EconTalk How Did America Build the Arsenal of Democracy? (with Brian Potter)
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Sep 15, 2025 
Brian Potter, a structural engineer and writer at the Institute for Progress, dives into America's aircraft production during WWII. He shares how the U.S. became a manufacturing powerhouse, producing B-24 bombers in under an hour. Potter discusses the challenges of ramping up production, the balance of precision and improvisation, and the critical role of women in factories. He reflects on lessons from this era for today’s supply chain debates and defense readiness, highlighting the importance of preparation and proactive decision-making for future mobilization efforts.
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Scale Of U.S. Aircraft Mobilization
- The U.S. built roughly 325,000 aircraft in WWII, far outpacing the Axis and exceeding all commercial aviation output historically.
- That scale-up required turning a tiny prewar industry into an unprecedented wartime manufacturing machine.
Mobilization Was Phased, Not Instant
- Mobilization wasn't a simple 'flip-the-switch' event; it happened in phases starting with large British and French orders in the late 1930s.
- Early foreign orders and Roosevelt's later targets were crucial to jump-starting U.S. production capacity.
Why The Government Built Giant Plants
- The government built vast government-owned, contractor-operated factories because private firms couldn't justify peacetime use for huge, specialized plants.
- Massive new assembly-line facilities were financed by government to meet wartime volume and method changes.