Overview

Wartime is costly. Whilst the human cost is a burden which remains part of our every waking thoughts for many years after the end of the conflict, the physical cost, at least in some cases, is easier to deal with. Some, if not most of the physical cost of war, is spent in the constant supply of materials including armaments and machines to the troops– wherever they happen to be fighting. Of course the Services have always needed supplies of uniforms, equipment and machines. However, the rate of expansion of the Services and the rate of consumption of armaments increases dramatically in wartime. Pre-war traditional manufacturers simply could not cope with the sudden increase in orders. The only solution was to fabricate what was needed, in the Second World War at least, in additional factories. Shadow Factories was the term used to describe the use of third party factories and equipment used to manufacture components or complete units which were then passed on to the Services. These units could be anything from tanks, parts of aircraft to small pumps or rifles. The list was almost endless. Clearly it would be impossible to walk into the nearest engineering shop and expect them to manufacture heavy components. The railway yards were used to dealing with heavy blocks of metals and so they were approached to help with heavier vehicles such as tanks. Similarly the motor manufacturers were asked to help out with producing trucks and jeeps, for example. Of course this need necessitated formal contracts, and as far as possible discretion so that the German bombers could not locate and destroy vital sources of supplies. In some cases, such was the level of secrecy that components for aircraft for example, were fabricated in a number of shadow factories and assembled in a different location. In that way the exact engineering drawings could be more easily controlled and a stray bomb would only destroy part of the plans and planes. Where relevant, examples are provided from across the United Kingdom and cover an extensive range of machines and vehicles. Some details will also be provided concerning armament shells, some of which were made in one site and filled in other facilities. The government departments were certainly kept busy keeping track of it all!

Full Product Details

9781910294468

Table of Contents

Reviews

A great insight into how wars are won or lost in the factories as well as the battlefield. * Aeroplane Magazine *

A great insight into how wars are won or lost in the factories as well as the battlefield. -- Denis Calvert Aeroplane Magazine

Author Information

David Rogers is a scientist by training, obtaining a doctorate in chemistry before working for a Fellow of the Royal Society for his post-doctorate. He went on to spend many years in British industry working for a multi-national company in both research and manufacturing departments inventing, developing or helping to manufacture a range of products. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, The Royal Photographic Society and of the British Institute of Professional Photography. He was a Visiting Professor in Business Psychology for three years and is now a Visiting Lecturer. He decided to transition to a career involving writing, consultancy and some teaching in 2004. Since that time, David has written or edited eight published books, mainly in the field of science/technology or wartime history. Married with two children, David has spent some of his spare time as a School Governor.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available