[HRH1948]

Originally Posted by batffink

During World War II, the US supplied 100% of Allied oil needs and millions of tons of Victory ships that carried everything from corned beef to tuna and from tanks to jeeps to England.

Quite true my old fruit. but you didn't do it out of the kindness of your hearts. We were still paying for it long after the war ended.

Roosevelt’s Lend Lease program sent over $31 billion dollars worth of war materials, food and supplies to Britain during WWII. At the war’s end that amount was discounted and Britain started repayment with a 2% interest rate in 1951. 50 annual payments of $83.3 million were made with several years being deferred. The last payment was made in December of 2006. Paying back a $31 billion loan over more than 60 years with $4.15 billion including interest sounds like a kind heart to me.

Whether we were war time profiteers or concerned neighbors, $31 billion was money well invested in the future of our respective countries.

Another factoid: The United States lost a total of 450,900 military personnel and civilians killed in action. Britain lost 419,400. That was .94 % of the 1939 population of Britain and .32 % of the 1939 population of the US. Those losses changed our world in more profound ways than we can imagine.

“Effects of Strategic Bombing on the German War Economy of October 31, 1945 put the civilian losses at 375,000 killed and 625,000 wounded”