German arms production
in WW2 from 1939-1945

German arms production in WW2 from 1939-1945

The annual German armaments and military equipment production (excluding ammunition) and a comparison of the necessary strategic raw materials.

At the end is an approximate implementation of the German armaments production to PP's (production points) for the strategy game WW2 Total - for the case that the conquest and loss of areas with important strategic raw materials tooks place at the same time as in history.

Picture: A WW2 assembly line of German Focke-Wulf Fw190 single-seat fighters.

German arms production by weapon types

The German annual production figures of the main arms and military equipment (without ammunition) during WW2 from 1939-1945:

Type of Weapon	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945 (2-3 months)	Overall	use in the strategy game for the calculation of:
Battle tanks	962	1,573	3,399	4,386	5,813	7,983	956	25,072	Tanks
Flamethrower tanks	-	87	47	81	110	20	-	345	Tanks
Armoured command vehicles	44	34	132	131	134	41	-	516	Tanks
Tank destroyers	-	-	-	-	90	3,280	1,750	5,120	Tank destroyers
Assault guns	-	184	548	789	3,279	5,172	988	10,960	Tank destroyers
Self-propelled anti-tank guns	-	173	214	1,222	1,695	457	16	3,777	Tank destroyers
Assault artillery	-	-	-	34	304	1,227	112	1,677	Self-propelled guns
Self-propelled artillery	-	40	16	183	1,362	670	87	2,358	Self-propelled guns
Armoured anti-aircraft vehicles	15	-	-	-	87	361	64	527	Self-propelled guns
Reconnaissance vehicles	324	422	618	992	867	555	113	3,024	-
other armoured vehicles	55	334	605	45	310	959	142	2,450	Tanks
Demolition vehicles (Goliath, etc)	100	-	-	1,088	4,494	3,102	138	8,922	-
Semi-tracked armoured personnel carriers	232	337	813	2,574	7,153	9,486	1,285	21,880	Armoured personnel carriers
Semi-tracked tractors	?	3,224	7,489	7,627	9,827	7,840	696	36,703+	Trucks
Semi-tracked trucks	-	-	-	10,704	37,427	27,761	724	87,329	Trucks
Military trucks and lorries	32,558	53,348	51,085	49,707	52,896	103,314	4,582	347,490	Trucks
Military cars	?	?	?	24,152	105,693	96,492	?	226,337+	-
Military motor-cycles	?	?	?	34,017	33,046	27,830	2,577	97,470+	-
Locomotives	?	1,688	1,918	2,637	5,243	3,495	?	14,981+	-
Train waggons	?	28,200	44,845	60,892	66,263	45,189	?	245,389+	-
Infantry weapons: pistols	?	?	?	467,253	959,540	1,038,340	145,140	2,610,273+	-
Infantry weapons: rifles (K98k, K41, K43, G 33/40)	?	1,371,700	1,358,500	1,149,593	1,946,200	2,282,380	310,118	8,418,491+	Rifles
Infantry weapons: Machine-guns	?	170,880	324,800	77,340	165,527	278,164	56,089	674,280	Machine-guns
Infantry weapons: sub-machine guns ( MP 38, 40 and assault rifle StG44 or MP 43, MP 44)	?	170,880	324,800	152,683	240,073	500,074	131,672	ca, 1,400,000+	Sub-machine guns
Anti-tank hand weapons (up to Dec 42 Pz.B. 38,39,41 - from Aug 43 Panzerschreck)	?	?	?	880	50,835	209,000	21,000	281,715+	Anti-tank hand weapons
Panzerfaust (Anti-tank hand weapon)	-	-	-	-	ca, 500,000	2,870,000 (nur Okt,-Dez,), mind, 1,500,000 davor	2,056,000	ca, 7,000,000+	Anti-tank hand weapons
Mortars	?	4,380	4,230	18,551	25,955	29,598	3,675	86,389+	Mortars
Light anti-tank guns (3.7-cm-PAK, 4.2-cm-PAK, Pak38)	1,214	6,730	11,200	4,798	2,481	-	-	159,144+	Anti-tank guns
Medium anti-tank guns (7.5-cm-PAK 38, 40, 41, 7.62-cm PAK (r) )				4,344	12,400	12,151	618		Anti-tank guns
heavy anti-tank guns (8.8-cm-PAK, 12-cm-PAK)				-	1,224	2,058	367		Anti-tank guns
Light anti-aircraft guns				15,527	19,602	16,863+	1,771+		Anti-aircraft guns
Heavy anti-aircraft guns				1,028	6,138	7,714+	?		Anti-aircraft guns
Infantery guns				1,687	2,802	6,458	876		Artillery
Nebelwerfer (rocket launcher)				3,864	1,706	3,767	460		Artillery
Light artillery (mainly 10,5 cm le FH18)				1,476	4,533	9,000	604		Artillery
Heavy artillery (10-cm K18, sFH, 17-cm-K)				931	1,773	3,652	475		Artillery
Super-heavy artillery (21-cm-K, 20.3-cm-K, 24-cm H, K3, K5, K38, E, M1)				33	123	125	61		Artillery
Bomber planes	737	2,852	3,373	4,337	4,649	2,287	-	18,235	Bombers
Fighter planes	605	2,746	3,744	5,515	10,898	25,285	4,935	53,728	Fighters
Ground attack planes	134	603	507	1,249	3,266	5,496	1,104	12,359	Ground Attack
Reconnaissance planes	163	971	1,079	1,067	1,117	1,686	216	6,299	-
Seaplanes, Floatplanes	100	269	183	238	259	141	-	1,190	-
Transport planes	145	388	502	573	1,028	443	-	3,079	-
Gliders	-	378	1,461	745	442	111	8	3,145	-
Communication planes	46	170	431	607	874	410	11	2,549	-
Trainers	588	1,870	1,121	1,078	2,274	3,693	318	10,942	-
Jet fighters	-	-	-	-	-	564	929	1,493	Fighters
Jet bombers	-	-	-	-	-	150	64	214	Bombers
Fi 103 flying bomb (V-1)	-	-	-	-	-	23,672	6,509	30,181	-
A-4 rocket (V-2)	-	-	-	-	-	4,128	1,669	5,797	-
U-boats	58	50	219	222	292	283	98	1,220	Submarines
Battleships	-	1	1	-	-	-	-	2	Battleships
Destroyers	-	2	5	3	6	2	-	18	Destroyers
Torpedo boats	?	?	6	6	6	6	-	24+	Destroyers
MTB's	?	?	36	36	41	63	-	176+	-
Merchant shipping tonnage	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Transport ships

Not only the numbers were increased dramatically between 1942 and 1944, also the quality and combat effectiveness were partialy strong increased, as - for example - the combat weights of the produced armored vehicles reflecting this fact:

Year	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944
Numbers	2,154	5,138	9,278	19,824	27,340
Combat weight in tons	37,325	83,188	140,454	369,416	622,322
Average combat weight per unit	17.3	16.2	15.1	18.6	22.8

It is noteworthy that the significant increas in arms production between 1942 and 1944 (over 300%) was made possible without access to more resources. It was especially done through much greater productivity and stripping out the civilian industrial sector. Therefore the following overview:

Annual strategic raw material production (m. metric tons)	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945
Coal	332.8	364.8	402.8	407.8	429.0	432.8	50.3
Ore	18.5	29.5	53.3	50.6	56.2	32.6	?
Steel	23.7	21.5	28.2	28.7	30.6	25.8	1.4
Aluminium (in 1,000 metric tons - especially important for aircraft production)	239.4	265.3	315.6	420.0	432.0	470.0	?

German arms production for the strategy game WW2 Total

The transformation of the previous German production figures in average numbers per month and the value in PP's (production points) for the strategy game WW2 Total:

Type of weapon	Fighting power	1 unit for the game for every:	1942			1943
Type of weapon	Fighting power	1 unit for the game for every:	Average per month	Price per unit (PP's)	Total value (PP's)	Average per month	Price per unit (PP's)	Total value (PP's)
Tanks	100%	200	387	100	194	531	130	345
Tank destroyers	100%	200	168	80	67	422	85	179
Self-propelled artillery guns	100%	200	18	60	5	146	60	44
Armored personnel carriers	100%	200	215	25	27	596	25	75
Trucks and lorries	100%	3,000	5,670	12	23	8,346	12	33
Rifles	100%	9,000	95,799	10	106	162,183	10	180
Sub-machine guns	100%	9,000	12,723	10	14	20,006	10	22
Machine-guns	100%	4,500	6,445	18	26	13,794	18	55
Anti-tank hand weapons	100%	45,000	73	10	0	45,903	10	10
Mortars	100%	1,500	1,546	20	21	2,162	20	29
Artillery	100%	600	666	40	44	911	40	61
Anti-tank guns	100%	400	762	25	48	1,342	30	101
Anti-aircraft guns	100%	800	1,380	30	52	2,145	30	80
Fighter planes	100%	300	460	150	230	908	150	454
Ground attack planes	100%	300	104	150	52	272	150	136
Bomber planes	100%	300	361	350	421	387	350	452
Battleships and cruisers	100%	4 BB or 16 CA or 24 CLA	0	2,500	0	0	2,500	0
Aircraft carriers	100%	4 CV or 10 CVL/CVE	0	1,500	0	0	1,500	0
Destroyers, Escorts	100%	20 DD or 30 TB or 80 MTB	0.75	500	19	1	500	25
Submarines	100%	20	19	250	238	24	250	300
Transport ships	100%	per 40,000 tonnes	approx. 10,000 t	120	30	approx. 10,000 t	120	30
TOTAL					1,617			2,611
Change of price value by increasing the productivity and savings in the civilian industrial sector without more consumption of strategic raw materials				-0%	0		-40%	-1.044
Sub-total (PP's)					1.617			1.567
Bombing damage and losses of strategic raw materials on sea				+5%	+81		+10%	157
Sub-total (PP's)					1.698			1.724
Additional PP's for research, maintenance, political influences and starting of offensives (calculated without bombing damage)				+75%	+1.213		+70%	+1.207
TOTAL (PP's)					2.911			2.931

Type of weapon	Fighting power	1 unit for the game for every:	1944			1945 (3 months)
Type of weapon	Fighting power	1 unit for the game for every:	Average per month	Price per unit (PP's)	Total value (PP's)	Average per month	Price per unit (PP's)	Total value (PP's)
Tanks	95%	210	750	130	464	366	130	227
Tank destroyers	95%	210	742	85	300	918	80	350
Self-propelled artillery guns	95%	210	188	60	54	88	60	25
Armored personnel carriers	95%	210	791	25	94	428	25	51
Trucks and lorries	95%	3,150	11,576	12	44	2,001	12	8
Rifles	95%	9,500	190,198	10	200	103,373	10	109
Sub-machine guns	95%	9,500	41,673	10	44	43,891	10	55
Machine-guns	95%	4,750	23,180	18	88	18,696	18	71
Anti-tank hand weapons	95%	50,000	381,583	10	76	692,333	10	138
Mortars	95%	1,600	2,467	20	31	1,225	20	15
Artillery	95%	650	1,917	40	118	825	40	51
Anti-tank guns	95%	420	1,184	30	85	328	30	23
Anti-aircraft guns	95%	850	2,048	30	72	590	30	21
Fighter planes	for pilot training 80%	375	2,154	160	920	1,955	170	886
Ground attack planes	80%	375	458	160	195	368	160	157
Bomber planes	80%	375	203	400	217	21	450	25
Battleships and cruisers	95%	4 BB or 17 CA or 25 CLA	0	2,500	0	0	2,500	0
Aircraft carriers	95%	4 CV or 11 CVL/CVE	0	1,500	0	0	1,500	0
Destroyers, Escorts	95%	21 DD or 32 TB or 84 MTB	0.6	500	14	0	500	0
Submarines	95%	21	24	250	286	33	300	471
Transport ships	100%	per 40,000 tonnes	approx. 10,000 t	120	30	approx. 10,000 t	120	30
TOTAL					3,332			2,713
Change of price value by increasing the productivity and savings in the civilian industrial sector without more consumption of strategic raw materials				-60%	-1.999		-60%	-1.628
Sub-total (PP's)					1.333			1.085
Bombing damage and losses of strategic raw materials on sea				+15%	+200		+15%	+163
Sub-total (PP's)					1.533			1.356
Additional PP's for research, maintenance, political influences and starting of offensives (calculated without bombing damage)				+60%	+800		+50%	+542
TOTAL (PP's)					2.333			1.898

Note: the aircraft production (one per 300 planes) is calculated about 1/3 less than the comparable tank production (one per 200 tanks) because about 1/3 of the total aircraft losses were due to accidents.

Note: a number of the unit types listed here already will be added only in later versions of the strategy game WW2 Total !