How geography shaped Commonwealth wartime industry

The British Empire's population and industrial capacity were unevenly distributed, with much of the industrial base concentrated in Britain. Canadian output expanded strongly, although the simultaneous American expansion makes its contribution easy to overlook. The Ram chassis and Sexton self-propelled gun illustrate useful Canadian production even when Sherman numbers favored standardization on that tank. Lower anticipated losses in an artillery role also changed the replacement requirement for the chassis. Canada's Great Lakes infrastructure helped connect its factories. Australia's widely separated coastal industrial centers created a harder transport and coordination problem despite the country's existing federation.