U.S. Military Production During World War II: Tanks, Aircraft, and Ships

All figures on the American defense industry (1939–1945). Detailed statistics on the production of tanks (Sherman), aircraft, ships, and raw materials.

M3 Lee tanks under construction in the huge new tank factory of the Detroit Arsenal.

Table of Contents

U.S. arms production in WW2

During World War 2, the United States underwent a massive industrial mobilization to produce armaments and supplies for itself and its allies. This effort was often referred to as the “Arsenal of Democracy.”

Overview

Scale: The US produced enormous quantities of military equipment, including:
– 300,000 aircraft
– 124,000 ships
– 41 billion rounds of ammunition
– 100,000 tanks
– 2.4 million military trucks

Production of B-24 Liberator bombers in an US aircraft plant.

Conversion of civilian industries: Many civilian factories were converted to produce military goods. For example, automobile manufacturers switched to producing tanks, aircraft engines, and other military vehicles.

New facilities: The government invested in building new production facilities, such as shipyards and aircraft factories.

Scientific advancements: The war spurred technological innovations, including radar, jet engines, and nuclear weapons.

Lend-Lease program: The US supplied vast amounts of equipment to its allies, particularly the UK and Soviet Union, through the Lend-Lease program.

Women in the workforce: With many men serving in the military, women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers to support production efforts.

Standardization: The US focused on mass-producing standardized designs to increase efficiency and output.

Key products:
– Aircraft: B-17 and B-24 bombers, P-51 Mustang fighters
– Ships: Liberty ships, aircraft carriers, destroyers
– Tanks: M4 Sherman
– Vehicles: Jeeps, trucks, half-tracks

Economic impact: The massive production effort helped end the Great Depression and positioned the US as the world’s leading economic power after the war.

Coordination: The War Production Board was established to coordinate the conversion of civilian industries to military production and allocate resources.

This unprecedented industrial mobilization played a crucial role in the Allied victory in World War 2, cementing the United States’ position as a global superpower.

tanks prepared for invasion — Unmissable masses of American tanks and other equipment are provided in Britain for the invasion.

U.S. arms production by weapon types

Following are tables of the annual U.S. arms production (excluding ammunition) and a comparison of the necessary strategic raw materials.

Annual U.S. production figures of the main arms and military equipment (without ammunition) during WW2 from 1939-1945:

Armaments:

Type of Weapon	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	TOTAL
Tanks and Self-propelled guns	-	331	4,052	24,997	29,497	17,565	11,968	88,410
Artillery (including anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns)	257,390 (1939-45)	?	?	?	?	?	?	257,390
Mortars	105,054 (1939-45)	?	?	?	?	?	?	105,054
Machine-guns (without sub-machine guns)	2,679,840 (1939-45)	?	?	?	?	?	?	2,679,840
Infantry rifles	c.11,750,000 (1939-45)	?	?	?	?	?	?	c.11,750,000
Sub-machine guns	c.1,956,000 (1939-45)	?	?	?	?	?	?	c.1,956,000
Military trucks and Lorries	32,604 (1939-40)	?	183,614	619,735	621,502	596,963	327,893	2,382,311
Fighter planes	?	1,162	4,416	10,769	23,988	38,873	20,742	99,950
Light and medium bombers	?	623 (incl. heavy)	4,115 (incl. heavy)	10,012	19,740	18,672	9,282	maximum 62,444
Four-engined bombers	?	? (in light and medium)	? (in light and medium)	2,615	9,615	16,331	6,805	minimum 35,366
Reconnaissance planes	?	63	727	1,468	734	259	667	3,918
Transport planes	?	164	532	1,984	7,012	9,834	4,403	23,929
Trainers and miscellaneous military types	?	1,794	9,373	17,631	19,939	7,577	1,309	57,623
Aircraft carriers (all types)	-	-	-	18	65	45	13	141
Battleships	-	-	-	4	2	2	-	8
Cruisers	-	-	1	8	11	14	14	48
Destroyers	-	-	2	82	128	74	63	349
Escorts (Corvettes, Frigates)	-	-	-	-	298	194	6	498
Submarines	-	-	2	34	55	81	31	203
Merchant shipping tonnage	376,419	528,697	1,031,974	5,479,766	11,448,360	9,288,156	5,839,858	33,993,230

Raw material production for the military weapon production above:

Annual strategic raw material production (m. metric tons):

Year	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945
Coal	?	?	?	528.5	535.3	562.0	523.9
Ore	?	?	?	107.6	103.1	96.0	90.2
Steel	?	?	?	80.6	82.2	85.1	86.6
Aluminium (in 1,000 metric tons - especially important for aircraft production)	?	?	?	751.9	1,251.7	1,092.9	1,026.7

References and literature

World War II – A Statistical Survey (John Ellis)
Chronology of World War II (Christopher Argyle)

U.S. Military Production During World War II: Tanks, Aircraft, and Ships