Presenting another amazing story of the Motor City’s contribution in World War II: the Ford B-24 bomber plant at Willow Run. Here’s a great old newsreel and some lesser-known facts.
MCG was surprised and gratified by the big audience response to the recent video about the Packard Merlin program in WWII. As inspiring as it is, there are many stories like it surrounding the war effort in the Motor City. Here’s another one: the Willow Run bomber plant.
It’s difficult to wrap our minds around what they were able to accomplish back then, using only telephones and pencil and paper. Starting with 2,600 acres of Henry Ford’s bare farmland, ground was broken on the 3.5 million sq.-ft. facility in April of 1941, and the first B-24 Liberator four-engine bomber flew off the giant Willow Run airfield in September of 1942. Meanwhile, Ford was savaged in the Detroit press because it took too long. Critics named the plant “Willit Run?”
But run it did, and the plant eventually turned out nearly 9,000 Liberators, at one point reaching the line rate of one bomber every 55 minutes. An entire town called Willow Run Village was constructed overnight to help house the plant’s 40,000 workers. The woman we know as Rosie the Riveter worked here. Willow Run was not just an aircraft factory. It was a laboratory in experimental sociology.
The plant had an equally storied history after the war. Between 1946 and 1953, Kaiser-Frazer operated the facility, building over 700,000 cars there. General Motors then took over, building Hydramatic automatic transmissions and adding a Corvair assembly plant.The complex eventually closed in 2010, and is now undergoing demolition with the Yankee Air Museum hoping to save a portion to house its collection of classic warbirds. To support the project, go to http://savethebomberplant.org.
There’s so much more to tell, and Mac’s Motor City Garage will be returning with more stories of Willow Run. For now, enjoy the video.
To contrast, this is how long is takes to build a Boeing 777:
From first part to out of the Boeing factory in Everett: 49 days
Assembly of all components: 3 to 4 days
Flights and testing: About 30 additional days
Total from first part to delivery: About 83 days
A heartfelt thank-you to the men and women ( our parents and grandparents) that made this happen.
Demolition of this historic factory has already begun. The Yankee Air Museum is conducting a fund raising campaign to save a small part of the plant as the new location for the museum, and to house their flyable B-17, B-25, and C-47. We need your help. For more information, go to http://savethebomberplant.org/
Thanks! We’ll add the link to the text.
The “Save the Bomber Plant” campaign is heading to the finish line. Only 1.5 Million to go with the drop-dead date of May 1 approaching. Please help.
Truly awe-inspiring. These were the days when just about anything was possible in our country through imagination, focus and hard work. We should do everything we can to help save this small reminder of the greatness of the American way during this period.
This truly was “The Greatest Generation” with a wonderful “can do” attitude. Thanks to each and everyone who gave us the freedom we so richly enjoy.