American Ingenuity - B-24 Production at Willow Run - WWII

[bobgee]

The Genius of Henry Ford & the GREAT American Spirit.

 

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

[gwb123]

Interesting video.

 

Due to wartime censorship, it really did not show much of the plant facility, machinery or production technique. But it gets the point across.

 

As for the test flight sequence, go to 5:50 and look at the approach to the field for landing. It appears that there are tire marks short of the runway... it looks like some of the test aircraft landed a bit shorter than intended!

[MWalsh]

Thanks for posting this Bob. An uncle of mine helped prep and ferry out Willow Run built Liberators during the war. The video is kind of a snapshot of what he may have seen or been around so it was fun to watch.

 

MW

[m1ashooter]

We couldn't have won the war without mass production. Great video.

[Maj. McRoy]

One wonders where the bomb run was conducted. Considering the amount of aircraft tested there must be a pile of practice bombs in a nearby body of water.