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Looking at individual manufacturers, it is invidious to place them in any order but that set by the alphabet. It is probably true to say that without the British motor industry, the war might have taken a wholly different course.
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Motor companies didn’t just make motor vehicles they made aircraft and aircraft parts, tin helmets and jerry-cans, and guns. To complete the picture there was a whole raft of component manufacturers, Dunlop, Smiths, SU and Solex to name but a few, who were a vital part of the supply chain. There were then the two major American off-shoots: Ford and Vauxhall. Making use of resources in Spanish and Italian hitherto largely overlooked by writers on the subject, defense analyst Candil, a former Spanish armor officer, has produced the first book-length treatment of the role of armor in the Spanish Civil War. There were other British companies manufacturing big vehicles, whose owners had learnt much from the Great War. Herbert Austin had created a formidable business. Sir William Rootes had, with his brother Reggie, grown a group of companies clearly focussed on the burgeoning consumer market of the 1930s, and, like Lord Nuffield, Sir William also had crucial government contacts. The Tiger I heavy tank brought an all-new level of lethality against Allied tanker crews and infantry requiring particular attention in any given engagement. Lord Nuffield, under whose control came Morris Motors, was close to government but also had very clear ideas about rearmament he was developing various tanks and aircraft well before war was declared. The Panzer V medium tank - or 'Panther' - is oft-regarded as Germany's best all-around tank of the war with its potent mix of armor, armament, mobility, and production reach. The motor companies of the late 1930s were run by some extraordinary individuals. To build and maintain these vehicles was a massive task and it was carried out with the major input of British and American motor companies who switched production for the war effort. During the Second World War the British Army underwent a complete transformation as the number of its vehicles grew from 40,000 to 1.5 million, ranging from tanks and giant tank transporters to jeeps, scout cars, mobile baths and offices.