However, in October 1941, Ford received permission from Consolidated and the Army to assemble complete Liberators on its own at its new Willow Run facility. The 2023 Detroit Area Crosstown Challenge. Labor shortages made women essential to war industries, and the government actively recruited them to join the workforce. But no project captured the public's imagination like Willow Run, where Ford Motor Company built one B-24 Liberator airplane every 63 minutes. [13], The Willow Run chapel of Martha and Mary now stands a few miles from where it was originally constructed, on property that used to be owned by Henry Ford's Quirk Farms. They lived in tents, with a mess hall and a chapel on-site, and sold their produce from a roadside stand built by Ford. Easements were acquired from landowners across the county line in Ypsilanti Township where the Liberator plant (and eventually the airport terminal) would be built. She was part of that migration, part of the 40,000 employees at the Ford-run Willow Run B-24 bomber plant and part of the great Arsenal of Democracy that Detroit and the Southeastern Michigan region became, cranking out airplanes, tanks, trucks, and weapons. ft. building, which later became the GM Powertrain facility. Long car rides from Detroit over lumpy roads and in overcrowded buses discouraged thousands of employees who left for jobs closer to home. . The Yankee Air Museum was able to gain control of approximately 144,900 square feet of the plant,[54] and plans to develop a permanent home for the museum. This was largely because of Henry Ford. [17], Architect Albert Kahn designed the main structure of the Willow Run bomber plant, which had 3,500,000 square feet (330,000m2) of factory space, and an aircraft assembly line over a mile (1600m) long. May 2023 WRBP Meeting -. Willow Run stepped up outsourcing of parts production and subassemblies to almost 1,000 Ford factories and independent suppliers while focusing on building B-24s in more predictable designs that minimized shutdowns. Working with architect Albert Kahn, Ford officials envisioned a massive factory with bombers built on a moving line, just like Ford's automobiles. "Decommissioning the plant is not an easy task. Sociologist and professor Lowell Juilliard Carr and James Edson Stermer of the University of Michigan studied the sociological conditions at Willow Run arising from the wartime surge in the worker population in their book of 1952. Women represented approximately one third of the workers at Ford Motor Company's Willow Run plant during World War II. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. The average daily pumpage in million gallons was about 1.68 in 1942, 1.70 in 1943, and 1.66 in 1944. Blacks and other minorities were welcomed and so were immigrants. It's all narrated with a fantastic mid-Atlantic accent that perfectly fits the . [6] In April 2013, a redevelopment manager for the RACER Trust said unused portions of the powertrain plant would likely be razed as a step toward redeveloping the property. President Roosevelt stunned millions of listeners when he announced during a May 26, 1940, fireside chat that government must harness the efficient machinery of Americas manufacturers to produce 50,000 combat aircraft over the next 12 months to confront the approaching storm of global war. The B-24J incorporated a hydraulically driven tail turret and other defensive armament modifications in the nose of the aircraft. Lloyd, Alwyn T. (1993), Liberator: America's Global Bomber, Pictorial Histories Publishing Co, Inc. O'Leary, Michael, (2003), Consolidated B-24 Liberator (Osprey Production Line to Frontline 4), Osprey Publishing, Weber, Austin. He was violently anti-union and there were serious labor difficulties, including a massive strike. No one had ever manufactured airplanes on such a scale before. Sorensen reviewed his concept at breakfast with Edsel, who responded enthusiastically to its vision and boldness and initialed it on the spot, as did Henry II and Benson, his two sons accompanying him on the trip. [11], Later in 1953, after a fire on August 12 destroyed General Motors' Detroit Transmission factory in Livonia, Michigan, the Willow Run complex was first leased and then later sold to GM. Overhead cranes would hoist completed sections onto the final assembly line for joining into a finished aircraft, the same way cars were put together, but on a grand scale in a massive new plant. Perhaps, when peace returned, customers would remember Ford's achievement when it came time to shop for a new car. The first of these apartments were ready for occupancy in August 1943. Ford would eventually sell its land to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation's Defense Plant Corporation in July 1944, shortly after the Ford farms were transferred to the company's ownership. Deemed unfit for combat, they were assigned to training bases, reconnaissance patrols and transport duties. In only one month, Ford had hired 2,900 workers but had lost 3,100. Workers on the factory floor could purchase meals from lunch wagons that traveled the facility. Specialized employees -- riveters, for example -- received training in these classrooms as well. The 1st CC was responsible for completing the organization and equipment of tactical and combat bombardment squadrons prior to their deployment to the overseas combat theaters. Yankee was originally granted until August 2013 (deadline was later extended) to raise the funds needed to purchase and separate a portion of the approximately 5,000,000 sq. "[12], Henry and Clara Bryant Ford dedicated a series of churches, the chapels of Martha and Mary as a perpetual tribute to their mothers, Mary Ford and Martha Bryant. Automatic flushing toilets in numerous bathrooms throughout the building didn't stop. Meanwhile, Ford was savaged in the Detroit press because it took too long. The largest of these hangars could house 20 B-24s at once, and included a control tower, a cafe, and a hotel. Out of sheer necessity, Willow Runs 42,500-member workforce became a model of diversity for future generations. [23] The flat-tops contained four, six, or eight apartments with one, two, or three bedrooms. Sadly, one of the people most responsible for Willow Run's success did not live to see it. approximately 4 out of every 10 employees were women. The plant was the embodiment of America's "Arsenal of Democracy" -- the enormous manufacturing capacity so vital to the Allies' victory. Plant construction started in March 1941. The final B-24 bomber was produced at Willow Run plant on June 28, 1945. Sorensen, Edsel Ford and Henry Ford well understood the difficulties in precision mass production. In addition to complete airplanes, Willow Run produced "knock-down kits" that were shipped to Douglas Aircraft's plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Consolidated Aircraft's plant in Fort Worth, Texas, for final assembly. [44], By the time General Motors entered bankruptcy in 2009, manufacturing and assembly operations at Willow Run had dwindled to almost nothing; the GM Powertrain plant closed in December 2010 and the complex passed into the control of the RACER Trust, which is charged with cleaning up, positioning for redevelopment and ultimately, selling properties of the former General Motors.[7]. 1, Specialty Press. The plant held the distinction of being the world's largest enclosed "room." >> the willow run plant is in the process now of being demolished. Women did everything from clerical work in the offices to riveting and welding on the assembly line. Sixty-seven feet long, the B-24 had 450,000 parts and 360,000 rivets in The president and his advisers were convinced that long-range, high-altitude heavy bombers would be the decisive weapon in a war dominated by air power and industrial muscle. More than 18,000 were built. Join Ernst Neumayr, Channel Development Manager from Universal Robots, and Jeremy Crockett, Business Manager for Automation from Atlas Copco, and discover how cobots can build your business and increase productivity in your manufacturing facility without multiplying the complexity of your processes! male counterparts. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was taking over the long-range bombing role in the Pacific Theater and no new B-24 units were programmed for deployment in the other combat theaters of Europe, the Mediterranean or in the CBI. Now signifying "the arsenal of democracy", at the outset Ford's Willow Run Bomber Plant was nearly a failure. The Willow Run plant was formally dedicated on October 22, 1941, in a ceremony attended by Major Jimmy Doolittle of the U.S. Army Air Forces. The factory prompted the creation of the Washtenaw County Health Department and was a key part of America's "arsenal of . Frank B. Woodford, 'Willow Run Poses Problems,' New York Times, 19 April 1942, E10; Glenn H. Cummings, 'Biggest War Plant,' Wall Street Journal, 26 May 1942, 1; 'Ford Stand Stirs War Housing Issue,' New York Times, 28 June 1942, 25; Agnes E. Meyer, 'Detroit's Willow Run Area Is A Housing Nightmare ,' This was done at Willow Run by 1st Concentration Command (1st CC). The others, completed in the 1930s, were located in Dearborn, Michigan (site of the Fords' Fair Lane estate); Sudbury, Massachusetts; two in Richmond Hill, Georgia (the Fords' winter home); Macon, Michigan; and Willow Run. Davis, Larry, (1987), B-24 Liberator in Action - Aircraft No. His sketches embraced the two fundamentals of mass production: standardized, interchangeable parts and continuous, orderly flow punctuated by stops at assembly stations where workers and machines performed repetitive tasks. The skilled women who accomplished this work -- at Willow Run and elsewhere -- inspired the symbolic "Rosie the Riveter" character. [47], Building owner RACER Trust extended the original fundraising deadline (August 1, 2013) a total of three times since the Yankee Air Museum launched its SaveTheBomberPlant.org campaign. It also required the installation of two turntables to turn airplane fuselages 90 degrees near the end of the assembly line. Because of the urgent need for shelter, the Federal Public Housing Administration took action and built temporary housing. We . Dwarfs, whose physical stature had limited prewar employment opportunities, toiled inside wings, fuel cells and other confined spaces. It sat 35 miles west of Detroit, at a site without existing highway or streetcar connections. Also constructed at this time was the Parkridge Community Center. Explore our Digital Collections and curate your own set of artifacts to share with others. The holding cost of the Powertrain plant is enormous. [29] They discuss "cultural inadequacy theory", stating that "industrial culture provides no criterion by which either a manufacturer or a government official can determine in advance when a manufacturer should divert his own capital to housing and other community services and when he shall rely on the capital of others for such facilities and services". Women represented approximately one third of the workers at Ford Motor Company's Willow Run plant during World War II. Named "Lily's Pad",[53] the break spot was equipped with posters that catered to the male fantasy, an air conditioning unit, rope lights, a TV and a list of restaurant takeout phone numbers. Paperwork was handled, necessary specific B-24 life support equipment was issued and some technical training for supporting the aircraft accomplished. [7] Indeed, the majority of the plant was demolished in late 2013 and early 2014. It's hard to imagine a factory that large churning out a complete heavy bomber every 55 minutes, but these workers accomplished exactly that. It also provided a final inspection of the aircraft and made any appropriate final changes; i.e., install long-range fuel tanks, remove unnecessary equipment, and give it a final flight safety test. Truman headed a presidential committee charged with eliminating wartime production waste, and Willow Run's struggles worried him. Charles Sorensen boasted that Ford would produce B-24s at the rate of one each hour. The first B-24Ms were delivered in October 1944, and by the end of its production in 1945, Willow Run had built 1677; 124 Ford-built B-24Ms were cancelled before delivery. Still, aviation industry leaders scoffed when the War Department chose Ford Motor Co. to mass-produce Liberators. Because of production delays encountered at Willow Run as a result of the inevitable difficulties and snags involved in the adaptation of automobile manufacturing techniques to aircraft, the B-24Es produced at Willow Run were, generally, obsolete by the time that it began to roll off the production lines, and most were relegated to training roles in the United States and hence few ever saw combat. Not given to understatement, he proclaimed that the one-level superstructure would be the most enormous room in the history of man.. "C-SPAN Cities Tour - Ann Arbor: Willow Run Bomber Plant", GM Powertrain plant and engineering center, Environmental Research Institute of Michigan, "Willow Run and the Arsenal of Democracy", "Willow Run Bomber Plant, Beginning Construction, 1940", "How Ford's Willow Run Assembly Plant Helped Win World War II", "Former GM Willow Run plant attracts $9 million offer from redevelopers", "Former GM Willow Run plant may be demolished", "Willow Run | Detroit Historical Society", "Do you have any information on Camp Legion and Camp Willow Run? That April, employees in two nine-hour shifts, working six days a week, produced 453 airplanes in 468 hours -- a production rate equal to one finished B-24 Liberator every 63 minutes. Ford president Edsel Ford and his team explained the difficulties with design changes. Willow Run Bomber Plant, By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center. Despite how smoothly the plant ran, putting out a bomber an hour still wasn't an easy feat. . Winston Churchill called his specially outfitted B-24 the Commando. move the yankee air museum into . you can see the two big hangar doors behind me. The company came back to the government with a counter proposal: it wouldn't just build parts for the B-24, it would build complete airplanes using the automaker's highly refined techniques. The copper wiring and electrical fixturesthe veins and arteries of the plantare the first to be stripped away. Despite how smoothly the plant ran, putting out a bomber an hour still wasn't an easy feat. While there were many injuries, it is notable that Willow Run did not record a single fatality while the factory was in service. But just when that milestone seemed possible, the government drastically cut its order for B-24s. The errant flush caused Lewis grief as he tried to find the source of the sound. The tri-level interchange seen here provided direct access to the factory for traffic traveling to and from the expressway. Ford's production methods depended on a "fixed" design -- each design modification required expensive and time-consuming updates to the assembly line. Willow Run and its workers met their goal. A technological marvel for a new age of aerial warfare, the B-24 was now obsolete. Visit our updated. You must have JavaScript enabled to enjoy a limited number of articles over the next 30 days. Engineering Photographic Department, United States, Michigan, Charter Township of Ypsilanti, Ford Motor Company. Enjoy the latest news from The Henry Ford, special offers, and more. The story of Willow run and the production miracle that produced as many as 25 B-24 bombers every day. The remaining four hours were used to restock parts and change tooling. Instead, upstart automaker Kaiser-Frazer Corporation moved into the factory. The building is currently being used to house and protect of the Museum's large aircraft . A typical month saw as many workers quit as were hired, and 8,200 more were drafted into military service. Planes were assembled outdoors, exposed to a hot sun that distorted parts out of shape. Search our website to find what youre looking for. The aircraft manufacturer Douglas Aircraft, and the B-24's designer, Consolidated Aircraft, assembled the finished airplane. One pundit referred to it as a sprawling mass of industrial ambition. Folklore has it that Henry Ford decreed that the eastern perimeter of the windowless, L-shaped edifice not spill over into Wayne County, home to Detroit and all those rascally Democrats and union organizers. At peak production, B-24s sheathed in 4,200 square feet of bonded aluminum rolled out the door every hour. The main building would be more than a mile long with dual, parallel assembly lines. At the request of the government, Ford began to decentralize operations and many parts were assembled at other Ford plants as well as by the company's sub-contractors, with the Willow Run plant concentrating on final aircraft assembly. Willow Run ran two nine-hour shifts. Although Willow Run is synonymous with the Liberator bomber, B-24s were not the only planes manufactured at Willow Run. At its peak, Willow Run employed more than 42,000 people. No.2, Ziyou St., Tucheng Dist., New Taipei City 236, Taiwan +886-2-2268-3466 The massive plant turned out 8,645 Liberators vs. 9,808 manufactured by four factories of Consolidated, Douglas Aircraft, and North American Aviation. [3], B-24Es built and fully assembled at Ford were designated B-24E-FO; those assembled at Tulsa and Fort Worth out of parts supplied by Ford were designated B-24E-DT and B-24E-CF respectively. From the Collections of The Henry Ford. for half of all B-24s assembled that year. 20900 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn, MI 481245029, Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation Overview, Teacher's Choice @ Giant Screen Experience, Henry Austin Clark, Jr. Graduate Internship, Clark Travel-to-Collections Research Fellowship, Diversity and Inclusion Internship Program, Teacher's Choice @ Giant Screen Experience, Educator Professional Development Overview. Although officially retired, Henry Ford still had a say in the company's affairs and refused government financing for Willow Run, preferring to have his company build the factory and sell it to the government, which would lease it back to the company for the duration of the war. While assembly workers formed the heart of Willow Run's workforce, there were numerous administrative, clerical and support staff members too. By 1945, Ford produced 70% of the B-24s in two 9-hour shifts. Ford created a permanent jig into which wings could be moved in and out by overhead crane. An unknown number dwelt in the memories of plant foremen. That was the schedule six days a week. Though the outside may appear to be a stubborn tool shed that won't open by pulling the handle, simply pushing the door open reveals a secret room hidden from prying eyes. The remaining four hours were used to restock parts and change tooling. There were 24 lunch rooms located throughout the complex. [3], Upon the introduction of the B-24J, all three of the Liberator manufacturing plants converted to the production of this version. the yankee air museum into it and show people what the history . Factory golf and bowling leagues provided additional opportunities for relaxation. Consolidated's method required 250 man-hours; Ford's needed one. GM also produced vehicles next door at its Willow Run Assembly plant beginning a few years later, in 1959. With the pressures of wartime production schedules -- and the sense that victory itself depended on their efforts -- Willow Run's employees needed occasional relief from their burdens. This covered 90 parcels of land[20] totaling 2,641 acres (1,069ha). [10] Ford, a keen exponent of the virtues of country living, used it as farmland for a "social engineering" experiment that brought inner-city boys to the Willow Run Camp to learn about farming, nature, and the rural way of life. Willow Run is an Albert Kahn-designed World War II bomber plant near Ypsilanti, Michigan. No two were alike.. The first Ford-built Liberator rolled off the Willow Run line in September 1942; the first series of Willow Run Liberators was the B-24E. Few new hires had ever been in a factory, so Ford built the Aircraft Apprentice School on the grounds to familiarize these industrial novices with tools and techniques of high-precision aeronautical manufacturing. Bricker.[33]. The airfield, owned by the Wayne County Airport Authority since 2004, continues to operate as the Willow Run Airport and is primarily used for cargo and general aviation flights. Some 2,500 were parked in an Arizona desert awaiting the day when their aluminum skin and innards would be smelted into ingots for production of coffee percolators, toasters, pots and pans, and myriad other consumer and industrial products to satisfy the ravenous maw of Americas peacetime economy. The Willow Run bomber plant, the world's largest factory and one of America's most-publicized plants, is on the outskirts of Ypsilanti, . [36][37], While the planes were being serviced and made ready for overseas movement, personnel for these planes were also being processed. WOO Network is a fast-growing Fintech startup and a deep liquidity network with a mission to empower individuals with the right to freely trade, invest, borrow and lend to better their lives. The first two extensions were to October 1, 2013, and then to November 1, 2013. [8], Coordinates: 421428N 833304W / 42.241N 83.551W / 42.241; -83.551. Only 56 airplanes were built in all of 1942. According to Max Wallace, Air Corps Chief General "Hap" Arnold told Charles Lindbergh, then a consultant at the plant, that "combat squadrons greatly preferred the B-17 bomber to the B-24 because 'when we send the 17's out on a mission, most of them return. Sorensen protested that Willow Run could not function under these strictures. This young employee at the giant Willow Run plant uses her tiny flashlight to discover any internal defects in the tubing. The worksite Sorensen chose was a 1,875-acre Ford-owned tract that had been a farm camp for boys whose fathers were killed or disabled in World War I. Kahn had designed the Rouge and hundreds of other manufacturing facilities over a long and storied career. Consolidated had built each wing with its own temporary jig to hold the structure in place. The Story of Willow Run highlights several of the steps involved in building the aluminum-intensive aircraft.
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