And this time it rests on the solid fact of bomber production. Before the plant closed in 1945, willow run produced 8,685 b24 bombers. Michigan united states washtenaw county willow run willow run, 1942. Realizing production at the willow run bomber plant michael r. Working with architect albert kahn, ford officials envisioned a massive factory with bombers built on a moving line, just like fords automobiles. Willow run is what albert kahn described as the most enormous room in the history of man. Run arising from the wartime surge in the worker population in their book of 1952. This book is the story of the run up to the war, how the ford family handled. Pbs to air documentary about ypsilantis legendary willow run. The willow run airport history, b24 bomber plant and airport. Watch fords willow run plant churn out a b24 every 55. Fords willow run bomber plant, designed by albert kahn and constructed in 1941, undoubtedly contributed to the outcome of world war ii.
Building the b24 bomber during wwii story of willow run. How fords willow run assembly plant helped win world war ii the willow run bomber plant made aviation, industrial and social historyalong with new b24s by the hour. I just finished reading her book the liberators of willow run. Wilson, vicechairman of the war production board, told reporters after touring willow run that the plant was on the beam.
It has more square footage than the willis tower in chicago, the tallest building in the western hemisphere. Willow run, also known as air force plant 31, was a manufacturing complex in michigan. An overview ford motor company is probably best known for its production of 6,790 b24 bombers at the us government financed and owned plant at willow run, mi. His account of how the production miracle at willow run came about is well described in his autobiography sorenson, charles e. This video is about the ford motor company production p. The manufacturing and construction production video for the consolidated b24 liberator heavy bomber. How fords willow run assembly plant helped win world war ii.
The influx of workers for the massive wartime production project gave rise to an entire community called willow run. A small part of the worlds largest onestory war production plant, the giant bomber factory at willow run, michigan. Nov 26, 2018 the willow run bomber plant opened in 1941 and produced over 8,600 b24 liberator bombers, a key element of the allied arsenal in world war ii. Sorensen, fords director of production during ww2, conceived the idea of manufacturing the giant b24 liberator bomber at the unbelievable rate of one an hour. At the peak of production, the assembly line was producing a liberator an hour.
The willow run plant started to produce the majority of b24 bombers for the united states, annual production peaked at 9,000 bombers a year. Footage of world war 2 aircraft defense plant designed and built for mass production of b24 lib. Peterson skillfully weaves a narrative from the ad hoc, disjointed and participatory efforts which included housing for newcomers in an. The iconic rosie the riveter may seem to be simply a fiction from the past but she has a name and an important history. How fords willow run assembly plant helped win world war. She was part of that migration, part of the 40,000 employees at the ford run willow run b24 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. Working with skill and precision, these women operate a spot welding machine in the largest single story building in the world, fords giant bomber plant at willow run, michigan. This video from ford about largescale production of the consolidated b24 liberator bomber is aweinspiring. Willow run is an albert kahndesigned world war ii bomber plant near ypsilanti, michigan. Willow run airport was built as part of the bomber plant. The willow run facility, 35 miles west of detroit, would eventually cover 4,750,000. The story of willow run and the production miracle that produced as many as 25. By mid1944, the willow run assembly plant was producing one b24 per houraccounting for half of all b24s assembled that year.
How detroit factories retooled during wwii to defeat. The willow run airport, with six runways to test planes, was also completed in 1942. Leveraging techniques ford had pioneered to build model t automobiles in 19, the first b24 bomber rolled off the willow run assembly line in 1942. Apr 30, 2014 the willow run manufacturing plant, located between ypsilanti and belleville, michigan, was constructed during world war ii by the ford motor company for the mass production of the b24 liberator.
Workers came from all over to work at the plant in willow run, and so he created willow run village for them to live. Ww2 b24 liberator bomber manufacturing at willow run. Here is his description of the visit and how he conceived the willow run bomber plant that eventually manufactured 8,800 of these aircraft. It was constructed in 1941 by the ford motor company for the mass production of the b24 liberator military aircraft. The willow run manufacturing complex, located between ypsilanti and belleville, michigan, was constructed in the early years of world war ii by ford motor company for the mass production of war munitions, especially the b24 liberator heavy bomber. The production of the b24 willow run, only a licensed manufacturing facility, produced 8,700 of them. This type of airplane manufacturing was unheard of at the time. The following pages tells about this great factory and production plant where the ww2 b24 liberator was built which uses many references from this book.
During that time, the ford motor company produced almost half of the b24s built8,685 out of 19,256. The ford family at willow run military history of the. Ford plant, willow run contributor names rosener, ann, photographer united states. Ford hired him in 1904 and sorensen worked his way up from a pattern maker to become henry fords production chief in a career that lasted to 1944. At the same time it appeared to be the opening gun in a. The books are willow run, colossus of american industry, alaska, and the mighty eighth air force, world war ii. Jan 24, 2019 despite how smoothly the plant ran, putting out a bomber an hour still wasnt an easy feat.
This would not only facilitate faster production but interchangeable parts. This black and white photograph shows two women workers. Fords chief engineer, charles sorensen, quickly devised a thenuntried scheme of massproducing. During wwii the willow run bomber plant located near ypsilanti, michigan was the largest factory under one roof in the world. In 1981, a group of aviation enthusiasts established the yankee air museum about a mile away from the original bomber plant. Apr 29, 20 as dave newell wrote in the book 1969 corvair fingertip facts, the willow run corvair plant used none of the old b24 bomber or kaiserfrazer production facilities.
Flow chart for b24 production at the willow run bomber plant, 1944. The arsenal of democracy meet your next favorite book. Actress jeanette macdonald signing a b24 liberator at the willow run bomber plant, march 1943. Though chevrolet would go on to build corvairs elsewhere during the 1960s, willow run was always considered the corvairs home assembly plant and was the only plant to build. The yankee air museum is proud to present this documentary, produced by stone bridge productions, to preserve the memory of those heroic women and men workers, visionaries, and innovators who served there at the home front from early in 1941 until the war. Read more about the history of the willow run assembly plant and view photos of the plant. Responsible for the planning and construction of the willow run bomber plant. Willow run, also known as air force plant 31, was a manufacturing complex in michigan, located between ypsilanti township and belleville, constructed by the ford motor company for the mass production of aircraft, especially the b24 liberator heavy bomber. The ford motor companys willow run bomber plant began production in 1942 and continued until june 28, 1945. The willow run manufacturing plant, located between ypsilanti and belleville, michigan, was constructed during world war ii by the ford motor company for the mass production of the b24 liberator the architect was albert kahn, who worked along side ford designer charles sorensen. When production ceased in june 1945 the plant had produced a total of 8,685 liberators.
Sorensen met henry ford when he joined a detroit custom foundry. All formats, books, video, music, audiobooks, magazines, downloads, tools, art prints. Some 40,000 employees, mostly women, turned out b24 bombers at the rate of one every 55 minutes. B24 liberator bomber model numbers, production numbers and.
Likewise, general motors, through its eastern aircraft divisions five plants in maryland. Construction on the bomber plant began in march, 1941. Both men and women man the machines which are turning out parts for americas bomber planes at willow run, michigan. Originally 975 acres of farmland owned by henry ford, the site was developed by the ford motor company into.
November 1943 willow run had produced onethousand liberators. On june 28, 1945 production ceased, after 8,685 planes had been manufactured. Willow run assembly plant faces the wrecking ball hemmings. Ford victory pictorial ford wwii production database ford m4a3 sherman tank photos ford highland park plant photos ford motor car company in world war two dearborn, mi 1903present. The willow run manufacturing plant, located between ypsilanti and belleville, michigan, was constructed during world war ii by the ford motor company for the mass production of the b24 liberator in december 1940, the federal government asked the ford motor company to build 1,200 b24 bombers. Pilots and crews slept in a dormitory with 1,300 cots, awaiting the near hourly birth of a new bomber. Willow run is the legendary b24 bomber plant near ypsilanti, michigan, which was a focal point of the arsenal of democracy during wwii. This book has also led to the production of the movie script of willow r. The yankee air museum is proud to present this documentary, produced by stone bridge productions, to preserve the memory of those heroic women and men workers, visionaries, and innovators who served there at the home front from early in 1941 until the.
Bomber, consolidated b24 liberator, willow run, ford motor, world war, henry ford, willow run airport, bomber made by the ford motor company during wwii, the story of willow run explains the companys role in producing the consolidated b24 liberator heavy bomber. The willow run plant was famous to americans as part of the arsenal of democracy that helped us win world war 2. Willow run b24 liberator military history of the upper. This is a story of the b24 libera tor manufacturing plant by warren b. Willow run is a book that was written by my friend warren benjamin kidder about the b24 liberator, ww2 bomber production plant and airport near detroit michigan. The willow run book is a must for any engineer entering the mass production field since it describes the problems that mass production of any product will encounter and tells how to solve these. The b24 bomber, officially known as the b24 liberator, was designed by consolidated aircraft co. Flow chart for b24 production at the willow run bomber. Aug 26, 2018 willow run would become the worlds largest assembly plant boasting a mile long assembly line and surpass all expectations for production and speed. Construction of the willow run bomber plant began in 1940 and was completed in 1942.
It is an artfully written historical fiction book that interweaves the history of the willow run bomber plant, racial issues, being pregnant and single, sexual abuse, and the budding love of 2 fragile women. The remaining four hours were used to restock parts and change tooling. Willow run was the physical embodiment of the ford production system which was later transformed by toyota into just. The willow run plant will be turning out 500 planes a month by the time the next snow flies. The book provides a great reminder of the importance of industrial capacity, a national attribute often not considered as a part of a key component of nations defense, but should be. However, the construction of all of those speed parts and aftermarket upgrades combined pales in comparison to the scale of production at fords willow run plant during wwii. Oct 12, 2015 one of the most prominent factories that used the idea of mass production was b. Started by ford himself, the plane and the manufacturing of the planes was the perfect example of american productivity during the second world war. Willow run was the physical embodiment of the ford production system which was later transformed by toyota into just in time and lean manufacturing. Sorensen was the head engineer and brainchild of the willow run b24 liberator factory. The willow run plant is one of the largest buildings in the world. The willow run book covers the building of the willow run b. The bomber plant adjacent to the airport produced the famed world war ii bombers in a plant built by henry ford. Willow run assembly was to the south of the former willow run transmission, the site of the bomber plant built by ford in 1941.
Ben has also written a movie script about the mighty eighty air force which is in production as of 422012. Willow run colossus of american industry kidder, warren benjamin on. Lessons for efficient work flow and throughput from the b24. Detroit the public will get the chance to visit the former willow run bomber plant in ypsilanti township, mich. B24 liberator bomber model numbers, production numbers. The ford family at willow run military history of the upper. Oct 23, 20 henry fords bomber plant being torn down. See more ideas about ypsilanti, michigan, world war ii.
The willow run airport history, b24 bomber plant and. A pictoral history of willow run a relative unknown location that became the worlds most famous bomber factory during world war ii. Dennis norton, founder of the yankee air museum, and randy hotton, the museums former director, talked about the history of the willow run bomber plant, and why the museum is trying to rescue. The willow run plant was so large, it threatened to extend into two counties. Willow run follows the journey of four of those women who migrated from all over america to find new lives at the plant.
Sorensen, fords director of production during wwii conceived the idea of manufacturing the giant b24 bomber at the unbelievable rate of one per hour. Every american automaker turned its workforce and facilities to military production during world war ii. Production for ford motor traveled to san diego to observe consolidated aircrafts operations that were producing the 4engine b24 liberator bomber at an unsatisfactory rate of one bomber each day. B24 liberator willow run assembly plant in michigan run. Nov 17, 20 living here and getting the people in the plant. During world war ii, the ypsilanti factory became a worldwide symbol of.
This book has also led to the production of the movie script of willow run. Jan 01, 2014 the book tells the behind the scenes story of fords efforts to assist the wwii war effort despite henry fords staunch pacifisms and hatred of roosevelt. The main building would be more than a mile long with dual, parallel assembly lines. Flow chart for b24 production at the willow run bomber plant. The total number of b24s built at willow run was 8,685 and during peak production in early 1944, one bomber per hour was produced. Assembly takes place on this lineup of bombardier enclosures in the willow run bomber plant. Willow run bomber plant that eventually manufactured 8,800 of these aircraft. Henry fords bomber plant being torn down usa today. By the end of the war, ford had pushed 8,865 b24 heavy bombers out the willow run doors for the army. But no project captured the publics imagination like. A month after dday ford motor company made good on its promise to build one bomber an hour.
Little known little people and a big war gone for a soldier. B24 liberators line the airfield at willow run airport in this june 1945 photo. Building bombers and communitiesat willow run by independent scholar, sarah jo peterson is a lucid account of the planning problems inherent in a world war ii defense plant. At the beginning of world war ii, henry ford was given the task of creating the largest b24 bomber plant in the world to make warplanes. Willow run also built the chevrolet nova 19621979, the xbodies 19801985, the gm h body, and the chevrolet caprice. Jan 03, 2019 how fords willow run assembly plant helped win world war ii the willow run bomber plant made aviation, industrial and social historyalong with new b24s by the hour.
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