That's a very good question. I guess my first answer is that I actually don't do monetary economic history.
The size of the increase is certainly outside of my living memory and my recollection of similar types of events, even during times of increases in public spending. The last time there was a major ramp-up of this nature—during World War II, for example—most of it was standard deficit financing in terms of Victory Bonds and actual purchases, as opposed to money creation and monetization.