The surpluses included almost every conceivable article and commodity—some of little utility in a peaceful world; others in great demand by the civilian populations of the United States and other countries. During the war effort, the United States alone had manufactured approximately 294,000 aircraft. Of that number, 21,583 (7.34%) were lost in the United States in test flights, ferrying, training accidents, etc., and 43,581 were lost en route to the war and in overseas operations. Following the war, estimates of the number of excess surplus airplanes ran as high as 150,000. Consideration was given to storing a substantial number of airplanes, but the realization that the expense to store them was too great, many needed to be sold or scrapped. Some U.S. military aircraft overseas were not worth the time or money to bring back to the States and were consequently buried, bulldozed, or sunk at sea. Most, however, were returned home for storage, sale, or scrapping. Of the planes that did return, many were stripped of valuable components and melted down for their aluminum. At Kingman Air Force Base in Arizona, an estimated 5,500 aircraft were stored and scrapped in 1945 and 1946. Most of the vehicles were sold for metal and parts, but some of them were repurposed for civilian use. Tanks and half-tracks were disarmed and reformatted as tractors and bulldozers. Unused Navy ships were held in reserve, disassembled for parts, scuttled to form artificial reefs, and even used as targets for nuclear tests in the Pacific Ocean. During the war, nearly 650,000 Jeeps had been produced. They saw use across the globe from Africa, to Europe and Asia. Once the war ended, many jeeps were sold to or given to locals, or simply left behind rather than having to be transported back to the states.
(Photo credit: US Army Archives / Getty Images / The LIFE Picture Collection / Airplaneboneyards.com). Notify me of new posts by email.
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