Who knew? A Ford? This film will astound you - one B-24 every 55 minutes.
ADOLF HITLER HAD NO IDEA THE U.S. WAS CAPABLE OF THIS KIND OF EFFORT.
There is no way he could have even guessed.

For those who live outside of Michigan, Willow Run is near Bellville, Canton and Ypsilanti, MI.

It's amazing that one B-24 (Built with over 1.25 million parts) came off the assembly line every 55 minutes.

Take a few minutes to watch this snapshot of history.


http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/1...ame/bomber_plant.wmv

This is another B-24 plant.
This building is a mile long and is still used to build airplanes. Now called Lockheed.

More B-24s at Ft Worth Texas

That is simply mindboggling.

B-24s being build at Consolidated in San Diego, Ca.

quote:

Originally posted by D Humbarger:
That is simply mindboggling.

Very true, but could we do it again, if we had to?

Grizz

quote:

Originally posted by Grizzly Adams:

quote:

Originally posted by D Humbarger:
That is simply mindboggling.

Very true, but could we do it again, if we had to?

Grizz

No, I do not think so...

We have Unions different Laws, and "Different" People...

I am a serious student of WWII.

There is no doubt in my mind that WWII was WON by the productivity of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Our brave troops played a major part I am not taking anything away from them, but what won the war was the fact that the USA could, and DID produce more "war fighting stuff", than the Axis could.

quote:

Very true, but could we do it again, if we had to?

We were a far better country in those days than we are now..

Considering the population of the nation in those days, what they accomplished was amazing...

but the nation had focus in those days.. unlike present day

I know I shouldn't argue in this forum, but I think you who say this generation can't like previous generations did are full of horsefeathers.

There are legions of us that work very hard in incliment conditions all the time. Much of the workforce do take regular breaks, paid vacation, maternity leave and all the other niceties because they are allowed, because it is given. The United States very briefly felt threatened or under the gun after 9/11, and shortly after its back to the same old -same old leisure safe standard of living that we've all felt since WW2.

I think its a guarantee that given the proper motivation this nation will respond in kind and Heaven will not help those incurring our wrath.

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:
I know I shouldn't argue in this forum, but I think you who say this generation can't like previous generations did are full of horsefeathers.

There are legions of us that work very hard in incliment conditions all the time. Much of the workforce do take regular breaks, paid vacation, maternity leave and all the other niceties because they are allowed, because it is given. The United States very briefly felt threatened or under the gun after 9/11, and shortly after its back to the same old -same old leisure safe standard of living that we've all felt since WW2.

I think its a guarantee that given the proper motivation this nation will respond in kind and Heaven will not help those incurring our wrath.

Scott,

I beg to differ... your perspective isn't the same as what one would see in the lower 48...

you are an Alaskan... Alaskans still have those work ethics, and the backbone of our forefathers... the environment dictates that..

if the Average Alaskan was the example of the average American.. I'd agree with you 100%...

If the average Alaskan was an example of the average American.. this nation would definitely be second to none..still...

the lower 48 has had the silver spoon in their mouth far too long...

quote:
Originally posted by D Humbarger:
That is simply mindboggling.


Very true, but could we do it again, if we had to?

Grizz
---------------------------------------------

I was wondering the very same thing. I don't think so due to the complexity of our aircraft today.

We are no longer out of range of other countries weapons.

In 1940 we produced 2.7 million cars.
In 2000 we produced 3.4 Million cars.
As long as the bureaucrats would stay out of the way, I think we could do it and then some.

quote:

Originally posted by xgrunt:
Who knew? A Ford?

Ford built a lot of Liberators. They didn't just assemble them; they were innovators. One little known fact is that Ford actually succeeded in addressing the Liberator's faults where Consolidated failed.

Liberators had a lot of virtues, but they weren't easy to fly. To reduce crew fatigue by easing control problems, Consolidated tried to adapt a single vertical stabilizer from a B-23 Dragon, but it didn't work and Consildated abandoned the idea.

The Navy, once it got the restriction forbidding it to fly land based patrol bombers dropped, was forced to accept the harder-to-fly Liberator because all the B-17s were claimed by the USAAF. Initially they used the same version as the Army, with the designation PB4Y-1 Liberator. But they soon asked Ford to address the control problem, in addition to making other changes to adapt it to the Navy's long-range patrol requirements. Ford adapted a verical stabilizer from a C-54 transport and succeeded.



Ford succeeded so well the Army ordered some additional planes for evaluation. Consolidated was so upset at getting shown up by a carmaker they pulled political strings in D.C. to get the Army order cancelled.

Which is why the USAAF used the twin-tailed Liberator until the end of the war. The navy got the pictured PB4Y-2 Privateer.

I'm no historian so those that know correct any misgivings I have about this subject.

The U.S. has been engaged in many wars/conflicts since WWII; I don't think any have been lost due to our military not having sufficient armament.

Did we outsource to foreign nations the building of our arms? (Just a note during the Viet Nam war arms were made at that same Ypsilanti, MI location. I think you'd be surprised what the manufacturing sector of this country can do if asked).

WE COULD DO IT AGAIN.

quote:

Ford succeeded so well the Army ordered some additional planes for evaluation. Consolidated was so upset at getting shown up by a carmaker they pulled political strings in D.C. to get the Army order cancelled.

Which is why the USAAF used the twin-tailed Liberator until the end of the war. The navy got the pictured PB4Y-2 Privateer.

CFS...

had the war with Japan not ended as quickly as it did with the dropping of the atomic bomb, negating the need to invade it.., the Army Air Force would have had a tall tail Liberator.. the B24 N....an order for over 5,000 of them was canceled when the war ended with Japan..

Winston Churchill's personal A/C was a B 24.. one of the early models ( I think a B24 A or LB 30).. in 43 or so.. it was returned to the factory and they installed a tall tail on it like the Privateer Wore....

the Army quit using the B 24 as soon as the war ended pretty much.. however the Navy's AC were used up until 1954 actively... the Navy's last Privateer Stood Down in 1964!....