Automakers Make More than Cars:
The decade of the nineteen forties was one largely known for one thing: the Second World War. This was a time of unity for most if not all nations and industries. Nothing shows this more clearly than the collaboration between governments and automobile manufactures in the forties. Their collaboration will lead the continual rise of the automobile industry through the decade and play a large role in aiding the war effort.
The beginning of automobile history in the forties really starts on one date: December seventh nineteen forty one. This is the day that Japanese zero’s carried out an attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii. This event would have a profound impact on the industry until nineteen forty five when the war concluded. Near the beginning of the year in nineteen forty two, all of the major automobile makers had ceased production of vehicles for civilian use. All unsold vehicles and parts were rationed by the government as part of the war effort.(“1940s automobiles”) The …show more content…
The automobile industry experienced the effects of the war first by having their entire operations converted to full time military grade production. In order to do this, the big three automobile manufactures almost completely ceased production of their domestic automobiles for civilian use. Ford, Chevrolet and the Chrysler corporation each played a major roll in aiding the allied forces with necessary equipment to win the war. After the war, production was brought back into full swing. Although this was the case, design had changed very little due to an excess of prewar parts that had to be used. In fact, most Detroit automakers had no new designs until 1948 or 1949. ("No New Cars”) Although several years of their time were spent on aiding the war, these companies were eventually able to regain their foothold in the industry and continue to endure through similar hardships