An interesting video on WW II aircraft production

[cpaharley2008]

Henry Ford helped us win the war, so to speak
https://www.youtube.com/embed/iKlt6rNciTo?rel=0

[steve dunham]

Sometimes I think we forget what Ford , GM and Chrysler did to help the Allied Forces win WW2 .

[J&B Mitt]

Jim, thanks for the link, very special to us.

Our kids EXIST because of the 'bomber plant'. Jan's mom and dad met while working at the plant, where Jan's mom was really a 'Rosie the Riveter'. My dad moved to Michigan to be a test pilot at the bomber plant. Between '43 and '45, he flew more than 600 different B-24E, J, H and M's. I still have his log books. His last B24 flight April 23, 1945.

That 5,000.000 sq ft building has a storied history. After WW2, it became the manufacturing plant for Kaiser automobiles and Kaiser aircraft (C-82 and C119 Fairchild cargo planes built under license). In 1953, General Motors' new Hydramatic plant in Livonia MI burned to the ground ("Biggest industrial fire in history") so GM took over the former bomber plant from Kaiser. Willow Run was the principal plant for GM automatic transmissions. In 1959, GM built a adjacent 2,000,000 sq ft assembly plant next to build the Corvair, later Nova and J-body cars.
Those buildings are now closed and mostly torn down. Hydramatic left the bomber plant around 2010. It is all demolished except for a portion which was the B24 final assembly area, now occupied by the Yankee Air Force Museum.

[thiggins]

Very interesting. I'm not sure we could do better nowadays.

[cpaharley2008]

Thanks for the update, J&B....I also find it interesting also about Henry building an "L" to the plant rather than incur higher taxes....

[Iowa Dave]

Thanks for the link Jim. I have always been interested in WWII planes and have visited several museums where they are displayed. Took the Boy Scouts to both the Naval Air Museum at Pensacola and Wright Patterson at Dayton where they had most of the WWII planes on display. I was looking at a plane and this old boy comes up to me at Wright Patterson and says do you know what we called these in the war? I did not. It was a Martin B26. The Baltimore whore he says. They were very fast and had no visible means of support. Stubby wings. He’d been on a crew in the war and wanted to talk to somebody and I was glad I was it. This was in 1999 so he was probably 80 or so. If you ever go towards the black hill in South Dakota there’s a nice little museum at Ellsworth AFB and a tour of a missle silo. Love the nose art on the Bombers. I had oversight for static aircraft in the parks an F84f and a T33 trainer. Had a couple tanks too.
Iowa Dave

[Santiago]

Jim and company. I can't tell you how pleased Kim and I are seeing the film and reading J&B Mitt's account. This is fascinating stuff to us. Thank you all for brightening our day as well as reminding us why America is so special. Once we are able to hit the highway again we will continue visiting old war birds whenever we run across them. Currently grounded waiting for van delivery. Thanks again for the thread.

[cpaharley2008]

Martin Aircraft in Baltimore as well as Sparrows Point Bethelem steel were both big military suppliers, Martin was on water and provided B26 as well as sea planes. My parents relocated from rural Pennsylvania to Baltimore during the war time build up government employment and I was born there in 1946.

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

It was a Martin B26.
Iowa Dave

My father was a flight engineer on the B-26. He told me it was the best airplane the military ever made.

And Pensacola's Naval Air Museum is a really nice facility, every bit as modern as the Air & Space Museum in D.C., though smaller. It's worth a visit if you're in the area.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

My father was a flight engineer on the B-26. He told me it was the best airplane the military ever made.

And Pensacola's Naval Air Museum is a really nice facility, every bit as modern as the Air & Space Museum in D.C., though smaller. It's worth a visit if you're in the area.

Both of those museums were free when we were there with the scouts. Even the bus ride at Dayton to the collection of Air Force one planes. They had two Cinemax movies at Dayton that were reasonably priced too. On out way from Apalachicola to Pensacola we saw the Blue Angels practicing over the ocean right along a beach where we’d stopped to stretch our legs. Had some nice planes at Mobile by the Alabama including a Blackbird.
Iowa Dave

[Mike Lewis]

The Naval Air Museum is still free-- I was there about a month ago with my camera club. Another aviation museum in the area is the Air Force Armaments Museum just north of Ft. Walton Beach. It has a Blackbird and many other aircraft, plus ordnance.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

I was looking at a plane and this old boy comes up to me at Wright Patterson and says do you know what we called these in the war? I did not. It was a Martin B26. The Baltimore whore he says. They were very fast and had no visible means of support. Stubby wings. He’d been on a crew in the war and wanted to talk to somebody and I was glad I was it. This was in 1999 so he was probably 80 or so.

Second that. The Air Force Museum at Wright Patt is not to be missed. The hangar on the other side as well - which houses an amazing XB70 as well as several Presidential aircraft, including the one FDR used (with the hidden elevator that came out of the belly so people would not see him coming out of the plane in a wheelchair), and the Boeing 707 that carried JFK's body back to Washington after the assassination. You can see where they cut the bulkhead away to make room for the casket. Some of the history there is triumphant, some sad, some tragic, but all of it is interesting. If you're ever near Dayton, I highly recommend it.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

The Naval Air Museum is still free-- I was there about a month ago with my camera club. Another aviation museum in the area is the Air Force Armaments Museum just north of Ft. Walton Beach. It has a Blackbird and many other aircraft, plus ordnance.

We stopped at this one too. The scouts were very interested in the signatures and slogans that were written on the ordinance on display. Some of which was not all that politically correct. But did indicate the dedicated passion the ordinance assemblers had. The Blackbird on display was one of the few ever built and is quite a plane. I got an nice picture of it which hung in my office for about 15 years.
Iowa Dave

[lloydjdorsey@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by J&B Mitt

Jim, thanks for the link, very special to us.

Our kids EXIST because of the 'bomber plant'. Jan's mom and dad met while working at the plant, where Jan's mom was really a 'Rosie the Riveter'. My dad moved to Michigan to be a test pilot at the bomber plant. Between '43 and '45, he flew more than 600 different B-24E, J, H and M's. I still have his log books. His last B24 flight April 23, 1945.

That 5,000.000 sq ft building has a storied history. After WW2, it became the manufacturing plant for Kaiser automobiles and Kaiser aircraft (C-82 and C119 Fairchild cargo planes built under license). In 1953, General Motors' new Hydramatic plant in Livonia MI burned to the ground ("Biggest industrial fire in history") so GM took over the former bomber plant from Kaiser. Willow Run was the principal plant for GM automatic transmissions. In 1959, GM built a adjacent 2,000,000 sq ft assembly plant next to build the Corvair, later Nova and J-body cars.
Those buildings are now closed and mostly torn down. Hydramatic left the bomber plant around 2010. It is all demolished except for a portion which was the B24 final assembly area, now occupied by the Yankee Air Force Museum.

We toured the museum in Dec 2014. My wife's grandfather worked at the plant during the war.

[MyronL]

We were on board this past January.

[advenas]

I always admired the pilots from the WWII era. Beautiful aircraft. Just north of Seattle is Paul Allen's Flying Heritage museum. Great place to spend a day.

https://www.airspacemag.com/history-...rds-180967709/

My mom is in assisted living in Bend Oregon. I was talking to one of the elderly residents there and he flew Corsairs in the south Pacific in WWII. Said it was one of the best experiences he ever had except for the getting shot at part. I let him know I was proud to know him.

[Iowa Dave]

I have posted in the past several times my admiration for the greatest generation and for the equipment produced for fighting that war. I have visited the big museums at Dayton and Pensacola. As well as many other smaller facilities at military bases etc across the country. Vintage autos, vintage planes, the Battleship Alabama at Mobile are all very enjoyable. Many times free, often reasonably priced, always a treat for the mind and the eyes. I marvel. I met a veteran a couple months ago who was at Normandy on the first day of the invasion. Not many of those folks left. He was pushing his shopping cart in the grocery store.
Iowa Dave
Iowa Dave

[dfandrews]

Thanks for posting this, Jim. (I missed it in Feb.). Brought back memories of my dad and his stories about working on aircraft during WWII.
He was an aircraft engine design engineer for Lycoming Aircraft (Lycoming County, PA) who was assigned to Bell Aircraft in Buffalo, NY, and then to Bell Bomber's plant at Rickenbacker Field in Marrieta, GA (This later became the Lockheed plant) to build Boeing-designed B-29's. That was typical of much of WWII industry: one or more companies working together to get the job done.

[Santiago]

Originally Posted by advenas

I always admired the pilots from the WWII era. Beautiful aircraft. Just north of Seattle is Paul Allen's Flying Heritage museum. Great place to spend a day.

https://www.airspacemag.com/history-...rds-180967709/

Rick. just added to list of stops when we next head up your way in our van. It will be an exciting museum visit.

After a 5 month wait, our van finally delivered a week ago, build from scratch starts soon. Thanks for the museum link.