how important was lend lease to the soviet union

The Lend-Lease Act was signed into law on March 11, 1941, and ended on September 20, 1945. But Was He Drugged Into Confessing. 31, enacted March 11, 1941),[1] was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, France, China, and other Allied nations with food, oil, and materiel between 1941 and 1945. On March 11, 1941, Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act. "During World War II, only the supplies brought in by Lend-Lease prevented the paralysis of rail transport in the Soviet Union." The Lend-Lease program also sent tons of factory equipment and machine tools to the Soviet Union, including more than 38,000 lathes and other metal-working tools. The American lend and lease system was introduced in the beginning of the war to support Great Britain in their struggle with Germany. Left to their own devices, Stalin and his commanders might have taken twelve to eighteen months longer to finish off the Wehrmacht; the ultimate result would probably have been the same, except that Soviet soldiers could have waded at France's Atlantic beaches. The Lend-Lease law was adopted by the U.S. Congress on March 11, 1941; according to it, all the supplied vehicles, arms, equipment and materials were not to be paid for should they be destroyed. Under Lend-Lease, the U.S. shipped more than $50 billion in supplies equivalent to more than $700 billion today. Crowley, Leo T. "Lend Lease" in Walter Yust, ed. The pact was terminated when Germany launched Operation Barbarossa against the Soviet Union. Nikolay Ryzhkov & Georgy Kumanev Food and other strategic deliveries to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease Act, 19411945, pp. Photo: Museum of the U.S. Air Force (Courtesy Photo). After this final payment, Britain's Economic Secretary to the Treasury formally issued thanks to the U.S. for its wartime support. This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 02:14. "In order to really assess the significance of Lend-Lease for the Soviet victory, you only have to imagine how the Soviet Union would have had to fight if there had been no Lend-Lease aid," Sokolov wrote. 28, 30, 31, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFHardesty1991 (, Soviet Supply Protocols. The aid was given for free on the basis that such help was essential for the defense of the United States. How much Soviet equipment was Lend-Lease? The Strange Alliance, The Story of Our Efforts at Wartime Co-operation with Russia. In terms of its relationship with the Soviet Union, lend-lease served as a powerful tool for demonstrating the benefits of the . Secret Cipher Telegram. Ordnance goods (ammunition, artillery shells, mines, assorted explosives) provided amounted to 53 percent of total domestic consumption. They Say He Burned Down the Reichstag. Given the disruption to Soviet production and Red Army losses, the Soviet Union was understandably eager to put British armor into action as soon as possible. After a series of dramatic Nazi successes during the opening stages of Hitlers invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, foreign observers predicted that Soviet resistance would soon collapse. It is an indication of the extent to which the British have been able to pool their resources with ours so that the needed weapon may be in the hands of that soldierwhatever may be his nationalitywho can at the proper moment use it most effectively to defeat our common enemies.[76]. This particular C-47 was sent to the Far North and spent the war conducting reconnaissance and weather-monitoring missions over the Kara Sea. 1. I will quote at length: Rather, Lend-Lease was designed to serve America's interest in defeating Nazi Germany without entering the war until the American military and public was prepared to fight. "Transatlantic Generosity: Canada's 'Billion Dollar Gift' to the United Kingdom in the Second World War.". However, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov both stated that Lend-Lease enabled the Soviet Union to defeat Germany on the Eastern Front. . But the Germans were doggedly held off in front of Moscow in late November and early December, and then rolled back by a reinvigorated Red Army in a staggeringly brutal winter counteroffensive. There were apparently only 263 LaGG-3s in the Soviet inventory by the time of the Moscow counteroffensive, and it was an aircraft with numerous defects. Roosevelt's Soviet Protocol Committee was dominated by Harry Hopkins and General John York, who were totally sympathetic to the provision of "unconditional aid". The United States used lend-lease to induce recipients to the American way of thinking, especially regarding the economy and free-market trade. Romanus, Charles F. and Riley Sunderland. A total of 22,800 armored vehicles were delivered to the Red Army during World War II, of which 1,981 were lost in dangerous Arctic convoys. In a November 1943 report to Congress, President Roosevelt said of Allied participation in reverse Lend-lease: the expenditures made by the British Commonwealth of Nations for reverse lend-lease aid furnished to the United States, and of the expansion of this program so as to include exports of materials and foodstuffs for the account of United States agencies from the United Kingdom and the British colonies, emphasizes the contribution which the British Commonwealth has made to the defense of the United States while taking its place on the battle fronts. The Viking Press. The Government of Mongolia donated its gold and hard currency reserves to the Soviet Union for four years in a row. Only 22% were unequivocally against the President's proposal. Thus, Stalin told Harry Hopkins [FDR's emissary to Moscow in July 1941] that the U.S.S.R. could not match Germany's might as an occupier of Europe and its resources.[35]. Reverse lend-lease policies comprised services such as rent on bases used by the U.S., and totaled $7.8billion; of this, $6.8billion came from the British and the Commonwealth, mostly Australia and India. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. A Soviet report by Politburo member Nikolai Voznesensky in 1948 asserted that the United States, described as "the head of the antidemocratic camp and the warrior of imperialist expansion around the world," contributed materiel during the war that amounted to just 4.8 percent of the Soviet Union's own wartime production. So the Soviets were charged 10 cents on the dollar of actual cost. After a decade of neutrality, Roosevelt knew that the change to Allied support must be gradual, given the support for isolationism in the country. 150 in July 1942, for example, was the critical factor in enabling the factory to reach projected capacity within two months. The Soviets have long insisted that Lend-Lease aid made little difference. [79], Congress had not authorized the gift of supplies delivered after the cutoff date, so the U.S. charged for them, usually at a 90% discount. This act set up a system that would allow the United States to lend or lease war supplies to any nation deemed "vital to the defense of the United States." . Lend-Lease aircraft deliveries were also of significance during the Battle of Moscow. Roosevelt's top foreign policy advisor Harry Hopkins had effective control over Lend-Lease, making sure it was in alignment with Roosevelt's foreign policy goals.[3]. "It was not just some piece of scrap metal. [6], After the Fall of France during June 1940, the British Commonwealth and Empire were the only forces engaged in war against Germany and Italy, until the Italian invasion of Greece. "It should be remembered that during World War I, the transportation crisis in Russia in 1916-17 that did a lot to facilitate the February Revolution [which lead to the abdication of the tsar] was caused by a shortage in the production of railway rails, engines, and freight cars because industrial production had been diverted to munitions," Sokolov wrote. The Lend-Lease Act was initially created to help Great Britain as they struggled in World War II. [35] Canada was not a direct recipient of Lend-Lease aid. Collection. When the House of Representatives finally took a roll call vote on February 9, 1941, the 260 to 165 vote was largely along party lines. The country's agriculture was in a difficult situation. The terms of the agreement provided that the materiel was to be used until returned or destroyed. And many of the supplies needed by our Air Force are procured for us without cost by reverse lend-lease. The body of the captain, Maksim Tyurikov, was found by local hunters about 120 kilometers from the wreck in 1953. By the end of the war, the United States had extended over $49 billion in Lend-Lease aid to nearly forty nations. How Much of What Goods Have We Sent to Which Allies? Roosevelt concluded that the United States needed to help the Soviets fight against the Germans. After the German assault on Russia in June 1941, the defenders got aid with this system through war material, food, fuel and other important raw materials. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act on March 11, 1941. "The Museum of the Allies and Lend-Lease is a unique, one-of-a-kind museum," said Borodin. The legislation is modeled off the World War II-era Lend-Lease Act that allowed the US to arm the Soviet Union, Britain, and other allies prior to its entry into the war. He stated bluntly that if the United States had not helped us, we would not have won the war. [75] Reciprocal contributions included the Austin K2/Y military ambulance, British aviation spark plugs used in B-17 Flying Fortresses,[75] Canadian-made Fairmile launches used in anti-submarine warfare, Mosquito photo-reconnaissance aircraft, and Indian petroleum products. It permitted him to "sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of, to any such government [whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States] any defense article." Extrapolating from available statistics, researchers estimate that British-supplied tanks made up 30 to 40 percent of the entire heavy and medium tank strength of Soviet forces before Moscow at the beginning of December 1941, and certainly made up a significant proportion of tanks available as reinforcements at this critical point in the fighting. When the war ended, almost 33 percent of all the Red Army's vehicles had been provided through Lend-Lease. The total amount that Canada agreed to pay under the new arrangement came to about $76,800,000, which was some $13,870,000 less than the United States had spent on the facilities. 19329 posts. The United States did not provide them to the USSR when requested. For travel to the United States on a temporary basis, including tourism, temporary employment, study and exchange. [38] With the outbreak of war these plants switched from civilian to military production and locomotive production ended virtually overnight. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. For the Australian company, see. In spring 1944, the House passed a bill to renew the Lend-Lease program by a vote of 334 to 21. The British Commonwealth and, to a lesser extent, the Soviet Union reciprocated with a smaller Reverse Lend-Lease program. Lend-Lease effectively ended the United States' pretense of neutrality which had been enshrined in the Neutrality Acts of the 1930s. [64], From October 1, 1941, to May 31, 1945, the United States delivered to the Soviet Union 427,284 trucks, 13,303 combat vehicles, 35,170 motorcycles, 2,328 ordnance service vehicles, 2,670,371 tons of petroleum products (gasoline and oil) or 57.8 percent of the aviation fuel including nearly 90 percent of high-octane fuel used,[35] 4,478,116 tons of foodstuffs (canned meats, sugar, flour, salt, etc. Democrats. Subscribe to our HistoryNet Now! From there, it flew 5,650 kilometers to the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, one of some 14,000 aircraft sent by the United States to the Soviet Union during World War II under the massive Lend-Lease program. This gold was salvaged in 1981 and 1986. aid from Britain can be argued to have had the most significant impact. On September 20, 1945, all Lend-Lease to the Soviet Union was terminated. "[17], Opposition to the Lend-Lease bill was strongest among isolationist Republicans in Congress, who feared the measure would be "the longest single step this nation has yet taken toward direct involvement in the war abroad". Within months, the Lend-Lease program was expanded to include China and the Soviet Union. [29] Payment was to be stretched out over 50 annual payments, starting in 1951 and with five years of deferred payments, at 2% interest. 3, S. 468. 1776, 55 Stat. I was recently able to examine Russian-language materials of the State Defense Committeethe Soviet equivalent of the British War Cabinetheld in the former Central Party Archive. That is the U.S. would be "repaid" when the recipient fought the common enemy and joined the world trade and diplomatic agencies, such as the United Nations.[51]. 151 Wing of the RAF, which operated briefly from Soviet airfields near Murmansk. This Douglas is the only Lend-Lease aircraft that remains in Russia.". Lend Lease came as a response to the Axis Powers' violence and showed that America was committed to defending their nation and its . As early as October 12, 1941, the Soviet 126th Fighter Air Regiment was operating with Tomahawks bought from the United States by Britain. But listen, one cannot deny that the Americans shipped over to us material without which we could not have equipped our armies held in reserve or been able to continue the war.[48]. initially requested by the Soviet Union from Britain was naval, in the. newsletter for the best of the past, delivered every Monday and Thursday. Churchill also granted the US base rights in Bermuda and Newfoundland for free; this act allowed their British garrison to be redeployed to more crucial theatres. Tens of thousands of agricultural machines, such as tractors and threshers, were destroyed or captured. Roosevelt approved $1billion in Lend-Lease aid to Britain at the end of October 1941. Totaling $11.3 billion, or $180 billion in today's currency, the Lend-Lease Act of the United States supplied needed goods to the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1945 in support of what Stalin described to Roosevelt as the "enormous and difficult fight against the common enemy bloodthirsty Hitlerism." Britain also supplied extensive material assistance to American forces stationed in Europe, for example the USAAF was supplied with hundreds of Spitfire Mk V and Mk VIII fighter aircraft. Part I. The cooperation that was built up with Canada during the war was an amalgam compounded of diverse elements of which the air and land routes to Alaska, the Canol project, and the CRYSTAL and CRIMSON activities were the most costly in point of effort and funds expended. 1415 FDR Library", "Anglo-American Mutual Aid Agreement, February 28, 1942", "The Hyde Park Declaration 1941: Origins and Significance", "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted", "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit", "America Reports On Aid To Allies etc. Stettinius. [76] Australia and New Zealand supplied the bulk of foodstuffs to United States forces in the South Pacific. Saudi Arabia-Top 10 most important events in the History. This was the first big war in which whole formations were routinely motorized; soldiers were supported with large numbers of all kinds of vehicles. [24], A total of $50.1billion (equivalent to $606billion in 2021)[26] was involved, or 17% of the total war expenditures of the U.S.[2] Most, $31.4billion ($380billion) went to Britain and its empire. While in April 1944 Congress were briefed by the Foreign Economic Administrator, Leo T Crowley; Just as the RAF's operations against Germany and the invasion coasts would not have been possible on their present scale without lend-lease so the United States Eighth and Ninth air forces daylight missions from Britain would not have been possible without reverse lend-lease. "In a hypothetical battle one-on-one between the U.S.S.R and Germany, without the help of Lend-Lease and without the diversion of significant forces of the Luftwaffe and the German Navy and the diversion of more than one-quarter of its land forces in the fight against Britain and the United States, Stalin could hardly have beaten Hitler," Sokolov wrote in an essay for RFE/RL's Russian Service. At a time when Soviet industry was in disarraymany of their industrial plants were destroyed or captured by the advancing Nazi troops or in the process of evacuation eastbattlefield losses of specific equipment approached or even exceeded the rate at which Soviet domestic production could replace them during this crucial period. The 1930s began with one of the world's greatest economic depressionswhich had started in the United Statesand the later recession of 193738 (although minor relative to the Great Depression) was otherwise also one of the worst of the 20th century. I recently heard someone claim that the Soviet Union would have been unable to survive Operation Barbarossa and subsequent German offensives without the vast amount of supplies they received from the Allies under the Lend-Lease program. The exploits of the British-equipped 136th Independent Tank Battalion are perhaps the most widely noted in the archives. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. But the Soviet Union was never alone: Months before the United States formally entered the war, it had already begun providing massive military and economic assistance to its Soviet ally through the Lend-Lease program. But it cannot be denied that the Americans sent us materiel without which we could not have formed our reserves or continued the war. The British Military Mission to Moscow noted that by December 9, about ninety British tanks had already been in action with Soviet forces. Regardless of Soviet cold-war attempts to forget (or at least diminish) the importance of Lend-lease, the total impact of the Lend-Lease shipment for the Soviet war effort and entire national economy can only be characterized as both dramatic and of decisive importance. American deliveries to the Soviet Union can be divided into the following phases: Delivery was via the Arctic Convoys, the Persian Corridor, and the Pacific Route. The captain, two crew members, and six passengers had left earlier in an ill-fated effort to get help. Just 446 locomotives were produced during the war,[39] with only 92 of those being built between 1942 and 1945. the president asked at a press conference. This followed the 1940 Destroyers for Bases Agreement, whereby 50 US Navy destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy in exchange for basing rights in the Caribbean. The handing over of forty imported machine tools to Aviation Factory No. In May 1942, HMSEdinburgh was sunk while carrying 4.5 tonnes of Soviet gold intended for the U.S. Treasury. ): Deutschland im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Much of the American fuel was added to lower-grade Soviet fuel to produce the high-octane fuel needed by modern military aircraft. By the end of 1941, the lend-lease policy. Lend-Lease was the most visible sign of wartime cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union. By the end of 1942, the Nazi advance into the Soviet Union had stalled; it was finally reversed at the epic battle of Stalingrad in 1943. In particular, it shows that British Lend-Lease assistance to the Soviet Union in late 1941 and early 1942 played a far more significant part in the defense of Moscow and the revival of Soviet fortunes in late 1941 than has been acknowledged. U.S. Citizens with emergencies, please call +(7) (495) 728-5577, Outside of Office Hours, contact: +7 (495) 728-5000. At the end of 1941 there were greater numbers of the MiG-3, but the plane was considered difficult to fly. by Robert Beckhusen Key point: If the West had not invaded Europe and provided equipment, it would have. [35] One item typical of many was a tire plant that was lifted bodily from the Ford Company's River Rouge Plant and transferred to the USSR. American contributions of the time were far fewer. Democrats voted 238 to 25 in favor and Republicans 24 in favor and 135 against. The Soviet air force received 18,200 aircraft, which amounted to about 30 percent of Soviet wartime fighter and bomber production (mid 194145). As one Roosevelt biographer has characterized it: "If there was no practical alternative, there was certainly no moral one either. Newly discovered files tell another story. When poll participants were asked their party affiliation, the poll revealed a political divide: 69% of Democrats were unequivocally in favor of Lend-Lease, whereas only 38% of Republicans favored the bill without qualification. In Walter Yust, ed., "17 Billion Budget Drafted; Defense Takes 10 Billions. In addition, the Lend-Lease program propped up the Soviet railway system, which played a fundamental role in moving and supplying troops. I don't want $15I want my garden hose back after the fire is over.

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