Industrial Prod. → key factor in WWII.
To ensure prod. kept up with high demand → Soviets → enacted Harsh measures
- Adults in USSR (male and female) → got no food → unless → contributed to war effort.
- note: half workforce was female
- Forced labour used
- Secret police kept close control of population.
Extraordinary results:
- USSR produced small range but reliable weapons → huge quantities
- Equalled + surpassed German war prod. → 1942
- 1943 → tanks + aircraft as Germans
- Germans → captured much of USSR → agricultural + industrial capacity
- Shifted major industries to unaffected areas
- forced 25M workers → migrate east → which would contribute to increased war prod. in USSR.
- Shifted major industries to unaffected areas
USSR allies → imp. contributions to campaign:
- Br. US →supplied → vast amounts of food, raw materials, industrial equipment → via shipping routes → despite German U-boat threat from
US gave USSR:
- 500 000 motor vehicles
- 1900 locomotives
- supply of rubber tires and copper
With Aid → Soviets had advantage
- Shown in battle of Kursk → July 1943.
- Soviets had tanks as Germans, and more aircrafts, more artillery, other weapons (e.g. rocket launchers)
Kursk onwards → Soviets → continued to advance → till they reached Berlin → May 1945