Thanks for the inside scoop, Olefin. I hadn't factored in rebuilds. That complicates things. I was focussed on new production to both replace total scratch combat losses and to equip new units. I don't know for sure, but I'm under the impression that if would have been very difficult, if not impossible, to keep up with demand, even if WWIII had occured at the height of the Cold War.
Olefin, do you happen to know how many Bradley assembly lines were operating at the height of production?
Any idea about how long it would take to set up a new production line? Once again, I think it would take a lot longer in the 1980s and beyond than it would have in the 1940s. There were a lot fewer automobile and heavy machinery plants in the U.S.A. starting in the 1970s and there are very few (comparatively) here today.
I think I remember another thread that discussed this issue a while back. IIRC, there might have even been a list of plants building M1s or major components. I'll see if I can find it and maybe merge it with this one.
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