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| AssemblyMag (registerware) Mike Briski posted How Ford's Willow Run Assembly Plant Helped Win World War IITHE WILLOW RUN BOMBER PLANT MADE AVIATION, INDUSTRIAL AND SOCIAL HISTORY—ALONG WITH NEW B-24S BY THE HOUR. |
"The massive plant turned out 8,645 Liberators vs. 9,808 manufactured by four factories of Consolidated, Douglas Aircraft, and North American Aviation. Together they produced more of the slab-sided behemoths than any American warplane ever....Completed planes flew off to field modification centers for fixes, upgrades and customizing. Fifty variants of the aircraft were dispatched to allies throughout the world from these sites." This plant also produced kits of parts that were trucked to the other plants. [AssemblyMag (3 free uses before registeration)]
I recommend reading the AssemblyMag article, but chose a place and time when you can finish reading it because access is limited.
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| National Museum of World War II Aviation posted B-24 Liberators are shown on the production line at Ford Motor Co.'s Willow Run plant in Michigan. The B-24 was the most-produced U.S, aircraft of World War II. A total of 18,500 were built, 4,600 by Ford. See our exhibit about the B-24 -- one of more than 100 exhibits and displays at the Museum, at the Colorado Springs Airport. The Saturday Evening Post posted Today [Nov 28] in History: The First B-24 Bomber Is Produced The first B-24 came off the assembly line at Ford’s 80-acre Willow Run plant today in 1942. The Ford Motor Company believed it could mass produce bombers the same way it turned out cars. But the size and complexity of the aircraft proved them wrong. Their automobile had 15,000 parts. A B-24 had nearly half a million parts and over 3,000 rivets in 500 sizes. Setting up the assembly process was a massive task. Getting the labor was another. The plant was far out in the country with little housing. New workers had trouble adapting to the smell and noise, or were overwhelmed by the demands of the job. There were high absentee rates, and employees quit at about the same rate as more were hired. And yet the plant eventually achieved its goal of producing one B-24 Liberator bomber every hour. At peak production, in 1944, in just two days, 100 completed bombers took off from Willow Run airport. “Today in American History with Jeff Nilsson” can be heard on select public radio stations across the U.S. Image: B-24 bombers at the Willow Run plant (Library of Congress) Kevin Mccarthy: My dad ruined 3 of the B24's during the war. Got shot up so bad on bombing runs over Germany and flew as far away as possible with some engines out but could not make it back to the base in Italy. Bailed out over Yugoslavia once, crash landed one with no working landing gear on another day, and landed one on a metal fighter strip island base in the Adriatic and went off the end of the short strip into a field of mud but that one was so shot up it was done flying anyway. usually after a run on the target, the planes were full of holes and leaking fuel and oil badly. He flew fifty missions and actually flew a B24 fifty years later at an air show. He also went back to Yugoslavia 53 years later to a village he and crew had hid out in after baling out and some people remembered him and said his B24 is still up in the mountains where it crashed. Hoyt Drayer: My great grandfather, Henry Hoyt Gilbert was the chief engineer for Lincoln and Mercury from the 30s until he died in the 50s. During the war, he was heavily involved in making the B24 production line run as well, and he was still a middle-aged man when he kicked the bucket. The family concluded that his untimely death was from the stress of managing war production. |
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| World War II Aircraft posted At Ford’s Willow Run plant, B-24 Liberator production reached astonishing levels: by November 1943, a new bomber was rolling out every hour, and in August 1944 monthly output peaked at 428 aircraft. The most intense burst came between April 24 and 26, 1944, when 100 completed B-24s flew out in just three days. By 1945, Ford was turning out 70% of all Liberators on two nine-hour shifts. In total, Willow Run built 6,972 of the 18,482 B-24s, and produced kits for nearly 1,900 more to be assembled elsewhere. The B-24 remains the most-produced heavy bomber in history. |
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| Golden History posted Workers take a break in the incomplete fuselage of a Consolidated B-24 Liberator at the Willow Run Ford Aircraft Plant in Michigan - 1943 Willow Run was built by the Ford Motor Company specifically to manufacture aircraft, especially the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Production began in summer 1941; initially only aircraft components were manufactured, with Douglas Aircraft, and Consolidated Aircraft doing the final assembly. This proved problematic, and by October 1941 Ford received permission to produce completed B-24s. Willow Run's B-24 assembly line ran until May 1945, building almost half of all the Liberators produced. LIFE Magazine Archives - Gordon Coster Photographer WWP-PD |
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| MotorCities National Heritage Area posted On March 28, 1941, Ford Motor Company started clearing trees along hundreds of acres of land for what was to become its Willow Run plant near Ypsilanti, Michigan.Willow Run was the site where Henry Ford’s mass-production techniques would be applied to make B-24 bomber aircraft for World War II. #ArsenalOfDemocracy #ThisDayInAutoHeritage [Some comments also provide information about Gray Marine Motor Co. and Chris-Craft supporting the war effort.] Randall James Ellis: Worked at the Willow Run GM Transmission plant in 1994. The floor was slanted toward the hanger doors to that during the aircraft build could be manually pulled down the assembly line and out the doors. Curtis Jurrens: The last section of the Willow Run plant was saved by the Yankee Air Museum for their museum. Great organization, and they put on a helluva airshow eveti summer, Thunder Over Michigan. Jim Devitt: I understand they are now being forced to leave that location...very sad. [And some comments discuss how Packard built aircraft engines under contract with Rolls Royce that were more powerful than the British engines.] Then GM rented a section after terrible hydramatic fire in 1953. Eventually they took over the entire facility. https://www.assemblymag.com/.../95000-americas-most... [Comments claim that they could produce a plane every 60, 56 and 45 minutes.] Aaron Lesar: Plant building and logistics designed by Ford mastermind Charles Sorensen. |
Looking at the people, this is a different photo.
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| I love Michigan posted Avenging Angels: 1943 Submitted by Dave on Tue, 12/07/2021 - 12:22pm. February 1943. "Looking up an assembly line at Ford's big Willow Run plant in Michigan, where B-24E (Liberator) bombers are being made in great numbers. The Liberator is capable of operation at high altitudes and over great ranges on precision bombing missions. It has proved itself an excellent performer in the Pacific, Northern Africa, Europe and the Aleutians." 4x5 acetate negative by Howard Hollem for the Office of War Information. View full size. Lance Kuhn: These are B-24E Liberators coming down the north assembly line at Willow Run. Of the 8,865 B-24 Liberators manufactured by Ford at Willow Run, 6,792 were complete fly away airframes built by Ford and 1,893 were knock down kits shipped via special dual V-8 engine trucks and 75 foot long trailer arrangements to Consolidated at Ft. Worth, TX and Douglas Aircraft in Tulsa, OK. 939 were shipped to Consolidated and 954 were shipped to Douglas Aircraft. Although peak production reached its pinnacle in April 1944 producing 455 planes in 450 hours or a plane every 59.34 minutes over 2 nine-hour shifts during 25 days, this rate slowly began its decrease going into the fall. Jay Balog: That's An Amazing Plant, The Wings Went Under The Offices. The Offices Were Over Head !! |
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| Historical Pictures posted During WWII, workers at the Henry Ford aircraft factory Willow Run built a staggering 8,685 B-24 bombers in three years! No one had ever manufactured aircraft on such a scale before. At its peak in 1944, it produced a B-24 every hour. Additional fun fact: Rosie the Riveter worked at this plant. |
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| ThisDayInAviation |
I don't know if this press was in this plant, but some of the comments are about this plant. And I assume all of the plants had similar presses.
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| Sean Brady posted Lydia Martinez, aged 19, operates a hydro press that develops pressure up to 4,500 tons and speeds production of parts for Consolidated Aircraft's B-24 Liberators, PBY Catalinas, and PB2Y Coronados, 1942. Laszlo Zagyva: They built one B-24 Liberator airplane every 63 minutes in a Ford factory. Bob Darlington: Laszlo Zagyva A little misleading. It may have taken 5 days, but they'd still have a fresh new one coming out the back of the factory every 63 minutes when the planets lined up just the right way, and one starting every 63 minutes, with multiple days between start and finish. Mark George: Bob Darlington Willow Run made batches of about 400 Airplanes. Then the next batch would include small improvements to the Aircraft. The engineers would constantly make improvements to the B-24 Liberators, during the entire war years of production. Some 12,000 improvements were made over the first ones to be built. Laszlo Zagyva: https://www.thehenryford.org/.../digi.../expert-sets/101765/ Ken Andersen: The production in San Diego was almost the same, they would roll them out of the plant, start the engines, spin them on a compass rose on the tarmac, then ferry them to Arizona where modifications were installed. It was easier and faster to build them then install the mods than it was to revamp the production line to include the mods as they came in. Pete Putman: Laszlo Zagyva - And the assembly line at Willow Run made a 90-degree turn so as to come out of the factory entirely in Washtenaw County and avoid the higher taxes in Wayne County. At least, that was the legend. Laszlo Zagyva: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2zukteYbGQ& very interesting video on this. It seems that it took ... quite long. |
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| Mysterious mystery posted In 1944, a huge factory called Willow Run, near Detroit, was doing the impossible. It was building a four-engine bomber every 63 minutes, day and night. Many people said it could never work. These planes were not simple machines—they had over a million parts, and every detail mattered for the crews who would fly them into war. Ford Motor Company changed how airplanes were built. They used long assembly lines, conveyor belts, and teamwork—just like car factories. What once took weeks was done in hours. By 1944, nearly 8,700 B-24 bombers were built there, making Willow Run one of the most important factories of World War II. But the real story is the people. Over 40,000 workers filled the plant, and many were women who had never worked in factories before. They learned fast. Wearing coveralls and bandanas, they drilled, welded, and riveted with skill and pride. They worked long shifts, knowing their work could save the lives of soldiers overseas. When the war ended, the factory grew quiet, and many workers returned to normal life, their efforts soon forgotten. But Willow Run proved something powerful: when ordinary people are trusted and united, they can do extraordinary things. One bomber every 63 minutes—and thousands of workers, especially women, showing the world what was truly possible. Chad Portenga: Not only did Ford build the B-24 bombers, he built a highway to get between Ypsilanti and Detroit faster. Also, the bomber plant was constructed in the shape of an L (complete with turntables at the corner) because it kept it entirely in Washtenaw County - to avoid the higher taxes that Wayne County wanted to levy on it. [Some comments indicate that it took a little less than 48 hours for a plane to travel from start to finish.] |
3 of 14 photos posted by Mike Kroll with the comment:
Tales from the bomber plant. . .Food ServiceWhen the Willow Run Bomber Plant rose in 1942 , its scale demanded more than steel, rivets, and schedules. It required food—steady, predictable, and massive in volume. Thousands of bodies could not be run on slogans alone.Although some Willow Run workers surely brought meals from home, most depended on the plant itself for food during their shifts. The scale of production demanded it. At the southwest corner of the plant, on the second-floor balcony, Ford built three dining rooms and a cafeteria—an internal city feeding a workforce that rarely stopped moving.The cafeteria occupied the extreme south end of the balcony. Between it and the Engineering group were the dining rooms. According to La Croix, cafeteria traffic required two serving lines running continuously through the lunch period—from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.—with proportionate flow at breakfast and supper. Roughly 13,760 square feet were allotted to kitchen, storage, serving lines, and seating. Staffing reflected wartime reality: about 75 women and 35 men handled the work of feeding thousands.North of the cafeteria sat dining rooms A, B, and C, supported by a kitchen and pantry. Dining room A—executive dining—seated 23 and was physically separated from the others. Dining rooms B and C, used by plant management, seated 146. The dining room kitchen typically served about 250 people daily. As a rule, the same three main courses offered in the cafeteria were served upstairs as well. Total floor space for the dining rooms amounted to about 5,700 square feet—compact, efficient, hierarchical. But most workers never saw those rooms.This system did not run itself. Roland L. Christman arrived at Willow Run first as an assistant and soon as supervisor, overseeing cafeteria operations that fed between two and three thousand employees daily. In a plant ruled by clocks and quotas, the cafeteria became a stabilizing force—quietly essential, rarely noticed unless it failed. Christman remained at Willow Run until 1946, staying through the transition period after the plant was sold, ensuring continuity until the new owners took possession.On the south side of the plant, adjacent to the transportation building, stood a 14,000-square-foot commissary that serviced lunch wagons feeding the bulk of the workforce. Along the north wall near Final Assembly was an upgraded lunch wagon offering the same fare—sandwiches, cakes, coffee, milk, soft drinks, and hot dishes—but with a steam table to keep food warm. A similar installation appeared on the south balcony. This was the everyday diet of Willow Run.Ford did not run this operation directly. Instead, effective August 15, 1942, Ford Motor Company leased the commissary building to the Bomber Lunch Company to provide food service to plant workers—primarily those in manufacturing and assembly. No competitive bids were taken. That omission drew Army attention, and Ford was required to explain its choice.Ford’s reply was careful and formal. The company stated that it did not permit anyone to serve food to its employees unless it was fully satisfied the concessionaire was financially able to perform and possessed sufficient experience to justify confidence in satisfactory service. Ford added that the members of the Bomber Lunch Company co-partnership were “well known to us” and “well suited” to the task. The lease, Ford emphasized, allowed cancellation on thirty days’ notice.The lease went into effect August 15, 1942. The names behind it matter. The first co-partner was Frank Witmire, an official in Harry Bennett’s Service Department. Local press coverage from June 29, 1937 reports that Witmire—then 55—was chauffeuring Bennett when their car collided with another vehicle that ran a stop sign, knocking Bennett unconscious and sending him to the hospital. Other stories describe Witmire as a prominent Ford official. One recounts an elaborate, two-and-a-half-foot decorated cake topped with a miniature bride and groom, presented by Ford Motor Company at the 60th wedding anniversary of Witmire’s parents. By the start of the Bomber Lunch project, Witmire was about 60 years old. No testimony has yet surfaced establishing that he was an experienced caterer or independently wealthy enough to finance such an operation.The second co-partner was 34-year-old Stewart W. Nunneley, an intercollegiate and local outboard powerboat racing champion. His father was a Detroit maritime sportsman. Nunneley’s racing background placed him squarely within Ford’s river culture. Bennett himself was a well-known maritime enthusiast, owning a yacht and residences on Grosse Ile and along the Huron River. It is difficult to imagine Nunneley not being known within that circle. Still, no evidence has been found showing that Nunneley—though a college graduate—had experience in large-scale catering or personally financed the venture. These were the “well-known” men Ford presented to the Army: Bennett’s man and a mariner. Neither a caterer.By March 1943—seven months into the project—journalist Agnes Meyer recorded what workers thought of the lunch wagons while she was at Willow Run interviewing Edsel Ford. Meyer reported that workers refused to eat the lunch wagon hot food because it was not fit to eat. She noted this as the only complaint she heard within the plant.Public criticism soon followed. In May and June 1943, letters appeared in the Detroit Free Press praising the cafeteria while condemning the lunch wagons almost without exception. The cafeteria, readers wrote, served excellent and varied food, competitive with good restaurants. The food was excellent, one noted, and cost no more than buying and preparing comparable food at home. Others complained that the portions were too small for the price, asking only for good, plain food at a reasonable cost.The lunch wagons drew no such balance. They were called a menace to health. Workers wrote that they were afraid to eat at them. Management was urged to assume responsibility for sanitation. The wagons were described as dilapidated, night after night sending workers away in disgust. The pattern is clear even from limited evidence: the cafeteria was respected, if expensive; the lunch wagons were widely despised.As Willow Run wound down in mid-1945, Nunneley wrote to Ford warning that the Bomber Lunch operation could not remain profitable with fewer than 10,000 workers. Ford responded by subsidizing the lunch wagons through the termination of the commissary lease on September 21, 1945. Afterward, Nunneley remained in industrial catering in Dearborn. He died in 1961 at age 53. To date, no obituary for Frank Witmire has been located.The record closes the way it began: with a system built for speed and scale, staffed by the connected, tolerated, and quietly absorbed when the war moved on.
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