tanks, artillery, and planes was highly dependent on American Lend Lease shipments of steel, aluminum, and other raw material. The production of aircraft, for example was hihly dependent of Americn deliveries of aluminum.

Food

Food is another weapon that does not make the great headlines, but was absolutely critical to the Soviet war effort. The Germans occupied some of the most fertile agicultrural land in the Soviet Union--much of the Black Soil Zone, Depending on just when the estimate we are made, this ammounted to about 40 percent of the productive agricultural land of the Soviet Union. This created a huge problem for the Soviets, how to feed not only the military, but the civilian population manning the factories and mines that supported the Soviet war effort. As the war progressed, Soviet rations when available fell to starvation levels. And people did starve. If you were not in a priority class (military, workers, and young children, it was difficult to survive without asccess to supplementary food, And people did starve. This meant actual starvation as well as people dying from sickness and disease because their immune systems were impaired by inadequate mutrition. The iconic American food item was Spam. It was especially apprecited in the meat/protein-starved Soviet Union. Red Army soldiers referred to it as 'the second front'. Spam and other canned meats were, however, just one part of the enormous quantities of food shipped to the Soviets. There were huge quanties of a wide range of food producrs, both bulk grains and staples as well as packaged (mostly cans) foods. Given the drastic food shortages in the soviet Union. The American food shipments not only provided needed food, but actully prevented a huge number of people from starbingerhaps millions of people. Lend Lease food shipments continued until the Japanese surrender. It could have continued longer, but Stalin was intent on using the NKVD to install Communist police states throughout Wastern Europe. As a result, The Soviets had a very difficult food situartion after the War. Stalin's collectivization before the war and the huge damage done to the collective farms meant that the 1945 harvest was very poor. Damage to the food processing abd trnsport systems were other problems. And even in the post-War era, agriculture would continue to be a problem.

Created: 6:47 AM 1/8/2016
Last updated: 6:47 AM 1/8/2016