Australian Munitions Production June 1942

This new stand alone release based on the legendary War in the Pacific from 2 by 3 Games adds significant improvements and changes to enhance game play, improve realism, and increase historical accuracy. With dozens of new features, new art, and engine improvements, War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition brings you the most realistic and immersive WWII Pacific Theater wargame ever!

Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition

Post Reply
jrcar
Posts: 2301
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2002 3:16 pm
Location: Seymour, Australia

Australian Munitions Production June 1942

Post by jrcar »

Just came across the following in "Armed and Ready, The Industrial Development and Defence of Australia 1900-1945" by A.T. Ross.

Numbers are in stock in Australia (but I think they include those issued to the Militia... the document is unclear). It is from a report from the Army to the War Cabinet.

Rifles (many would be WW1 stock) 400,977, production 10,000 month
LMG (Bren/Lewis) 7,563, production 385 Bren/Month
MMG (Vickers) 2,968, production 300/month
0.303 Ammo 41,039,000, Production 45,509,000 (seams high...)
SMG Ammo 20,000000, production 66,000 month
2 Pdr AT Guns 788, production 43 month
2 Pdr AT ammo 654,943, production 58,000 month
25 pdr guns 760, production 64 month
25 pdr ammo 1,263,461, production 150,000 month
18 pdr guns 262, no production
4.5" Howitzer 77, no production
3" Mortar 1,330, production 354 month
3" ammo 774,041, production 112,650 month
2" mortar 142, no production (orders issued Dec 1941)
2" ammo 225,645, no production (orders issued Dec 1941)
AT mines 194,195, production 5,931 month
Hand grenades 949,846, production 137,952 month
Rifle grenade 720,000, production 60,000 month
Armoured Carrier ("Bren Gun Carrier) 2612, production 175 month.
Armoured recce vehicle (?) 350, 130 month.


Cheers

Rob
AE BETA Breaker
Andy Mac
Posts: 12573
Joined: Wed May 12, 2004 8:08 pm
Location: Alexandria, Scotland

RE: Australian Munitions Production June 1942

Post by Andy Mac »


25 pdr guns 760, production 64 month

I thought my 18 a month looked light even including training crews

Armoured recce vehicle (?) 350, 130 month.

Probably AC1VP or Beaverettes
jrcar
Posts: 2301
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2002 3:16 pm
Location: Seymour, Australia

RE: Australian Munitions Production June 1942

Post by jrcar »

Actually Andy I was more impressed with the Vickers numbers! We are very short of them in our game :)

But I suspect a bit of "smoke and mirrors", or possibly a misunderstanding by the Auther of the book, as he was looking at "Equipping 8 AIF divisions to counter a Japanese invasion" whereas I think a lot of this equipment is in the Militia divisions already... all the Army report is is totals on hand, including those issued, so it is hard to tell what is actually spare...

BUT a comment about the 18 pder and 4.5 Howitzer indicates they are in storage, not on issue, indicating that by June the equipment is suficient to meet the demand (training crews is the main bottle neck I suspect).

In another area it talks about the readiness of units. Almost all units in Australia (Militia) are at Bn level capability and about 25% are at "Formation" capability (I.e. capable as fighting as part of a Brigade, and having a trained and functioning bde HQ).

Cheers

Rob
AE BETA Breaker
Andy Mac
Posts: 12573
Joined: Wed May 12, 2004 8:08 pm
Location: Alexandria, Scotland

RE: Australian Munitions Production June 1942

Post by Andy Mac »

Ya there a few inconsistencies like that I will fix if we ever do another data patch (unlikely)
jrcar
Posts: 2301
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2002 3:16 pm
Location: Seymour, Australia

RE: Australian Munitions Production June 1942

Post by jrcar »

Reading the book further has the following interesting in formation:

By 1939 Australia had a significant capability to produce small arms, small arms ammunition (Rifles, Brens, Vickers), Mortars and ammunition, 18 pdr ammunition and began tooling for 25pdr production and ammunition, Naval gun ammo to 8". About 50% of machine tools were made in Australia, and 50% imported, with the later number droping.

Early 1940 Australia begins supplying munitions to the Indian Army (who lacked production capabilities?) and to British forces in the SEASIA/Middle east.

By Dec 1941 Austraia had 7 Small Arms Ammunition Factories, 10 Small Arms Factories, 6 Explosive making factories, 5 cartridge case factories, 2 ordonance factories.

In March 1940 they had the capacity to make (but NOT the orders):
400 3.7" AA guns a year
121 40mm Bofors a year
840 Field guns (25 pdr)
1900 AT guns (2 pdr)
24 Naval guns (4-6" by the looks of it)
2000 Mortars
6000 Bren
2500 Vickers
200,000 Rifles
50,000 pistols

10,500,000 "Gun ammo" all natures.
1,950,000 Mortar ammo
240,000 aircraft bombs
730,000,000 small arms ammo.

2,000 carriers
1,000 light tanks

10,000 depth charges
3,000 Naval mines
260,000 AT mines
1,000,000 grenades


In Feb 1942 torpedoes where added to the list at 520 a year.

Note that above is production CAPACITY not what was used. There were limits mainly due to funding of orders, and tradespeople.

Some interesting "cost of production" Jun 1942 Pounds:
Carrier, MG LP2.....1500
2 pdr at gun........1750
3.7 AA..............6000
25 pdr..............4500
Vickers MMG.........109
Bren................150
Rifle...............13
1000 rounds303 ammo.9.9
Bomb 250lb anti sub.24
3.7 shell fille.....7.5
25pdr shell filled..3.9
4.5" shell filled...4.7
4" shell filled.....10
6" shell filled.....27

Australian manufactured items were cheaper than UK for small arms and SA ammo but more expensive for AA/arty/Naval shells (largely due to the lack of orders and therefore inability to effectively mass produce).

Actual production figures for period Jun 1940 til March 1942 then Jun 1940-June 1942 (I.e. the second figure INCLUDES the first figure)

25pdr Field Gun...267.......459
25pdr HE..........238,448...608,942
3.7 AA Gun........216.......264
3.7 ammo..........110,439...178975
3" mortar.........1261......1541
3"ammo............514,426....810,389
No Bofors produced until Dec 1942
Vickers...........4,411......5,213
Bren..............2,047......3,267
SMG...............280........1,909
Carriers..........2,264......2,830
Scout Car.........8..........70

Navy Stuff
Mines.............3,105......4,689
depth charges.....10,496.....11,896
4" ammo...........34,808.....39,720

Air
20lb frag.........6514.......24,072
100lb asw.........7,883......7,883 (production run completed a few months prior)
250lb ASW.........3,364......3,364 (production run completed a few months prior)
250lb GP..........22,613.....29,243
250lb SAP.........299........467 (production really ramped up in the next 6 months)



In general the production capacity in Australia far outstripped the requirements of the Armed services. That more wasn't produced earlier was due to the services not recognising their requirements and placing orders early enough. Earlier the Treasury also slowed production by around 3 months as orders had to go from the armed services to them to vet... this was stopped when war broke out. Finally Australia was suffering financial problems, and until war was declared was hesitant to order more (even though Defence spending in 1939 was already multiple times higher than earlier years). Even orders to Britain were slow, but not due to a lack of manufacturing capacity.

A strategic deceision had been made as early as the 1920's that Japan was a threat, that their was a chance Australia would be isolated and that she needed her own capability. In the 30's the opportunity was identified that as war looked more likely Austtralia might be able to supply the Commonwelath forces, the way Canada had in WW1. Hence the knowledge, skills, tools, and capacity was created.

Cheers

Rob





AE BETA Breaker
Alfred
Posts: 6683
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 7:56 am

RE: Australian Munitions Production June 1942

Post by Alfred »

jrcar,

Love logistical info, and am embarrased to admit I'm not as au fait with the Australian scene as I should be. So, if you don't mind, a few questions/suggestions?

(1) The source material (the Ross book) - is it in print and able to be bought, or in a library etc. It seems to be an interesting read.

(2) You mentioned Australian production for Indian/British orders. Were these exports specifically sent to Singapore. IIRC the British at the Imperial conference of 1938, had been keen to get Australia to take responsibility for garrisoning and "commanding" Singapore, thereby relieving British forces for use in the Mediterranean. Integrating Australian production more closely to the needs of Singapore would have been one back door way (after the Dominions had not fully adopted the British Imperial Conference iniatives) of more closely tying Australia to the "Singapore strategy".

(3) What was the ownership structure. Were all the small arms production facilities the Commonwealth Small Arms establishments? How much production came from local subsidiaries of British firms (eg Vickers etc).

(4) You mentioned price differentials between Australian and British production. Were the local subsidiaries of British firms producing/selling at a cheaper price than back home in Britain, or was it only the Commonwealth owned factories which produced at a lower unit cost/sale price?

(5) The sine qua non for armament production is steel production from BHP. How much was expansion of pre Pearl Harbor armament production constrained by local steel production? In keeping with the export of armaments to Indian/British, was there surplus BHP steel available for export etc?

Interesting stuff. Even if Hindenburg isn't interested, keep the information flowing, Herr Ludendorf.

Alfred
jrcar
Posts: 2301
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2002 3:16 pm
Location: Seymour, Australia

RE: Australian Munitions Production June 1942

Post by jrcar »

Comments below
ORIGINAL: Alfred

jrcar,

Love logistical info, and am embarrased to admit I'm not as au fait with the Australian scene as I should be. So, if you don't mind, a few questions/suggestions?

(1) The source material (the Ross book) - is it in print and able to be bought, or in a library etc. It seems to be an interesting read.

I bought it at the War Memorial about 5-6 years ago... ISBN 0 908031 63 7. It is part of the Austrlia's Rembers of 1995... not sure when it was printed.
(2) You mentioned Australian production for Indian/British orders. Were these exports specifically sent to Singapore. IIRC the British at the Imperial conference of 1938, had been keen to get Australia to take responsibility for garrisoning and "commanding" Singapore, thereby relieving British forces for use in the Mediterranean. Integrating Australian production more closely to the needs of Singapore would have been one back door way (after the Dominions had not fully adopted the British Imperial Conference iniatives) of more closely tying Australia to the "Singapore strategy".

There are references but no direct identification, apart from "India" and British forces in SE Asia... so yes. In another book I read that Australia supplied about 100,000 rifles and ammunition to the Dutch, plus other war supplies.
(3) What was the ownership structure. Were all the small arms production facilities the Commonwealth Small Arms establishments? How much production came from local subsidiaries of British firms (eg Vickers etc).

All were run by the Munitions board, most of the small arms manufacture was done in Government factories, as they were the only ones with the skills. But some piece work was done in Annexes to large companies (around 280 were eventually setup). For example Bren gun carriers were built in Annexes of the SA, VIC and NSW railways.
(4) You mentioned price differentials between Australian and British production. Were the local subsidiaries of British firms producing/selling at a cheaper price than back home in Britain, or was it only the Commonwealth owned factories which produced at a lower unit cost/sale price?

The latter, the Commonwealth cost of production, and what they could sell things for (either back to the Australian Armed forces, or anyone else).
(5) The sine qua non for armament production is steel production from BHP. How much was expansion of pre Pearl Harbor armament production constrained by local steel production? In keeping with the export of armaments to Indian/British, was there surplus BHP steel available for export etc?

Steel was a critical commodity, but prior to the war Australia had started exporting steel. But one reason for opening steelworks in SA was to supply the various munitions factories that were established there. So I don't think it was a limitation, the quality and quantify was available, in reality the orders were small compared to potential production, and could have easily been increased if the demand/money was there.

Interesting stuff. Even if Hindenburg isn't interested, keep the information flowing, Herr Ludendorf.

Alfred


LOL

Cheers
Rob
AE BETA Breaker
Post Reply

Return to “War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition”