<P> Lend - Lease would help the British and Allied forces win the battles of the late war; the help it gave in the battles of 1941 was trivial . In 1943--1944, about a quarter of all British munitions came through Lend - Lease . Aircraft (in particular transport aircraft) comprised about a quarter of the shipments to Britain, followed by food, land vehicles and ships . </P> <P> Even after the United States forces in Europe and the Pacific began to attain full strength during 1943--1944, Lend - Lease continued . Most remaining allies were largely self - sufficient in front line equipment (such as tanks and fighter aircraft) by this time, but Lend - Lease provided a useful supplement in this category even so, and Lend - Lease logistical supplies (including motor vehicles and railroad equipment) were of enormous assistance . </P> <P> Much of the aid can be better understood when considering the economic distortions caused by the war . Most belligerent powers decreased severely production of non-essentials, concentrating on producing weapons . This inevitably produced shortages of related products needed by the military or as part of the military - industrial complex . For example, the USSR was very dependent on rail transportation, but the war practically ended rail equipment production . Just 446 locomotives were produced during the war, with only 92 of those being built between 1942 and 1945 . In total, 92.7% of the wartime production of railroad equipment by the USSR was supplied by Lend - Lease, including 1,911 locomotives and 11,225 railcars which augmented the existing prewar stocks of at least 20,000 locomotives and half a million railcars . </P> <P> Furthermore, much of the logistical assistance of the Soviet military was provided by hundreds of thousands of U.S. - made trucks . Indeed, by 1945, nearly a third of the truck strength of the Red Army was U.S. - built . Trucks such as the Dodge 3⁄4 ton and Studebaker 21⁄2 ton were easily the best trucks available in their class on either side on the Eastern Front . American shipments of telephone cable, aluminum, canned rations, and clothing were also critical . </P>

Why did the united states aid the soviet union through lend-lease during wwii