Part of the War Effort – Building the B-24s
Pop some popcorn, get a cold beverage and settle in for this movie. It’s a film about the Ford Motor Company’s plant at Willow Run, near Dearborn, MI, which is where the B-24 bombers were built. They also built gliders and smaller planes there for the war.
Production started well before Japan had hit Pearl Harbor. That was a surprise all by itself.
It’s about a half hour long, so enjoy this piece of history.
Category: Historical, War Stories
Awesome. My mom was riveter for Boeing during WW-II up and down the west coast.
At one point in my Boeing career we were building 737’s at a one day rate, one rollout each day. Willow run built B-24’s on a one hour rate. 24 multi engine bombers during a 24 hour period. That is an astounding production rate for such a complex machine. At one point, heavy bombers had a 7 day combat life expectancy.
That’s the crazy part about WWII; the unfathomably massive effort. Tens of thousands of planes, thousands of ships, tens of thousands of tanks, just absolutely huge. I don’t think we can fully conceive of how large it was.
That was a really cool film! Can you imagine if today’s SJW’s had to do such a thing? We would all be certainly be doomed!! They truly were the greatest generation!!!
My dad had a long and interesting USAF career, flying in the B-17, B-24, B-29, B-36, and the eternal B-52. He always considered the 24 to be his favorite. I think he just had a thing for radial engines.
The Industrial might of the US when riled is unparalleled.
There was not only a financial, but a human cost as well.
Up until January 1943 we were losing more workers to fatalities in War Production then were were Servicemen in Combat.
Great video, Ex. Thanks for sharing. Love all the ladies wearing suits to go shoot rivets into aluminum. Even the clothes they wore to get dirty were classy.
I did find it funny how times have changed with how un-PC they were. “Note the little midget” is not something you hear anymore.
Thanks for watching this. I wish more people would do the same. I ran into a Korean War vet, who told me he was based at Okinawa, didn’t make into Korea itself, but “they bombed the place”. Nice fella.
Thanks, PH2. Who knew how critical midgets were to the war effort in general, and specifically to building a B-24. One of these years when I am feelin cash flush I may sign up for a ride in one. My wife bought me a ride in a B-17 several years ago. It was quite an experience, especially moving through the bomb bay in flight.
“especially moving through the bomb bay in flight”
Once flew with my dad (Gunner/Togglier).
He used to talk about the narrow footpath thru the bay and how he had to go back from the nose and kick a bomb hung in the rack.
Even as a kid I laughed at his stories.
Then I saw it with my own eyes as he demonstrated in flight.
Hope you took lots of photos.
I videoed most of the flight. After take-off they let us move throughout the aircraft, except for the tail-gunner position. It is freaky when you go down that catwalk and you look down and can see the ground through the small gap between the bomb bay doors.
Nice video. I like where it says that “boys were learning to be responsible and productive Americans.”
If you don’t have the full 33 minutes, you can jump straight to 27:00 to see the midgets in the wings.
“midgets in the wings”
It is amazing how we came together, each with unique skills to contribute to the effort.
In todays world that man would be the focus of controversy. How dare the military use his disability (it isn’t) to wage war!
Having spent most of my engineering career as a “tie” on the production floor at various defense contractors, I doubt we could do it again.
Unions, rampant drug abuse and lack of work ethic would lose the war for us.
I actually know a living WW2 Liberator pilot. Pacific theater. Spry and active guy in Ham radio. This film was not that long ago. It is not ancient history.
My grandpa briefly worked as a paint sprayer on the B-24 and PBY assembly lines at the Consolidated Aircraft plant in San Diego in the fall of ‘41. The the war kicked off and he joined the Navy.
Willow Run was an amazing achievement in industry. They cranked out so many B-24s so fast there that the last 1000 off the assembly line were flown straight to the boneyard.