The war the USSR couldn’t have won alone: the true scale of American Lend-Lease aid in WWII

Without America, the “grandfathers” wouldn’t have just failed to “reach Berlin”—they likely wouldn’t have held the line at the Volga either. And instead of heroic marches with cardboard portraits of “grandfathers” on sticks, there would have been a silent procession holding signs that read “Lend-Lease never arrived.” Instead of fanfares—only the absence of Studebakers that never made it from Murmansk.

And, perhaps most devastating for the so-called “great ones,” without American canned meat, overcoats, bullets, tanks, and airplanes, there would be no sacred pathos to conveniently monetize with slogans like “we can do it again.” Because there would be no one left to “do it again.”

Indeed, the real aid from the United States to the USSR during World War II through the Lend-Lease program was massive and absolutely vital—especially during the critical years of 1942–1944. Below are concrete figures from official sources (U.S. archives, historians’ research, and Soviet government reports):

1. Transport and logistics

• 433,000 trucks, including:

• 151,000 Studebaker US6 (used as the platform for “Katyushas”)

• 50,000 Dodge WC trucks

• 35,000 motorcycles

• 2,500 locomotives and 11,000 railway cars

• 3.7 million tires

• 8,000 tractors

Without American vehicles, the Soviet army would have lost its mobility—the USSR produced several times fewer trucks on its own during the entire war.

2. Food and clothing

• 4.5 million tons of food supplies, including:

• 500,000 tons of meat

• 100,000 tons of chocolate

• 200,000 tons of fats

• 15 million pairs of army boots

• 2 million sets of uniforms

3. Weapons and equipment

• 13,000 aircraft (!) (including the P-39 Airacobra, B-25 Mitchell, etc.)

• 8,000 tanks (!) (including the M4 Sherman, M3 Lee)

• 300,000 machine guns and rifles

• Over 400 anti-aircraft guns

Some models, like the P-39, were essential for Soviet aviation, particularly during the Battle of Stalingrad.

4. Industrial products and raw materials

• 2.6 million tons of petroleum products

• 300,000 tons of aluminum

• 400,000 telephones and radio stations

• 1 million kilometers of telephone cable

• Industrial equipment for over 2,000 (!) factories

The U.S. supplied critical resources that the USSR either lacked or lost due to occupation—such as oil, rubber, and aluminum.

5. Total value of the aid:

• $11.3 billion at the time

• In today’s terms — approximately $180–200 billion

• And if we calculate the value of the same quantity of equipment, ammunition, and supplies using modern equivalents — it would be astronomical: between $1.8 and $2 trillion.

American aid effectively replaced the Soviet economy and gave it a vital boost, especially in 1942–1943. From logistics and fuel to tanks and food supplies — without this, the USSR would have lost to the Wehrmacht.

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Myth: “Western aid under the Lend-Lease program was insignificant”.

Mykhailo Melnyk

Ukraine Front Lines

Tags: investigation