In 1938 , at the outbreak of World War II , which had a larger population , the Western Allies ( United Kingdom , France , Poland and British Dominions ) or the European Axis ( Germany and Italy )
While the Allies ' ability to out-produce the Axis is often attributed to the Allies having more access to natural resources , other factors , such as Germany and Japan 's reluctance to employ women in the labour force , Allied strategic bombing , and Germany 's late shift to a war economy contributed significantly .