At its peak, Willow Run employed more than 15,000 women -- some 35 percent of its total staff. The resulting housing complexes were built in several different groups. A rough-hewn, hard-charging martinet, Cast Iron Charlie played a principal role in conceiving and designing the worlds first moving assembly line at Fords Highland Park plant bordering Detroit. [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. we intend to restore a piece of the building, about 175,000 square feet. Willow Run Wartime Problems - Michigan Technological University Ford built 6,972 of the 18,482 total B-24s and produced kits for 1,893 more to be assembled by the other manufacturers. the yankee air museum into it and show people what the history . Henry Ford's bomber plant being torn down - USA Today During a January 1941 inspection tour of the Consolidated San Diego plant with Edsel Ford, gentlemanly 45-year-old company president and son of cantankerous autocrat Henry Ford, Sorensen belittled the operations deliberate, labor-intensive procedures. The museum would consolidate operations scattered on various parcels at Willow Run, and the Trust expects to clear the remainder of the plant for redevelopment. Of the seven chapels, this is the only one currently in use as a regular place of worship. However, he finally relented and did employ "Rosie the Riveters" on his assembly lines, probably more because so many of his potential male workers had been drafted into the military than due to any sudden change of principle on his part. The plant began production in summer 1941; the dedication plaque is dated June 16. The aircraft manufacturer Douglas Aircraft, and the B-24's designer, Consolidated Aircraft, assembled the finished airplane. Many fled after their first day, traumatized by the smell, constant clanging and motion of machinery, and overpowering size of the place. [15] Ford Motor was to have first option on the plant after war production ended, an option it ultimately chose not to exercise, although a rumor in Drew Pearson's syndicated column had Ford planning a postwar use as a tractor factory,[16] but that never came to pass. By the end of the war, Ford had pushed 8,865 B-24 heavy bombers out the Willow Run doors for the Army . "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? Their work guided custom designs of 1,600 machine tools and 11,000 fixtures, some 60 feet tall, that would stamp, mill, drill, broach and grind parts to thousandths-of-an-inch tolerances, each with repeatable precision. The Air Force dictated more performance and safety upgrades for B-24s than any other American warplane. On October 31, 1945 Ford published a notice that cut its workforce from 1,400 employees down to 100 employees who would finish cataloging remaining parts and finish the records. Willow Run and its workers met their goal. While . Not given to understatement, he proclaimed that the one-level superstructure would be the most enormous room in the history of man.. By the mid-1920s, a local family operating as Quirk Farms had bought the land in Van Buren Township that became the airport. workforce became a model of diversity for future [36][38], Once production began, it became difficult to introduce changes dictated by field experience in the various overseas theaters onto the production line in a timely fashion. [55] By mid-2014, the majority of the facility had been demolished and cleared. The valves that would shut the water off to different parts of the plant have been hidden in the building's entrails. 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. Kaiser-Frazer produced some 739,000 cars at Willow Run between 1947 and 1953, when the company acquired Willys-Overland and moved all operations to the Willys factory in Toledo, Ohio. The bomber plant adjacent to the airport produced the famed World War II bombers in a plant built by Henry Ford. Employees Assembling Bomber at Willow Run Plant, March 1943 It was thought to be the largest factory under one roof anywhere in the world. Every fluorescent light bulb in the plant must be taken out before the building can be torn down. Sorensen protested that Willow Run could not function under these strictures. The remaining four hours were used to restock parts and change tooling. After the war, Ford sold the chapel to Kaiser-Frazer, who in turn sold it to General Motors as part of the purchase of the Willow Run bomber plant. Thought to be overly ambitious in its scope, the plant hoped to boost bomber production from one aircraft per day to one plane per hour. In 2013, the Museum was able to purchase 144,000 square feet of the Plant. PBS to air documentary about Ypsilanti's legendary Willow Run B-24 He went on to oversee operations at the companys River Rouge complex where 100,000 workers could produce 10,000 cars a day, from raw materials to finished products. They were producing a custom-made plane put together as a tailor would cut and fit a suit of clothes. Years later, that stretch would become a section of I-94. Easements were acquired from landowners across the county line in Ypsilanti Township where the Liberator plant (and eventually the airport terminal) would be built. generations. It was constructed in 1941 by the Ford Motor Company for the mass production of the B-24 Liberator military aircraft. Numbers climbed steadily throughout the year. Ford proved them wrong, not easily nor entirely, during a 2.5-year production run in a 3.5-million-square-foot factory built over Willow Run Creek near Ypsilanti, MI. Workers at the Willow Run Bomber Plant take lunch on the fuselage, February 8, 1943. It still has the original pews and other furnishings; the only other set in active use belongs to the Greenfield Village chapel.[13]. Blacks and other minorities were welcomed and so were immigrants. 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. 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. [27] In May 2017, the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office recognized Parkridge Homes with the unveiling three historic markers signifying the importance to Ypsilanti history.[28]. The company resumed automobile production within a week. [40], The B-24E was the first variant of the B-24 that underwent primary manufacture by Ford at Willow Run. No one had ever manufactured airplanes on such a scale before. Willow Run Bomber Plant - The Henry Ford Gift of Ford Motor Company. Specialized employees -- riveters, for example -- received training in these classrooms as well. [8], Coordinates: 421428N 833304W / 42.241N 83.551W / 42.241; -83.551. Consolidated's method required 250 man-hours; Ford's needed one. The airport is now home to cargo airlines, charter flights and corporate jets. For this reason, a series of Air Technical Service Command modification centers were established for the incorporation of these required theater changes into new Liberators following their manufacture and assignments. [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. Ford officials looked for every efficiency they could find in B-24 production. Hundreds bought their first pair of shoes upon arrival. By 1945, Ford produced 70% of the B-24s in two 9-hour shifts. Adjacent to the factory complex, Ford constructed a 1,484-acre airport with six runways and three aircraft hangars. Ford Motor would not only build the bombers, it would supply the airfield as well; the farm at Willow Run was an ideal location for the airfield's runways, being under the personal ownership of Henry Ford (thus solving any land acquisition problem) and sited between the main roads and rail lines connecting Detroit with Ann Arbor and points to the west. Mass production of B-24s must rely on continuous assembly flow, or they couldnt be built at all. The remaining four hours were used to restock parts and change tooling. Apart from a new tail turret, the B-24M differed little from the B-24L. In April 2013, the Detroit Free Press confirmed that the facility's current owner, RACER Trust, was negotiating with the Yankee Air Museum to preserve a small portion of the original bomber plant as a new home for the museum. Like virtually all of the United States' industrial concerns, Ford Motor Company, by this time under the direction of Henry Ford's only son Edsel, directed its manufacturing output during World War II to Allied war production. ", Demolition of the majority of the Willow Run facility began in December 2013. Willow Run | Detroit Historical Society In early 1941 the Federal government established the Liberator Production Pool Program to meet the projected demand for the B-24, and the Ford company, joined the program shortly thereafter. You cant expect a blacksmith to make a watch overnight, sniffed Dutch Kindelberger, president of North American Aviation. [7], For a period of time before the eventual demolition of Willow Run Assembly, portions were used as a warehouse, about a quarter of which was leased by GM as a facility for parts distribution.[45]. Between June and December 1943, construction was completed on temporary "flat-top" buildings providing homes for 2,500 families. Women did everything from clerical work in the offices to riveting and welding on the assembly line. The factory prompted the creation of the Washtenaw County Health Department and was a key part of America's "arsenal of . The Willow Run Expressway also connected with the Detroit Industrial Expressway, built at the same time. [3][41], The B-24H was the first variant produced by Ford at Willow Run in large numbers that went into combat. Efforts to desegregate Willow Run Lodge and Village and build additional integrated housing were rebuffed by the Detroit Housing Commission and the National Housing Agency,[25] so noted African-American architect Hilyard Robinson was contracted to design an 80-unit community. Every available room within miles was rented, including those with eight-hour shifts called hot beds. 1250 B-24L aircraft were built at Willow Run. 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. Access the "best of" at The Henry Ford and other great visit planning resources. Search our website to find what youre looking for. From the Collections of The Henry Ford. The option to Walbridge has since lapsed and the property remains available for purchase and redevelopment. With the weight reduction and more powerful engines, it also had a much longer range than earlier models. Consolidated maintained control over design changes and so did the Army Air Corps (retitled U.S. Army Air Force in June 1941). Employee training was a constant process at Willow Run. To their dismay they discovered that engineering drawings for the big bomber were uselessincomplete and filled with discrepancies and unfamiliar signs and symbols. "Decommissioning the plant is not an easy task. In 2011, A.E. The metal entry doors were also fashioned with magnets to effectively keep the door shut. The plant's kitchen prepared nearly 10,000 rolls each day. Pilots, co-pilots, navigators and crew chiefs were assigned as a crew for each aircraft, sleeping on 1,300 cots as they waited for the B-24s to roll off the assembly line. The company also develops, designs, and manufactures peripherals and components for its products. Willow Run Bomber Plant IPMS - USA. Consolidated had built each wing with its own temporary jig to hold the structure in place. 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. He may have been right. Designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California, the B-24 Liberator served in every branch of the armed forces during World War II. 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. The skilled women who accomplished this work -- at Willow Run and elsewhere -- inspired the symbolic "Rosie the Riveter" character. Long car rides from Detroit over lumpy roads and in overcrowded buses discouraged thousands of employees who left for jobs closer to home. The building is currently being used to house and protect of the Museum's large aircraft . Production steadily increased, reaching the magical plane-per-hour pinnacle in mid-1944 while accounting for half of all B-24s assembled that year. ft. building, which later became the GM Powertrain facility. Willow Run bomber plant. In 2009, General Motors announced that it would shut down all operations at the GM Powertrain plant and engineering center in the coming year.[6]. Buses were among the only practical solutions. Future of historic Willow Run plant uncertain - mlive.com By Tim Trainor. The tri-level interchange seen here provided direct access to the factory for traffic traveling to and from the expressway. . [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. The plant closed June 28, ending the Liberators brief but epic run, along with Fords presence in the aircraft industry. A Bomber An Hour - Strategos, Inc Willow Run Assembly operated from 1959 to 1992 on a parcel to the south of the airport. Planes were assembled outdoors, exposed to a hot sun that distorted parts out of shape. While there were many injuries, it is notable that Willow Run did not record a single fatality while the factory was in service. Most controversial was Ford's decision to replace soft metal dies -- thought to be gentler on aluminum airplane components -- with hard steel dies. Bricker.[33]. Here is his description of the visit and how he conceived the Willow Run bomber plant that eventually manufactured 8,800 of these aircraft. The copper wiring and electrical fixturesthe veins and arteries of the plantare the first to be stripped away. Each kit -- consisting of 80 percent of the parts for a finished B-24 -- was shipped via two tractor-trailers. The plant initially built components. Ford's production methods depended on a "fixed" design -- each design modification required expensive and time-consuming updates to the assembly line. It appears that Camp Willow Run shut down after the 1941 season with the coming of the bomber plant, many of the boys went to work at the Willow Run village industry plant, and others moved on to the apprentice and trade school. 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.
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willow run bomber plant employees