Subject: (urth) Re:tangent: resources tied up by Final Solution [Digest urth.v030.n167]

From: John Bishop <jbishop at zko.dec.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2001 15:51:44 +0000

I've seen some figures for "war materiel" produced
per year by the major actors in World War II.

Here's the quotes (from rec.arts.sf.written, by
aspqrz at sydney.DIALix.oz.au (Phillip McGregor),
9 Nov 1995):

<quote>
Approx Spending on Armaments (1994 US$, Billions)

                    1939    1940    1941    1942    1943    1944

US                  5.4     13.5    40.5    180     342     379
UK                  9       31.5    58.5    81      99      100
Canada              0       0       4.5     9       13.5    13.5
USSR                30      45      76      104     125     144

Germany             31      54      54      77      124     153
Japan               4.5     9       18      27      42      54
<end quote>

The two enconomies weren't comparable--the US was capable
of outproducing Germany by two or three to one.  The Axis'
only hope was to win a quick war and reach a settlement
_before_ the US got its act in gear.

So 10% or 50% extra production in Germany wouldn't have
made more of a difference than a slight rescheduling of
Germany's defeat--though if it's postponed more than a
month or so, the A-bomb would be ready to be used on
Germany, so the defeat can't be prolonged much past August
(Hiroshima drop was August 6, 1945 if I've got it right).

Either way they lose in the summer of 1945.

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