Another Lend-Lease. Foreword
How many copies were broken around this term, and even more around the essence. Yes, Lend-Lease in World War II was a very controversial event in our stories. To this day, disputes do not subside, I am sure that it will be hot in the comments.
Usually two opinions are promoted.
First: we would have won all without handouts from the allies.
Second: if it were not for the help of the allies, we would have come to an end.
It is clear who and why promotes each of the versions. Ura-patriots and liberals - this is our headache for a long time, because the truth lies, as it were, in the middle.
It is not easy to talk about Lend-Lease, if only because it is necessary to understand: this is indeed a difficult stage in history. From its very beginning to the end. And it is very difficult to evaluate it simply with the statistics figures, moreover, it is silly.
Why? Everything is simple to disgrace. Behind the numbers is a little more than it seems. Take for example Tanks. They were delivered a certain amount. And from this we repel mainly. Just not taking into account the fact that the tanks were equipped with everything else with spare engines, gearboxes, rollers, torsion bars, springs, machine guns, headsets, ammunition, that is, everything without which the tank is not a tank. Not a combat unit.
Not serious because of the breakdown of a pair of rollers, for example, from a mine, to throw out a tank? They were not thrown away. Repaired, replacing all that is necessary. And, if 12 of thousands of tanks were delivered to us, it is worth imagining how many spare parts and equipment went to them.
The same, incidentally, was with the aircraft. In the memoirs of the pilots enough memories (Pokryshkin, Golodnikov, Sinai) on the subject of how many were cared for by Allison. But then they changed. And the correspondence was between the USSR and the United States about the supply of aircraft engines is very lively, because there was a very burning question. Nobody needs airplanes chained to the ground due to the lack of engines. And these tanks are not needed.
Here one more claim of the “patriots” is immediately recalled. Say, it's all too late. When we ourselves have won the Germans.
Well, everything is simple too. 12 August 1941 of the year. This is the release date of the first convoy (“Dervish”) from the ports of Great Britain to the northern ports of the Soviet Union. So - nothing is too late.
Few? Well, after the British Dunkirk themselves on the suction of the States sat. And the Americans had not only to produce everything they needed, but also to deliver across the ocean. And the ocean, that the Atlantic (with German submarines), that the Quiet (with the Japanese) - a serious obstacle.
And nevertheless, the loads went, and went, and reached. Not without flaws. Read the two-volume "Correspondence of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill 1941-1945." Joseph Vissarionovich at the end of 1942, was very poor in restraining his emotions. And in its own way was right on 100%, especially in relation to the British allies.
That is why, when they stopped counting losses and began to count debts, Stalin abruptly broke off the Americans with his phrase that "everything was paid for with our blood." Until 1972, when negotiations resumed again.
Speaking of money, it’s worth starting from the beginning.
In the first year of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union was not at all part of the American Lend-Lease program. We were only included in it on 11 June 1942 of the year when the Basic Agreement on this military supply program was signed.
The question immediately follows: what about the caravans that came earlier? Before the conclusion of the contract?
And everything is not simple, but very simple. For money.
From June to November 1941, the USSR placed orders in the USA and the UK and paid for them in fact. You could say cash. Requires an explanation? Of course.
It is known that the currency in the USSR has always been not very. And then suddenly, before the conclusion of a land-lease agreement, the Soviet comrades are beginning not only to buy everything they need, but in terms of transportation by sea convoys! According to the formula "pay and carry." Strange ...
Guilty of this is Roosevelt. Yes, it was the American president who turned out to be a true ally of the USSR. Roosevelt, as president, could not then provide a loan for the purchase of arms without the approval of Congress. The discussion just before the 1942 year and dragged on.
But Franklin Delano Roosevelt would not have been one of the smartest people in the New World, if he had not thought up a workaround. So, in fact, if you really want, then you can. Roosevelt bypassed all prohibitions.
The US government has concluded two trade deals with the USSR: for the purchase of strategic materials for 100 million dollars and gold for 40 million dollars. Total for 140 million dollars.
US Treasury Secretary Henry Morgentau and our representative Vyacheslav Molotov set the price of 35 dollars for an ounce of gold and 15 of August 1941, the American treasury paid the Soviet side an advance of 10 million dollars for its future deliveries.
As a result, by the end of October 1941, the USSR received from the United States as an advance on the above transactions 90 million dollars.
Thus, Roosevelt made the USSR solvent in dollar terms and convinced the American society, the Senate and Congress, that Stalin independently financed his arms procurement program from the United States. Without breaking a single letter of American law.
American weapon went to our ports. And on the way back, the ships took the load of the very strategic materials (for example, manganese ores), which were mentioned in the agreement.
It was noted more than once that the Soviet side observed this agreement with all scrupulousness. This can be one of the explanations of sending from Murmansk on the ill-fated cruiser Edinburgh 5,5 tons of gold worth about 6,2 million dollars - this cargo could be part of those 30 – 40 tons of Russian gold paid by Americans back in 1941 year.
True, the gold "Edinburgh" could be intended and the British, who also did not miss his. By the agreement of 16 in August, 1941 of the United Kingdom provided the Soviet Union with a loan of 10 million pounds. Later, the loan amount was increased to 60 million pounds.
According to the 16 agreement of August 1941, the Soviet government paid 40% in gold or dollar value and the remaining 60% through a loan from the UK government.
This is only an argument in the direction of those who are still confident that the Lend-Lease was paid in gold.
To repay supplies under Lend-Lease, the USA received from the USSR 300 thousand tons of chromium and 32 thousand tons of manganese ore, and in addition, platinum, gold, furs and other goods totaling $ 2,2 million.
21.08.1945 United States of America stopped lend-lease supplies to the USSR. Roosevelt, unfortunately, deceased, was replaced by Truman. A new era, the era of the Cold War. And the allies, who had recently fought with one enemy, themselves became enemies. If the supply debts were simply written off to most other countries, then negotiations with the Soviet Union on these issues were conducted in 1947-1948, 1951-1952, 1960, 1972.
The total amount of land supplies to the USSR is estimated at 11,3 billion dollars.
At the same time, according to the Lend-Lease Act, only goods and equipment that survived after the end of hostilities are payable. Such Americans estimated billions of dollars at 2,6 and, to put it mildly, were not understood and sent to think.
Thinking after a year, the former allies halved this amount.
Thus, the US billed on 1,3 billion dollars paid during 30 years with the accrual of 2,3% per annum.
Stalin did not intend to take away the resources of our war-ravaged country in order to give them to a potential enemy in the Third World War. Therefore, the United States was again sent, no longer thinking, with a clear resolution of the Soviet leader: "The USSR paid off the lend-lease in blood in full."
Lend-lease debt negotiations were resumed only after Stalin’s death, and only 18.10.1972 signed an agreement on the payment by the Soviet Union of 722 million dollars before 01.07.2001. And even 48 million dollars were paid, but after the Americans entered the discriminatory Jackson-Vanik amendment, the USSR stopped payments.
In 1990, at the new negotiations between the presidents of the USSR and the USA, the final maturity of the debt was agreed upon - 2030. However, a year later the USSR broke up, and the debt was “re-registered” to Russia. In 2006, Lend-Lease debt was fully repaid.
Such a financial background story.
Was it all profitable?
Definitely: yes. We received equipment and components that were very necessary for us, and with some positions the products of factories lost in the occupied territory were completely closed.
The Americans received a huge impetus to the development of their industry, which brought them to first place in the world.
Now that all bills have been paid, we can calmly talk about Lend-Lease and analyze as much as you like. What we, in fact, are going to do.
In subsequent articles of this cycle will be thoughtful and careful consideration, and an assessment of everything that we received under the program of lend-lease. This became possible thanks to our joint and fruitful work with the museums of military equipment in Padikovo and Verkhnyaya Pyshma.
We will not compare the figures for the number of deliveries and our release, although the numbers will be given its place.
We will not try to answer the question if we would have won without lend-lease supplies.
We will not count dollars and rubles.
Our main task will be the story of what equipment came to us in the framework of Lend-Lease and (most interesting in our opinion) we will compare it with our counterparts. Something was already in the framework of the series “Yours among strangers”, but there were ships and airplanes, and here there will be a place for tanks, self-propelled guns, cars, trucks, armored personnel carriers, guns and small arms.
Having started the preliminary work, we were amazed at the amount of information that hit our heads. Indeed, perhaps, for some of our efforts, Lend-Lease will appear in a different light. We count on this very much.
Usually two opinions are promoted.
First: we would have won all without handouts from the allies.
Second: if it were not for the help of the allies, we would have come to an end.
It is clear who and why promotes each of the versions. Ura-patriots and liberals - this is our headache for a long time, because the truth lies, as it were, in the middle.
It is not easy to talk about Lend-Lease, if only because it is necessary to understand: this is indeed a difficult stage in history. From its very beginning to the end. And it is very difficult to evaluate it simply with the statistics figures, moreover, it is silly.
Why? Everything is simple to disgrace. Behind the numbers is a little more than it seems. Take for example Tanks. They were delivered a certain amount. And from this we repel mainly. Just not taking into account the fact that the tanks were equipped with everything else with spare engines, gearboxes, rollers, torsion bars, springs, machine guns, headsets, ammunition, that is, everything without which the tank is not a tank. Not a combat unit.
Not serious because of the breakdown of a pair of rollers, for example, from a mine, to throw out a tank? They were not thrown away. Repaired, replacing all that is necessary. And, if 12 of thousands of tanks were delivered to us, it is worth imagining how many spare parts and equipment went to them.
The same, incidentally, was with the aircraft. In the memoirs of the pilots enough memories (Pokryshkin, Golodnikov, Sinai) on the subject of how many were cared for by Allison. But then they changed. And the correspondence was between the USSR and the United States about the supply of aircraft engines is very lively, because there was a very burning question. Nobody needs airplanes chained to the ground due to the lack of engines. And these tanks are not needed.
Here one more claim of the “patriots” is immediately recalled. Say, it's all too late. When we ourselves have won the Germans.
Well, everything is simple too. 12 August 1941 of the year. This is the release date of the first convoy (“Dervish”) from the ports of Great Britain to the northern ports of the Soviet Union. So - nothing is too late.
Few? Well, after the British Dunkirk themselves on the suction of the States sat. And the Americans had not only to produce everything they needed, but also to deliver across the ocean. And the ocean, that the Atlantic (with German submarines), that the Quiet (with the Japanese) - a serious obstacle.
And nevertheless, the loads went, and went, and reached. Not without flaws. Read the two-volume "Correspondence of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill 1941-1945." Joseph Vissarionovich at the end of 1942, was very poor in restraining his emotions. And in its own way was right on 100%, especially in relation to the British allies.
That is why, when they stopped counting losses and began to count debts, Stalin abruptly broke off the Americans with his phrase that "everything was paid for with our blood." Until 1972, when negotiations resumed again.
Speaking of money, it’s worth starting from the beginning.
In the first year of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union was not at all part of the American Lend-Lease program. We were only included in it on 11 June 1942 of the year when the Basic Agreement on this military supply program was signed.
The question immediately follows: what about the caravans that came earlier? Before the conclusion of the contract?
And everything is not simple, but very simple. For money.
From June to November 1941, the USSR placed orders in the USA and the UK and paid for them in fact. You could say cash. Requires an explanation? Of course.
It is known that the currency in the USSR has always been not very. And then suddenly, before the conclusion of a land-lease agreement, the Soviet comrades are beginning not only to buy everything they need, but in terms of transportation by sea convoys! According to the formula "pay and carry." Strange ...
Guilty of this is Roosevelt. Yes, it was the American president who turned out to be a true ally of the USSR. Roosevelt, as president, could not then provide a loan for the purchase of arms without the approval of Congress. The discussion just before the 1942 year and dragged on.
But Franklin Delano Roosevelt would not have been one of the smartest people in the New World, if he had not thought up a workaround. So, in fact, if you really want, then you can. Roosevelt bypassed all prohibitions.
The US government has concluded two trade deals with the USSR: for the purchase of strategic materials for 100 million dollars and gold for 40 million dollars. Total for 140 million dollars.
US Treasury Secretary Henry Morgentau and our representative Vyacheslav Molotov set the price of 35 dollars for an ounce of gold and 15 of August 1941, the American treasury paid the Soviet side an advance of 10 million dollars for its future deliveries.
As a result, by the end of October 1941, the USSR received from the United States as an advance on the above transactions 90 million dollars.
Thus, Roosevelt made the USSR solvent in dollar terms and convinced the American society, the Senate and Congress, that Stalin independently financed his arms procurement program from the United States. Without breaking a single letter of American law.
American weapon went to our ports. And on the way back, the ships took the load of the very strategic materials (for example, manganese ores), which were mentioned in the agreement.
It was noted more than once that the Soviet side observed this agreement with all scrupulousness. This can be one of the explanations of sending from Murmansk on the ill-fated cruiser Edinburgh 5,5 tons of gold worth about 6,2 million dollars - this cargo could be part of those 30 – 40 tons of Russian gold paid by Americans back in 1941 year.
True, the gold "Edinburgh" could be intended and the British, who also did not miss his. By the agreement of 16 in August, 1941 of the United Kingdom provided the Soviet Union with a loan of 10 million pounds. Later, the loan amount was increased to 60 million pounds.
According to the 16 agreement of August 1941, the Soviet government paid 40% in gold or dollar value and the remaining 60% through a loan from the UK government.
This is only an argument in the direction of those who are still confident that the Lend-Lease was paid in gold.
To repay supplies under Lend-Lease, the USA received from the USSR 300 thousand tons of chromium and 32 thousand tons of manganese ore, and in addition, platinum, gold, furs and other goods totaling $ 2,2 million.
21.08.1945 United States of America stopped lend-lease supplies to the USSR. Roosevelt, unfortunately, deceased, was replaced by Truman. A new era, the era of the Cold War. And the allies, who had recently fought with one enemy, themselves became enemies. If the supply debts were simply written off to most other countries, then negotiations with the Soviet Union on these issues were conducted in 1947-1948, 1951-1952, 1960, 1972.
The total amount of land supplies to the USSR is estimated at 11,3 billion dollars.
At the same time, according to the Lend-Lease Act, only goods and equipment that survived after the end of hostilities are payable. Such Americans estimated billions of dollars at 2,6 and, to put it mildly, were not understood and sent to think.
Thinking after a year, the former allies halved this amount.
Thus, the US billed on 1,3 billion dollars paid during 30 years with the accrual of 2,3% per annum.
Stalin did not intend to take away the resources of our war-ravaged country in order to give them to a potential enemy in the Third World War. Therefore, the United States was again sent, no longer thinking, with a clear resolution of the Soviet leader: "The USSR paid off the lend-lease in blood in full."
Lend-lease debt negotiations were resumed only after Stalin’s death, and only 18.10.1972 signed an agreement on the payment by the Soviet Union of 722 million dollars before 01.07.2001. And even 48 million dollars were paid, but after the Americans entered the discriminatory Jackson-Vanik amendment, the USSR stopped payments.
In 1990, at the new negotiations between the presidents of the USSR and the USA, the final maturity of the debt was agreed upon - 2030. However, a year later the USSR broke up, and the debt was “re-registered” to Russia. In 2006, Lend-Lease debt was fully repaid.
Such a financial background story.
Was it all profitable?
Definitely: yes. We received equipment and components that were very necessary for us, and with some positions the products of factories lost in the occupied territory were completely closed.
The Americans received a huge impetus to the development of their industry, which brought them to first place in the world.
Now that all bills have been paid, we can calmly talk about Lend-Lease and analyze as much as you like. What we, in fact, are going to do.
In subsequent articles of this cycle will be thoughtful and careful consideration, and an assessment of everything that we received under the program of lend-lease. This became possible thanks to our joint and fruitful work with the museums of military equipment in Padikovo and Verkhnyaya Pyshma.
We will not compare the figures for the number of deliveries and our release, although the numbers will be given its place.
We will not try to answer the question if we would have won without lend-lease supplies.
We will not count dollars and rubles.
Our main task will be the story of what equipment came to us in the framework of Lend-Lease and (most interesting in our opinion) we will compare it with our counterparts. Something was already in the framework of the series “Yours among strangers”, but there were ships and airplanes, and here there will be a place for tanks, self-propelled guns, cars, trucks, armored personnel carriers, guns and small arms.
Having started the preliminary work, we were amazed at the amount of information that hit our heads. Indeed, perhaps, for some of our efforts, Lend-Lease will appear in a different light. We count on this very much.
Information