Jones Beene wrote:
Funny you should mention that film, Steven. Especially in the context of current economic considerations. The plot involved a "formula" devised by the Nazis in WW II to make gasoline from peat and subgrade coal, eliminating the need to import oil - which did happen in actuality.
I don't know about the subgrade part, but German production of petrochemicals from coal is well documents. See Yergin's book "The Prize" for example. He says that synthetic fuel from coal provided "more than half of Germany's total oil supply during the way." The plants were a huge problem though. I mean the problem was, the plants were huge. They took up a lot of space. They were such big targets that even WWII era bombers could hit them. See Figs. 53 and 54, the Magdenburg synthetic fuel factory that opened in 1937 and the same plant "after three thousand bombs were dropped on it by Allied bombers."
Oil played a critical role in WWII, in Europe and the Pacific. Japan went to war after the U.S. cut off their oil because they figured they had about a two-year supply for their Navy. Their first goal was to secure oil supplies in Indonesia (then called the Dutch East Indies), which they did.
Honestly, they should have had enough sense to attack the Dutch only, instead of Pearl Harbor. I doubt the U.S. would have declared war on Japan over colonies of an occupied European country.
- Jed
