The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Zinc is a soft, somewhat reactive, fairly abundant metal ($126 a ton in 1940) that has been known since medieval times. It is often found in the same ore bodies as lead. Zinc is used to galvanize less reactive metals, such as iron, giving them increased resistance to corrosion. It is also an important alloying element with copper. Brass is any zinc-rich copper alloy that does not contain large amounts of tin.
Zinc was not a limiting resource for the Allies. The United States produced large quantities of zinc from mines in Missouri, although production had to increase 40% to cover wartime demand. Australia also has large deposits. Japan produced about 40% of its zinc requirements domestically, at the Gifu and Miyako mines. Japan’s conquest of Burma opened another source, limited by the amount of shipping available to bring the ore back home.
Other North American sources produced about 842,000 tons per year
References
Klein (2013)The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2006, 2008, 2011, 2016 by Kent G. Budge. Index
