Figure 1.--Here a proud new Ford owner poses with his wife and son in 1939. While American indistry was using steel, copper, and chrome to produce cars like this one. German indistry was turning out Panzers. American motor vehicles, expecilly jeeps and trucks wouls play a major role in the War. America would not only mechanize its army, but that of its allies as well. In addition, America automobile manufacturers would also build ranks and planes.

The autmobile combined with the internal combution engine was a German invention. (190s) They made fine automobiles as did the British and French as well as American manufacturers. They were, however, finely crafted vehicles made in essentially craft shops in small numbers and were very expensive (!900s). The automobile was a play thing for the wealthy. Henry Ford took the insightful step of applying assembly line manufacturing techniques to motor vehicle contruction. The result was the Model-T -- a vehicle for the average man. Many Europeans sneered at the Model-T. It was not finely crafted automoble. Thry saw it as shoidy amdf ignored the tevhnologucal innovations. It was cheap and American workers were paid enought to aford one. The result was a huge new industry for America's already expanding industry. At the time, the United States was the largest industril economy in the world. The automobile industry enabled it to grow far beyond the capacity of the European countrues. 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 America, 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 were mostly delivered to cities by rail and then horse-drawn waggons to wholesalers and reyailers. Small trucks began to be built by Ford in large numbers. And the advantages of motorized vehicles soon became apparent. America's principal World War I industrial contribution to the Allies was delvering trucks in large numbrs. And in America this led to the mass production of relatively inexpensive trucks. The mass production of cars was largely an American phenomenon. Amnd the Roaring Twenties meant evrngreater production of cars. Companies moved beyomf the clunky Model-T. There were big powerful cars, but compnies continued to produce low-cost models. Well paying jobs ewere plrenyiful snd peolke bought cars. The Europeans were more reluctsnt to make the shift to mass production was much slower. European companies were less interested in mass production prefering to produce more expensive, better crafted vehicles. The Germans were especually reluctnt. This meant a more restricticted market and a substantially smaller industry. Ford and General Motors had subsidiaries in Europe and Japan. But the Europeans were still reluctantg to adopt The American automobile industry was hard 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." merican poducion fell 75 prcent in th first few years iof the Depression (!929-32). The capacity of the Americn indudstry, howevr, was still huge. Hitler was especilly interested in casrs. He promoted mass production and the Volkswaggen for the German worker, but to little affect. The Germns were still intent on crsaftsmnship, The Soviets cintracted with merucan companies and did adopt mass production techniwques. Hitler was too anxious to launch his War, however, to wait for the German automobile industry to grow. Thus the utomoble industry was not fully capable of equipping the Wehrmacht. By contrast 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 quantituies of steel, copper, and chrome.

Created: 2:04 AM 9/20/2021
Last updated: 2:04 AM 9/20/2021