Today, the attitude towards the Lend-Lease program is more than ambiguous. Many of us are inclined to believe that even without the help of its allies, the USSR would still have won in its theater of operations in World War II. The contemporaries of the war were of the same opinion, but they noted that without help, the fight would most likely take much longer.
1. Tanks, planes, cars
One of the most important items of supply was military equipment of all kinds. However, the share of American weapons relative to those produced in the USSR during the war years was relatively small. The greatest benefit was provided by the light vehicles and all-terrain vehicles supplied to the union, as well as trucks. They were delivered 51.5 and 374 thousand, respectively. The legendary Katyushas departed for almost the entire war in Studebakers.
2. Explosives
More than one third of the explosives used by the USSR during the war were supplied by America. During the 5 years of the war, the Union produced 558 thousand tons of explosives, while another 295.6 thousand tons were transferred under the Lend-Lease. Together with the explosives, the Allies handed over 903,000 detonators to the USSR.
3. Boots and other clothing
The United States also supplied footwear for Soviet soldiers. In total, more than 15.4 million pairs of army shoes came under Lend-Lease. In addition, leather, cotton, wool and ready-made American-made blankets were included in the union.
4. Car tires
Almost half of all tires used during the war years in the USSR were also supplied under Lend-Lease. The USSR produced 3.9 million tires, and America supplied about 3.6 million more tires of various types for cars.
5. Sugar and fat
Such important products as sugar and fat were supplied to the Soviet army under Lend-Lease. More than one third of the sugar eaten by the population of the Union during the war years was American. More than half of the animal fats were also supplied as support.
6. Canned food
Canned meat has become a powerful food aid for the soldiers of the Red Army. It is enough to give numbers here. During the 5 years of the war, the USSR produced 432.5 million cans of canned food. More than 2,077 million cans of canned meat were supplied from the United States under Lend-Lease. A. I. Mikoyan, who was responsible during the war for the work of the so-called seven allied people's commissariats, highly appreciated the food supplies of the Allies.
7. Metals
Almost half of the copper used, more than half of the aluminum used, two-thirds of the tin used, more than half of the cobalt used at Soviet industrial enterprises was mined not at all in the domestic subsoil, but supplied under Lend-Lease.
8. Locomotives and freight cars
The share of American locomotives and freight cars in the total railroad fleet of the USSR during the war years was very small. However, this item of supplies came in very handy after the tragic 1941, when a significant part of the trains "died" in the occupied territory of the country.
9. Firearms
Along with equipment under Lend-Lease, American small arms also fell into the USSR. True, there was very little of it, and it did not enjoy popularity among the soldiers and the command. The reasons for this were not at all ideological or aesthetic. The thing is that the supply of ammunition for this weapon was very modest, and in the USSR itself there were enough of its worthy samples.
10. Equipment
At first glance, a very inconspicuous, but at the same time a very important item of supplies is equipment for factories and buildings. We are talking here not only about machine tools, but also about repair equipment of all kinds, as well as about radio equipment.
It will be interesting to look at 10 types of small arms of Allied soldiers in World War II.