The Arsenal of Democracy : Aircraft Supply and the Evolution of the Anglo-American Alliance, 1938-1942

Aircraft were at the heart of British supply diplomacy with the United States in the Second World War and were at the forefront of the Roosevelt administration's policy of aiding the Anglo-French alliance against Germany. They were the largest item in British purchasing in the US in 1940, a key consideration in the Lend-Lease of 1941 and a major component of several wartime conferences between Churchill and Roosevelt. Through a series of case studies, Gavin J. Bailey reveals new details of how Britain used American aircraft and integrates this with broader British statecraft and strategy. He challenges conceptions that Britain was strategically reliant on the US and reveals a complicated, asymmetrical interdependency between the wartime allies. Relations between Britain and America constitute arguably the world's single most important bilateral relationship from the Second World War, through the Cold War and into the present. This series investigates from different perspectives and disciplines the numerous triumphs and travails of the Anglo-American relationship and engages the sometimes fierce and partisan debates about its 'special' character, its relative significance over time and portents for its future. A critical re-examination of the conduct and outcome of Anglo-American wartime aircraft supply diplomacy, From a position of marginal importance, American aircraft supply was propelled to the heart of the Allied wartime alliance as a result of the catastrophic events of 1940. Gavin J. Bailey's detailed re-appraisal reveals serious shortcomings with the conventional understanding of that alliance. He shows that British appeals for American aid were driven by a long-term diplomatic strategy disconnected from the immediate value of available aid. The contemporary sense of value associated with that aid was limited by quantitative and qualitative constraints which have not been fully recognised before. His study reveals a complex relationship of interdependency rather than of the dependency which has characterised our understanding up to now. Key Features, Examines key case studies including Spitfire and heavy bomber supply diplomacy, Deals with the objectives and outcomes of British supply diplomacy and how this was informed by the value of American aid, Surveys the employment of American aircraft in RAF service and how this influenced supply diplomacy Book jacket Title Page Imprint Contents Tables Acknowledgements Abbreviations and Glossary 1 The Anglo-American Relationship and the Need for Historical Reinterpretation 2 The Evolution of Transatlantic Aircraft Supply Diplomacy, 1938-40 3 The Diplomacy of Critical Dependency, 1940 4 Lend--Lease and the Politics of Supply, 1941 5 The Limits of Dependency: American Aircraft in Action, 1940-42 6 Heavy Bomber Supply Diplomacy, 1941-42 7 The Problem of Quality: the Fighter Supply Crisis of 1942 8 Collaboration and Interdependency Appendix Unpublished Sources Cited in Text Bibliography Index Reveals details of how Britain used American aircraft in the Second World War and integrates this with broader British statecraft and strategy. This title challenges conceptions that Britain was strategically reliant on the US and reveals a complicated, asymmetrical dependency between the wartime allies.