THE B 24 The Genius of Henry Ford.

The Genius of Henry Ford.
This was BEFORE Pearl Harbor !
Ford's B-24 Bomber Plant at Willow Run, MI

Henry Ford was determined that he could mass produce bombers just as he had done with cars.

He built the Willow Run assembly plant and proved it. It was the world's largest building under one roof.

Even then FORD HAD A BETTER IDEA!

This film will absolutely blow you away - one B-24 every 55 minutes.

ADOLF HITLER HAD NO IDEA THE U.S. WAS CAPABLE OF THIS KIND OF THING.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/iKlt6rNciTo?rel=0.

Amazing!

Nice .... thanks for the link

Sadly I doubt we could do that these days. We'd have to start by building the machines that make the machines that build the production line if we couldn't import them from overseas.

Thanks for posting this. The sound of round engines always gets my attention. I spent 8 years in the Air Force, and 31 years at Delta Airlines. I now build parts for airplanes that are no longer suported by their builders. Things like engine cowling, wheel pants, instrument panels, firewalls, and sheet metal items. That is why my on line name is Shaper.

Not only could we not do it here, why pay Americans a fair days wage for a fair days work, when you can send the work to Mexico where you can pay a good wage to a few dozen supervisors and poverty wages to the rest of the workforce. That is now the American way.

smokeywolf

This week divers in Lake St. Clair, off Detroit, discovered and brought to the surface an aerial bomb. Detroit bomb experts from the State police determined it was a safe practice bomb from WW 1!Robert

Where would ANYONE today get the money necessary to do that?

How many years from the idea till the first $ of profit is seen?

Bean counters would have hung old Henry out to dry.

All that with only common sense and slide rules, no computer usage then. It boggles the mind to try to imagine the coordination between manufacturers and suppliers and the pre-assembly areas, to get everything to the assembly line on time.
Most places can barely do it now. Outstanding generation of Americans.

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Originally Posted by Bill Weddle

To many rules & regulations now. The airplane could not be invented with all the bs we have to put up with now.

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Your correct. I bet there are more regulations on Eagle Claw making fish hooks now then Ford ever had to deal with back then.

THAT... Is why they called them the "Greatest Generation." Any questions?

Awesome video! Thanks!!

Here is more on Willow Run.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_Run#History

Wow! That doesn't even come close. I never knew. Thanks for sharing. An awesome film. Sad to see the demise of the American ability to produce such things.

When you look back during WWII it simply amazes me at the time from building the various factories to make guns, ammunition, planes and tanks. And then getting the stuff to where it was needed. I seem to remember one of the shipyards did an entire liberty ship during one 24 hour day just to prove it could be done. There is no way should we become embroiled in another world war that things could be done that way. Frank

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Originally Posted by Frank46

When you look back during WWII it simply amazes me at the time from building the various factories to make guns, ammunition, planes and tanks. And then getting the stuff to where it was needed. I seem to remember one of the shipyards did an entire liberty ship during one 24 hour day just to prove it could be done. There is no way should we become embroiled in another world war that things could be done that way. Frank

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liberty ship

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8RszOQwWGY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oX_x-L_BoY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mun1AdlTiag

Aw heck we don't need to be able to do all that now, we could just get them from China!


Seems everything and the stinkin box it comes in is made in China these days, this is going to come back and bite us on the butt bigtime and I don't think it's going to be long in happening.

Hey Guys!!! You are forgetting we live in the country that makes the M1 Abrams tank, F16 Fighting Falcon, F/A 18 Super Hornet, F117 Nighthawk Stealth, B2 bomber, and the B1 bomber, and the list goes on! Sure, these things end up being way overbudget, and we as taxpayers foot that bill, but these are the best in the world!!! And I'm DAMN proud to be an American!

The times-in-production are being quoted deceptively.

The individual B24 was NOT built in 55 minutes, nor was the liberty ship built in 24 hours.

It was the RATE of production, the VOLUME, that saw a bomber roll off the line every 55 minutes, or a ship launched every 24 hours. The individual bomber likely took at least some days to build, and the ship likely took weeks or months from keel-laying to launching.

The sub-assemblies also took considerable time in production at different sites, and their makers had to ensure that the particular sub-assemblies made it to the main factory in a timely manner so as not to impede the flow of the assembly line.

Even so, it was a MOST impressive effort and the results speak for themselves.

I agree that our present-day production is supplying incredibly sophisticated and efficient creations to our Forces. There is no need for the volumes of WW II, and I surely do hope that remains constant into the future.

To bad the B-24 couldn't take much battle damage. That said.
A friend of mines father. Flew them for a while in the Pacific. They were up engine and carried torpedoes. Radar altimeters allowed flying very close to the water. Every night they would turn them down one of the slots between the islands. Balls to the wall fifty foot off the swells straight at an enemy ship. Not a job for the faint of heart. Amazing part is he was alive to tell the story.

The Consolidated B24 Liberator was the most produced aircraft of WWII over 18,000 built, flew in all theaters of combat. Could carry more bombs, fly faster and farther than the Boeing B17 Flying Fortress.

The 2nd Air Division B24's of the Mighty 8th Air Force flew missions out of England's East Anglia along with the 1st and 3rd's B17's. The 15th Air Forces Liberators out of North Africa then Italy carried the war to the Reich in occupied Europe.

Jimmy Stewart the pilot-actor flew over 10 missions ( and they weren't milk runs either) in the B24's of the 445th Bomb Group Heavy, and was threatened with being busted by his superiors if he didn't stop and take a desk job.

The B24's D's of the Aleutian Campaign were used to deliver bombs to the Japanese on the islands of Attu and Kiska, and stopped the German U Boat gap in the North Atlantic because of their "long legs", superior range and load capabilities.

The American people owe a lot to Willow Run , the B24, and the men and women that built them and the crews that flew them into harms way!

Bad Water Bill thanks for the look we talked about Willow Run once before if i remember correctly you had a relative that worked there my grand father worked there i can not remember what he did other than hone cylinders and i am not sure which ones he was a tool and die man but during the war Would have worked were needed. Being born in 1898 he was to old for service with 4 kids at home. I do remember he got robbed in Detroit one payday and the guy took his pants,as it was common to keep money hidden, and then the Detroit cops arrested him up for vagrancy! My how times have changed with no money and no I.D. today they would register him to vote!

Interesting video, my Dad was a B-24 Flight engineer and crew chief and eventually the line chief. He spent from Jul of 42 until April 45 in the Pacific, at such exotic places as Guadalcanal, Bouganville, Funi Futi, New Hollandia, and numerous other small islands. He used to complain about all of the shoddy workmanship on brand new B-24's. He said that ferry pilots flew the planes to Hawaii and the squadrons picked them up there and flew them to their current station. He said when they landed at Guadalcanal the fighting was still going on, and they were getting shot at, as they refueled and rearmed the aircraft. He said he was supposed set up the maintenance area there while the aircraft flew a bombing mission to another island, but he volunteered to fly flight engineer to get off the island. He said itwas safer flying a combat mission than staying on Guadalcanal.

G

Ford also built a plant out southwest of Chicago that built the aircraft engines for the bombers. After the war Tucker automobiles were built there. It was all torn down and a shopping mall called "Ford City" was built there. Most people don't remember the engine plant or the Tucker cars.

HE___HE

Not only do I remember the FORD PLANT in Chicago (where my dad built the engines) BUT I actually have one of the fantastic tool boxes they used there.


And to prove just how ancient I am I was invited to tour the TUCKER PLANT as well. And yes I did. And around 1963 I met the man and his wife who owned 17 of them somewhere in Florida.

What a shame that vehicle was not allowed to reach its potential. Many lives could have been saved IF just the swiveling center headlight had survived.

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Originally Posted by Bad Water Bill

HE___HE

Not only do I remember the FORD PLANT in Chicago (where my dad built the engines) BUT I actually have one of the fantastic tool boxes they used there.


And to prove just how ancient I am I was invited to tour the TUCKER PLANT as well. And yes I did. .

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When I was about 8 or 9 years old A friend about the same age and I pedaled our bicycles from my Grandfathers farm in Oaklawn to the Tucker plant. We were looking in the windows and some of the workers came out to see what we were doing. We told them where we came from and they bought us each a Coca-Cola and let us look inside. That was the best tasting coke I ever drank. We pedaled home and I told Grandparents and they said fine just watch out for traffic if we did it again.
How things have changed,

Just correcting any potential misunderstanding -- by the time Willow Run started building B-24s Henry was largely senile. The production planning genius was provided by his lieutenants, most notably Charles Sorensen but also with contributions from many others. The basic concepts of mass assembly were pioneered by Ford, but other people working for him (Sorensen and Peter Martin, et al) worked out all the details.

An ely elderly gentleman who was one of the line supervisors told me that Henry Ford constantly aggravated govt inspectors at the plant. He said at one point they threatened to seize the plant and keep Ford out. They said he could be very obstinate.

G

I grew up holding the B17 in much asteem and the B-24 not so much.

All things mechanical are subject to compromise ........ the B24 was no exception ......... as they had a huge payload and a very long range, they were not built as tough as the "17" .........

And it's my understanding that the Liberator was also jokingly refered to as: "Bomb'em, Straif'em and FALL on them!"

My wife's uncle flew B-25's over China ........ he had a 75mm cannon mounted in the nose and he said everytime you corked that baby off ....... you spent some time back at base with the maintenance crew replacing rivets. The Zeros liked to hit the B25's head on ....... but when they experienced a ship like his with that "75" ...... they'd chicken out ......... RIGHT NOW!

He said that the big gun was great for catching the Japenese troops in a corner of a rock fence area with their horses pulling artillery pieces while going through an opening. He'd light'em up ...... and all hell broke loose!! ......... horses going everywhere ....... of course that 75 was backed up with going all out with the forward 50 cals.

I better apologize for messing up this thread and I promise to start another in a day or two and tell the story about his being shot down behind enemy lines ..........

Three 44s