Office of War Mobilization
Encyclopedia
The Office of War Mobilization (OWM) was an independent agency of the United States government headed by Former Supreme Court Justice James F. Byrnes
that coordinated all government agencies involved in the war effort during World War II
. This office took over from the earlier War Production Board
to shift the country from a peacetime to a wartime economy, sometimes loaning smaller factories the money needed to convert to war production. Soon outproducing the Axis powers
, U.S. manufacturers soon split their time between making consumer goods and war supplies. Unemployment, the scourge of ten years earlier, had all but vanished, as Americans went to work to fuel the war machine.
James F. Byrnes
James Francis Byrnes was an American statesman from the state of South Carolina. During his career, Byrnes served as a member of the House of Representatives , as a Senator , as Justice of the Supreme Court , as Secretary of State , and as the 104th Governor of South Carolina...
that coordinated all government agencies involved in the war effort during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. This office took over from the earlier War Production Board
War Production Board
The War Production Board was established as a government agency on January 16, 1942 by executive order of Franklin D. Roosevelt.The purpose of the board was to regulate the production and allocation of materials and fuel during World War II in the United States...
to shift the country from a peacetime to a wartime economy, sometimes loaning smaller factories the money needed to convert to war production. Soon outproducing the Axis powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
, U.S. manufacturers soon split their time between making consumer goods and war supplies. Unemployment, the scourge of ten years earlier, had all but vanished, as Americans went to work to fuel the war machine.
External links
- Mobilization in World War II brochure at the US Army Center of Military HistoryUS Army Center of Military HistoryThe United States Army Center of Military History is a Directorate within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. The Center is responsible for the appropriate use of history throughout the United States Army...
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