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. The Willow Run bomber plant, the world's largest factory and one of America's most-publicized plants, is on the outskirts of Ypsilanti, . In 2013, the Museum was able to purchase 144,000 square feet of the Plant. They would be built elsewhere. In on-site classrooms, newly hired workers sat through orientation lectures on the aircraft industry in general, the B-24's specific importance to the war, and the dire consequences should the Allies lose the fight. The remaining four hours were used to restock parts and change tooling. ", 1960 Chevrolet Corvair Sales Brochure, "The Prestige Car in Its Class". Public bus lines offered 35 daily trips from Detroit, while private carriers offered 130. Sorensen, Edsel Ford and Henry Ford well understood the difficulties in precision mass production. Engineering Photographic Department, United States, Michigan, Charter Township of Ypsilanti, Ford Motor Company. The Ford Motor Company's Willow Run Bomber Plant began production in 1942 and continued until June 28, 1945. Boyshad time for recreation as well as work, each camp had a baseball diamond and the boys participated in a softball league, there was also volleyball and handball, movies were shown, and each camp also hosted harvest dances, inviting nearby high school students to join. Linen (Material). Thursday May 4th, 2023. A 175,000-square-foot section, where B-24s were gassed up and towed out the door, was spared for the future home of the National Museum of Aviation and Technology. The bomber plant produced its first B-24J in April 1944; 1587 were built at Willow Run. Access the "best of" at The Henry Ford and other great visit planning resources. Handcrafted versions were pressed into service in England, but the San Diego company lacked resources and methods for high-volume production of the largest, most complex airplane ever designed. 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. Watch on. Consolidated had built each wing with its own temporary jig to hold the structure in place. One pundit referred to it as a sprawling mass of industrial ambition. Folklore has it that Henry Ford decreed that the eastern perimeter of the windowless, L-shaped edifice not spill over into Wayne County, home to Detroit and all those rascally Democrats and union organizers. Ford struggled to get Willow Run running at full potential. The automaker proudly promoted its B-24 efforts in magazine advertisements. Despite how smoothly the plant ran, putting out a bomber an hour still wasn't an easy feat. How Detroit Factories Retooled During WWII to Defeat Hitler - History Future of historic Willow Run plant uncertain - mlive.com "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? Quirk Farms was purchased by automobile pioneer Henry Ford in 1931.
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