German vs. USA factories

[Admiral Beez]

Fighter factory....

Bomber factory...

With this level of industrial disparity, how the heck did the Germans think declaring war on the USA was going to work out well for them?

 

[fastmongrel]

Germany suffered from a huge dose of hubris and didn't really care about sweating the small stuff like production or logistics.

 

[jmcalli2]

Fighter factory....

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Bomber factory...

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With this level of industrial disparity, how the heck did the Germans think declaring war on the USA was going to work out well for them?

About the same logic as invading the USSR less than a year after losing the Battle of Britain.

 

[BobB]

Someone who was interested in hand forming of aluminum mentioned that he had a photo of parts being formed on an English wheel at the Heinkel factory. He contrasted that with American factories' "cookie cutter" production.

 

[xylstra]

Fighter factory....

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Bomber factory...

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With this level of industrial disparity, how the heck did the Germans think declaring war on the USA was going to work out well for them?

You are confused: War production changed, you're not comparing apples with apples. Things were different prior to USA entering the fray.

 

[pbehn]

The Germans weren't asked, and even the people in charged seemed blissfully unaware that both the UK and Russia were outproducing them in aircraft.

 

[jmcalli2]

You are confused: War production changed, you're not comparing apples with apples. Things were different prior to USA entering the fray.

"In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory upon victory. But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success."

Admiral Yamamoto

 

[yosimitesam]

Hitler was well aware of Germany's weaknesses in raw materials and industrial structure and knew full well that Germany could not win a long war. That's why, in 1939-1941, he was always "in a hurry" and goaded the OKH to attack before they thought they were ready. (Hitler planned to attack France in the winter in 1939 and the Wehrmacht had instituted the plans to do so, even though they thought it way too soon.) Hitler knew that France and Britain were rearming rapidly and Germany must strike before their greater industrial potential would make a victory against them unlikely. The same held true for Soviet Russia, which was also reorganizing and improving its massive army. Hitler believed that the "quality" of the German armed forces would overcome the industrial advantages of the allies and Russia, provided they struck quickly before either could realize their full military potential. It's a similar strategy to what the Japanese believed in, counting on the size and distances in the Pacific area. Once the initial "knock-out" blow failed against the Soviet Union, Hitler knew the end was probably inevitable and believed the only hope of survival was "no retreat, regardless of cost."

 

[Jimbob]

North American Factory Photos.

 

[jmcalli2]

Some I had printed off of the internet around 2005 and framed to hang in my office.
The A-20 being pulled out is a great shot.

 

[bdefen]

The 2014 book "Arsenal of Democracy" by A.J. Blaine is a great read. Tells the story of the Ford Motor Company's effort to apply automobile assembly-line production to build the B-24 at a giant facility known as Willow Run. By VE Day, the plant had produced 8,685 aircraft.

 

[Peter Gunn]

You are confused: War production changed, you're not comparing apples with apples. Things were different prior to USA entering the fray.

Huh? I'm not sure I follow what you're trying to say.

 

[The silver dragon]

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I like the fact that theres just this guy in the corner on his bike.

 

[Graeme]

Ford Motor Company's effort to apply automobile assembly-line production to build the B-24 at a giant facility known as Willow Run.

But it had a slow troubled start.

"By August 1942 it...

 

[bdefen]

Yes, and the book describes some rather "interesting" personalities, either troubled, or a odds with each other.

 

[pbehn]

You can apply some parts of mass production of cars to production of aircraft but not all. 18,000 is a huge number of 4 engine bombers, it isn't a huge number of cars especially since it was built at 5 locations. The basic design was good but then the client wants all sorts of changes to meet different demands, this is what mass production hates. With cars like the Model T Ford you make cars and people buy them or they don't, high performance or specialist cars where the client specifies everything are still made today but they aren't mass produced nor are they cheap.

 

[xylstra]

Huh? I'm not sure I follow what you're trying to say.

Clear enough. Showing a couple of photos doesn't convey anything useful. They don't reveal dispersal of production, material shortages, labour shortages, etc, etc. None of these things were foreseen at the commencement of hostilities where things were completely different. Try writing a history thesis on the basis of two photographs and see if you get your PhD - good luck!!

 

[pbehn]

You are confused: War production changed, you're not comparing apples with apples. Things were different prior to USA entering the fray.

You are confused, prior to the USA entering the fray, the direction of the war air war was settled, only the date had to be decided. Germany didn't start out producing the UK in single engine fighters until 1943 by which time it was producing almost nothing else.

 

[xylstra]

You are confused, prior to the USA entering the fray, the direction of the war air war was settled, only the date had to be decided. Germany didn't start out producing the UK in single engine fighters until 1943 by which time it was producing almost nothing else.

You bet I'm confused. How about repeating your post in grammatically correct English as it is non-sensical. Germany attempted to maintain bomber productioin until the last. What do you think the stoush between Milch and Kamhuber over the HE 219 was all about?

 

[pbehn]

You bet I'm confused. How about repeating your post in grammatically correct English as it is non-sensical. Germany attempted to maintain bomber productioin until the last. What do you think the stoush between Milch and Kamhuber over the HE 219 was all about?

The German bomber force was at its peak before the invasion of France and Belgium in 1940, the key word in your post is "attempted" it was a poor attempt. The He 219 was a night fighter less than 300 made. The Do 17 ceased to be a bomber in 1941, the He 111 ceased to be a bomber in 1943, production of the multi role Ju 88 was approximately equal to UK and Commonwealth 4 engine bombers. Then there were the two engine bombers Hampden, Wellington, Blenheim, Whitley, Mosquito and others.