British and other rearmament efforts began in the early 1930s, well before the formal outbreak of war. Even a hypothetical warning in March 1933 would have left many capabilities unfinished by September 1939. Major programs depended on predecessor designs, established factories, trained workforces, bases, and supporting systems rather than a single order placed after a threat appeared. A six-year warning provided much less than six years of usable production time when the industrial and institutional groundwork did not yet exist.
Chapter · 2:29-4:05
Why rearmament must begin years before a predicted war
A prewar timeline shows why forces cannot wait for a crisis prediction before beginning complex procurement programs.