After the completion of the Reich’s new armaments schemes in 1942–3 they estimated that the Reich’s annual requirement for fuel and oil would rise to no less than 13.8 million tons. Thanks to the steel shortages, the Four Year Plan was behind schedule. In 1938 synthetic production would not exceed 2.4 million tons and the supply of air fuel was even more inadequate. Deficiencies in explosives and gunpowder were no less glaring. In 1918, Imperial Germany had produced 13,600 tons of high explosives and 13,250 tons of gunpowder per month. In the summer of 1938 the Third Reich’s capacity was no
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