WARTIME ECONOMY Flashcards
WHEN did the German economy reach full mobilisation?
1942
WERE there shortages during the initial years of the war?
Yes, there were shortages of weapons and equipment, but there were few issues due to the successes of Blitzkrieg
WHEN did supply shortages start to be felt during the war?
1941, due to Operation Barbarossa (Russian campaign)
WHAT aspects of the German economy were unprepared for war in 1939?
- The Luftwaffe or the navy weren’t fully expanded yet
- Production was still more focused on research and development
- Firms weren’t set up for mass production of weapons
WHO was in charge of the economy in the initial years of the war?
Goering
HOW effective was Goering in charge of the economy at the start of the war?
Ineffective. He lacked the technical economic knowledge and had too poor relations with military/business leaders to provide centralised coordination of the economy
WHEN was Speer appointed Armaments Minister?
1942
HOW was production rationalised during the war under Speer?
- Central allocation of labour, equipment and material to armament factories
- Introduced standardised production
- Greater use of mass production techniques
- Shift working to keep factories open 24 hours
By HOW MUCH did German aircraft production increase 1941-1943?
It increased by 200%
HOW did Allied bombing impact production during the war?
- Damaged supply lines
- Factories had to be dispersed intermittently
- Weakened worker morale
HOW was the labour force used in the most efficient way during the war
- Non-essential workers were released for military service or moved to munitions industries
- Increased use of foreign labour
WHEN was full-scale conscription of labour into essential war work implemented?
1943
WHERE were foreign labourers conscripted from during the war?
- Occupied countries in Western and Eastern Europe
- Prisoners of war from the USSR from 1941
- Concentration camp inmates
HOW MANY foreign workers were working for Germany in 1944?
7 million were working in Germany and a further 7 million were working in occupied countries.
WHAT fraction of the German labour force was made up of foreign labour by 1944?
1/4