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What Role Did Oil Play In Ww2

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Oil was essential for anyone to win World War II, and the leaders of the war knew it. Joseph Stalin stated, “This war was decided by engines and octane,” and Winston Churchill commented, “Above all, petrol governed every movement.” (EU Times) Oil had an important role in all of the nations air forces, without which, a completely different outcome would have taken place. Oil and Gasoline were predominantly the most significant factors in allowing the United States and its allies to win World War II.
Kenneth Porter, a World War II gunner and veteran, decided to serve his country at the adolescent age of 18 in 1943 as a tailgunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress. He served with the 463rd Bombardment Group, 772nd Squadron, a part of the 15th Air Force, stationed at Foggia, Italy for just over nine months. His crew was most often in position #4 of a …show more content…

They were not expecting an attack of this magnitude from Germany at the time. Mr. Porter remembers the weather being so bad that the entire month of January they were only able to get into the air one time. This put the ground forces in a terrible situation. The Ardennes Offensive, more commonly referred to as The Battle of the Bulge because the initial attack created a bulge in the Allied front lines by the Germans, was the largest battle on the Western Front in Europe. Also, it was the largest battle that the United States Army ever fought during WWII. America ended up suffering 75,000 casualties by the end of this battle. (MacDonald)
Because of the Allied’s overconfidence and refusal to listen to their men on the ground, Germany was able to push back and reclaim the ground which included a large oil complex up close to Lake Valenton in Hungary (Porter). The Germans however, were not able to maintain the momentum of this forceful attack because they simply did not have the fuel to keep it

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