LEND-LEASE 71
GREECELIBERIAPOLANDROMANIAN O R W A YICELANDFRANCEUNITED
KINGDOMUSSR
UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
CENTRAL
AMERICAEGYPTIRANINDIAETHIOPIAIRAQSAUDI
ARABIATURKEYC A
N A D A
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A M E R I C A
A T
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A
NI N D I A N
O C E A N
P A C I
F IC
O C E A
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IAE U R O P E
A F R I C A
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I N
ASiberiaDUTCH EAST INDIESA R C T I C^ O C E A N
Panama CanalPetropavlovskNikolayevskVladivostokBeijingChongqingNovosibirskArchangelLeningradMurmanskMoscowStalingradLondonLiverpoolBaku Tashkent
Tabriz
AlgiersCairoDakarTakoradiRecifeGeorgetownMiamiNew YorkSeattle St. John’sAnchorageSan Francisco
Los AngelesLagosKhartoumRasht Bandar ShahBushehr
DinjanMelbourneAucklandPerthKunming
CalcuttaBombaySavannah BaltimoreJacksonvilleWilmingtonPanama
City
HoustonNew
OrleansBrunswickProvidence ParisMobileSouth
PortlandAntiguaSt. Lucia
TrinidadExumaJamaicaPortlandRichmondVancouverSausalito603201700Ascension
IslandSpitsbergen
(Nor)PACIFIC
OCEAN
To^USSRTo^ USSR
To^ AustraliaFromU
Fr SAomUSA
To AustraliaFromUSAFrom USAREVERSE LEND-LEASE 1941–1945
To offset some of the costs of Lend-Lease aid,
the Allied nations provided reciprocal aid to the
US totalling $8 billion, 90 percent of which came
from Britain and the Commonwealth. British-
made aircraft and patrol boats were key
contributions, while Australia fed America’s
troops in the Pacific, and India supplied aviation
fuel to US forces in Burma. The USSR provided
raw materials, such as chromium and manganese
ore, alongside payments in gold.4
British bases leased to the USTHE MOVE TO LEND-LEASE
SEPTEMBER 1940–MARCH 11, 1941
In September 1940, President Roosevelt
moved closer toward actively supporting the war
effort with the Destroyers for Bases Agreement.
The US gave Britain 50 destroyers in return for
99-year leases on six bases in British territory
in the western Atlantic. As British losses at sea
became critical and the country ran out of money,
Roosevelt introduced Lend-Lease on March 11,
1941, allowing Britain to order war matériel from
the American government with the promise of
payment after the war.1
Nov 24, 1941
Lend-Lease
extended to
de Gaulle’s
Free French
government.Apr 1941 Lend-Lease
extended to China.Aug 1941–Sep 1945
Supplies are unloaded
at Gulf ports in Iran
and Iraq to be
transported to the
USSR by rail.▷ Gearing up production
This advertisement urges American
industries to accelerate production in
order to defend liberty around the world.
Mass-produced aircraft, vehicles, and
vessels, such as Liberty Ships that could be
assembled in less than one week, were key
to Allied logistics and success in the war.KEEPING THE SOVIET UNION SUPPLIED
JUNE 1941–SEPTEMBER 1945
When Germany invaded the USSR in June 1941, Britain
began at once to supply the Soviets with tanks and
aircraft. Despite opposition from anti-Communist
factions, Roosevelt extended Lend-Lease to the USSR
in September. In total, the USSR received nearly
$11 billion in aid, including 500,000 trucks, 2,000
locomotives, and 14 million pairs of shoes.3
Summer convoy
route to USSRAlaskan highwayPersian corridorWinter convoy
route to USSRAlaskan aircraft
supply route to USSRTHE FLOW OF GOODS
MARCH 1941–SEPTEMBER 1945
When Lend-Lease was introduced in March 1941,
the US was on a peacetime footing and production
was modest. From September, some simple,
cheaply built Liberty Ships were being produced,
but when the US entered the war after the attack
on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 the US raised
production for Lend-Lease dramatically. Soon a
vast network of shipping, rail, and air routes was
distributing US aid around the world.2
Major sea
supply routesLiberty Ship shipyardsMajor aircraft
supply routesRailwaysMar–Dec 1941 The first
Lend-Lease shipments; Britain
receives consignments of
food and fuel.Jun 1941–Sep 1945 Around
23 percent of Lend-Lease aid
to the USSR is transported
by the shortest but most
dangerous route.US_070-071_lend_lease.indd 71 22/03/19 2:39 PM