Fighting in World War II required wide variety of war
materials including huge numbers of ships, tanks, aircraft, and weapons, in addition to
ordinary things like food, clothing, and medicines. To meet this requirements many
countries built many plants to manufacture war goods and turned old factories into war
plants. For example, the Rolls Royce car factory was used to produce aircraft engines.
United States hugely increased its output multifold. It produced
60,000 aircraft during 1942 and 86,000 in 1943, which was earlier believed to be
impossible to achieve. Major improvements were made in operations and management of
factories. This not increased production and reduced the production lead-time. For
example, time needed to build an aircraft was reduced from 36 months in 1941 to 15
months in 1945. In spite of frequent damage to its factories Britain also maintained
and even increased its output during World War II.
Sourcing
of material from nations such as Canada and Australia increased substantially. Similarly
Great Britain started sourcing industrial material from its colonies like India,
reversing their policy of discouraging industrial development of these
countries.
Because of the shortage of manpower created by
men fighting in the war, women joined the labour force and occupied many positions
previously held only by men. They worked in farming and many different industries
including shipyards and aircraft factories and filled many jobs previously held only by
men. Employment of women was particularly common as drivers, nurses, firewatchers, and
air raid wardens.
Also government in all countries
increased their control over Government controls over civilian life including factory
production, ensuring that maximum productive capacity was directed towards war efforts.
The shortages created for supplied of food and other item because of reduced non
military production was managed using different schemes of
rationing.
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