WW2: The Resource War - The Engines of War - Extra History - Part 3

📜 WW2's Resource War - Part 3 - Extra History
The armies of World War II needed a vast supply and variety of resources. The Allies had many of those resources on their side, but the Axis powers did not. Germany imported many of its resources from countries it would soon be fighting, and needed their war strategy to account for the acquisition of those resources. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact signed with the USSR set up a trade agreement to bring them oil from Russia for a while, in addition to establishing temporary non-aggression with the Soviets. When the war began in earnest, Germany targeted Norway with its supply of aluminum and iron as well as its access to the even more resource-rich Sweden. Conquering France also gave them access to rich farmland to feed the troops. But even though they had gained control of the oil fields in Romania, it wasn't enough to power their war machine. Many Nazi generals wanted to target North Africa for this, but Hitler had his sights set on the Soviet Union and wound up squandering much of Germany's reserves in a fruitless effort there. Meanwhile, Japan's entrance into the war had cost them their primary trading partner: the United States. The Japanese army wanted to pursue the Northern Expansion Doctrine (Hokushin-Ron) and push through China into Siberia, wounding the USSR in the process. They attempted this strategy, but the Soviets met them in Mongolia and pushed them back in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol. So they turned to the Southern Expansion Doctrine (Nanshin-Ron) advocated by the navy, and began to sweep up islands in the Pacific. They planned to strip the European colonial powers of their holdings, and they succeeded in capturing 90% of the world's rubber production. But the US responded by synthesizing rubber, and built an industry so large that even today, more rubber is synthesized than harvested. If World War I was the first industrial war, marked by mass production and industrial capacity, then World War II was the first scientific war, marked by advancements like synthesis, radar, and jet engines.

*Miss an episode in our Resource War Series?*

Artist: Scott DeWitt I Writer: James Portnow I Voice: Daniel Floyd I Editor: Carrie Floyd

#ExtraHistory #WW2 #History

[keimori]

I never thought I say this, but that oil guzzling German war machine is adorable!

[GabeSweetMan]

Fun Fact: My grandfather was one of the chemists involved in the creation of synthetic rubber in the US which eventually became the foundation of his lifelong career. His name was Robert Salisbury and he served in the US Navy, though the ship he was assigned to never left harbor (after all, he was far more useful in a lab than on a ship). After the war he continued to work for the government developing tanks and was responsible for replacing the old outdated rubber compounds with newer, wear resistant compounds, which helped vastly increase the amount of time a tank could remain operational before breaking down. During this time, my grandfather gained Top Secret security clearance and was actually not allowed to tell our family about any of this until his work was declassified sometime in the 1990's.

[Ularg]

Honestly I'd sit here and listen to WW2 history for years.

[DragoniteSpam]

We spent like a _month_ on World War II in 9th grade history class, and _none_ of this was mentioned. Why. * runs away waving fist at history department *

[Cometpluto]

Every time they say "Resouce War", I think one thing.


"War. War never changes."

[tkosuave]

This is one of the only YouTube channels that makes me actively search out more of their videos.

[ZetHololo]

At last someone talks about Khalkhin Gol! My grandad fought there. His entire tank batallion was destroyed, with only one tank survivng - my granddad's. he and his comrades ran without lights for the whole night in fear of the horrors of being a war prisoner for japaneese. they have prepaired loaded guns in case they were found - to end ther lives but not be captured. after a night of fear and escaping they stumbled upon allies. my granddad had his temples grey, and his two comrades (brothers, btw) were white like old men after that one night. it was 1939 and they were only 24 years old. My grandad entered Berlin and survived the war.

[extrahistory]

To understand the strategic decisions of WW2, you have to understand the struggle for resources that underpinned it.

[CynicalHistorian]

I've always wondered about Germany's seemingly foolish decision to invade Russia, especially given the pact, but have been too lazy to research it myself. This is a much better explanation than what I've previously heard.

[theminimanx]

I really enjoyed this series. Yeah, large battles make for really cool stories, but learning the cause and effect *behind* those battles is much more interesting to me. I'd love to see more series like this.

[roof]

those crafty germans and their "aloominum"

[Kohdok]

Take a drink every time you hear the word "Underpin" in this episode.

[Duke_of_Lorraine]

The Battle of Britain was won when the British borrowed the DeLorean to ask Walter White to synthetise amphetamines for their pilots.

[TunaBagels]

2:40

Possibly the most adorable depiction of 'The German War Machine' ever imagined.

[barleysixseventwo]

2:40: OH MY GOD ACTUAL ANIMATION KILL IT WITH FIRE!

[cpt_micky]

The resource war has been one of my favorite talks of your channel, and I think it's nice to take a step back from the typical grand stories.

[robertneal]

Synthetic rubber, Nylon and synthetic fuels and lubricants were all developed during World War 2 and such materials are common today.

[jamestown]

2:40 - Nice animation of the German War Machine drinking the oil. It put a smile on my face!

[SpcGrdnr]

This is by far my favorite type of history you guys do. This and the East India Company were amazing. The others are very informational to. They just seem to be the same thing. Dude wants more gets more and eventually gets pushed back. In the meantime millions of people die so that one dude could get something.

[Foxpawed]

Play pretty much any 4X game and you will quickly come to realize how essential and policy-shaping resources are. Ideally, you are 100% self-reliant with a full diversity of goods, without over-extending your territory.