Q&A · 13:33-13:55

Brewster without a Second World War production surge

A short industrial counterfactual separates Brewster's peacetime order book from the production pressures created by wartime expansion.

Question

Would the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation fail if the Second World War did not begin?

Short answer

Probably not immediately; existing orders could keep Brewster operating, while the strain of rapid wartime expansion was a major source of its difficulties.

Notes

Brewster would probably not collapse simply because war is delayed. The company had enough orders to remain in business, though only just. The more serious danger came from the scale and speed of wartime expansion, which turned a viable aircraft maker into an organization struggling to meet much larger demands.