Building Engines for War: Air-Cooled Radial Aircraft Engine Production in Britain and America in World War II

Dive into the heart of wartime innovation and manufacturing through this groundbreaking book, unveiling a riveting narrative of technological mastery and organizational ingenuity. This meticulously researched work challenges conventional views of wartime production, offering a fresh perspective on the incredible efforts that drove the Allies to victory.

Young's insightful analyses illuminate the strategic collaboration between the aerospace and automotive industries, showcasing their collective adaptation that created the engines powering victory. Spanning continents, Young examines the transformation of aircraft engine manufacturing during World War II. Unearthing the operations of key players such as the Bristol Aeroplane Company, Pratt & Whitney, and Wright Aeronautical, he sheds light on the monumental shift from traditional batch production to revolutionary quantity production.

Readers will witness the birth of new factories, the development of advanced machine tools, and the innovation required to produce engines of unparalleled complexity and precision. Through Young's fresh perspective, the book unveils the intricate interplay of crisis techno-politics, engineering resilience, and the pivotal role of innovation in shaping the tides of history.

This book is not just a study of the past; it is a critical foundation for understanding the dynamics of wartime production that continue to influence our world today.

"Edward Young's reconstruction and analysis of the Allies' massive World War II aircraft engine programs is priceless, unique, thorough and critical - all at once."

Philip Scranton

Professor Emeritus, History of Industry and Technology, Rutgers University

"Having spent decades as a financial-industry analyst, and with his interests in aerospace history, Young was the right person to tackle this subject. His charts are superb, and he analyses resource utilization on both sides of the Atlantic. In the end, thanks to his impressive research and analytical capabilities, a reader should understand how one part of the huge and complex materiel problem facing the Allies was met and overcome. Anyone interested in the 'back-home' story of how we won the war should read this excellent volume. It is not light reading, but it is worth every bit of time spent reading it."

Col Scott A. Willey

USAF (Ret), Book Review Editor, and former National Air and Space Museum docent