In this publication, N.I. Ryzhkov presented material on the military economy of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War. The author did not aim to give an exhaustive analysis of the entire military economy. He considers only some issues: the economic potential of the USSR and Germany on the eve and at the beginning of the war, the relocation of productive forces to the East, the creation of a military industry, the production of basic types of weapons. Particular attention is paid to the importance of the mineral resource base, the role of Lend-Lease in World War II, the life of society in the difficult years of the war.