Willow Run

[Three44s]

It’s a FORD!

No, it’s a B24!

Willow run:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p2zukteYbGQ

Enjoy!

Three44s

[Boz330]

I've seen this before and it is pretty amazing what this country did during WWII. IIRC they turned out a B-24 every 52 minutes, think about that. There are somewhere around 4 million individual parts in a B-24. And we did that with everything else needed for war.

Bob

[country gent]

What is amazing with willow run is the speed that the complete plant came up and the production started. The machining and press buildings were first and running parts with trained workers then the assembly building and lines and planes were moving down them as they were built. It was a big complex and a lot went on. Then factor in the constant loss of workers due to men being called up. Women, young and old men ( below call up age and above) Were the work force. Trained to do skilled work in a matter of months. Like the Rouge plant it was a complete production plant with materials in one end and finished product out the other. The rouge plant was a complete manufacturing plant, steel works ( steel was made and alloyed to fords specs). Glass works, glass was made on site. Press building where stampings and forgings were made. The machining building where the stampings and forgings were finished and parts made from bar stock. All of this flowed to the assembly building where sub assemblys made and then combined to make a complete car or machine.
A lot of the presses, and machines were special to the job and built in house or on site to what was required and needed.
The willow run plants building tooling up and getting to production was truly amazing and mind boggling to say the least.

[reloader28]

Very cool. I watched that a couple months ago. My Grandpa was a pilot on one of those