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- Edsel Ford, P.E. Martin, and Charles Sorensen Breaking Ground at Ford Motor Company Willow Run Bomber Plant, September 17, 1940 - Ford Motor Company president Edsel Ford joined production managers P.E. Martin and Charles Sorensen in a September 1940 groundbreaking ceremony for the company's Willow Run bomber plant, 35 miles west of Detroit. When finished, the complex employed more than 42,000 people and included more than seven million square feet of floor space. Workers there built one B-24 bomber every 63 minutes.
- September 17, 1940
- Collections - Artifact
Edsel Ford, P.E. Martin, and Charles Sorensen Breaking Ground at Ford Motor Company Willow Run Bomber Plant, September 17, 1940
Ford Motor Company president Edsel Ford joined production managers P.E. Martin and Charles Sorensen in a September 1940 groundbreaking ceremony for the company's Willow Run bomber plant, 35 miles west of Detroit. When finished, the complex employed more than 42,000 people and included more than seven million square feet of floor space. Workers there built one B-24 bomber every 63 minutes.
- Baseball Players Pose with Equipment Given by Mrs. Gitlen, Willow Run Station Hospital, September 1943 - Opportunities for recreation were important in maintaining morale among Willow Run's employees during World War II. They worked long shifts under constant pressure to meet wartime production goals. To ease the strain, the plant offered organized leagues for baseball, softball, bowling, golf, and other sports.
- September 03, 1943
- Collections - Artifact
Baseball Players Pose with Equipment Given by Mrs. Gitlen, Willow Run Station Hospital, September 1943
Opportunities for recreation were important in maintaining morale among Willow Run's employees during World War II. They worked long shifts under constant pressure to meet wartime production goals. To ease the strain, the plant offered organized leagues for baseball, softball, bowling, golf, and other sports.
- Employees at Willow Run Assembling Bomber Frame, February 1943 - At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.
- February 04, 1943
- Collections - Artifact
Employees at Willow Run Assembling Bomber Frame, February 1943
At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.
- Overhead View of Tool and Die Department, Willow Run Bomber Plant, August 1943 - At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.
- August 27, 1943
- Collections - Artifact
Overhead View of Tool and Die Department, Willow Run Bomber Plant, August 1943
At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.
- Building the B-24 Center Wing in Record Time, Willow Run Bomber Plant, 1942 - At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.
- November 30, 1942
- Collections - Artifact
Building the B-24 Center Wing in Record Time, Willow Run Bomber Plant, 1942
At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.
- World War II Poster, "Yessir! Rick We'll Make Willow Run Hitler's Headache!," circa 1943 - The people of Ford Motor Company's Willow Run plant felt -- justifiably -- that their efforts were crucial to Allied victory in World War II. The B-24 Liberator airplanes they built formed the backbone of the Allies' strategic bombing campaign against Germany. Posters like this reinforced the idea that the harder Willow Run's employees worked, the weaker the enemy became.
- circa 1943
- Collections - Artifact
World War II Poster, "Yessir! Rick We'll Make Willow Run Hitler's Headache!," circa 1943
The people of Ford Motor Company's Willow Run plant felt -- justifiably -- that their efforts were crucial to Allied victory in World War II. The B-24 Liberator airplanes they built formed the backbone of the Allies' strategic bombing campaign against Germany. Posters like this reinforced the idea that the harder Willow Run's employees worked, the weaker the enemy became.
- Employee Florence Nightingale Working at Willow Run Bomber Plant, 1942 - At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.
- July 25, 1942
- Collections - Artifact
Employee Florence Nightingale Working at Willow Run Bomber Plant, 1942
At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.
- Henry Ford Watching Workers Riveting Center Wing Section at the Willow Run Bomber Plant, 1942 - At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.
- December 21, 1942
- Collections - Artifact
Henry Ford Watching Workers Riveting Center Wing Section at the Willow Run Bomber Plant, 1942
At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.
- Nurse Assisting Man with Denitrogenation for Altitude Flying, Willow Run Bomber Plant, October 1943 - Pilots, doctors and nurses conducted high-altitude flight experiments at Ford Motor Company's Willow Run bomber plant during World War II. Using a special chamber, staff simulated the low-oxygen, low-temperature conditions of flights up to 60,000 feet. Military officials believed that high-altitude bombing might allow Allied planes to attack enemy targets while flying safely out of range of anti-aircraft guns.
- October 25, 1943
- Collections - Artifact
Nurse Assisting Man with Denitrogenation for Altitude Flying, Willow Run Bomber Plant, October 1943
Pilots, doctors and nurses conducted high-altitude flight experiments at Ford Motor Company's Willow Run bomber plant during World War II. Using a special chamber, staff simulated the low-oxygen, low-temperature conditions of flights up to 60,000 feet. Military officials believed that high-altitude bombing might allow Allied planes to attack enemy targets while flying safely out of range of anti-aircraft guns.
- Mrs. Anderson Working at the Willow Run Bomber Plant, February 1943 - As a part of the automaker's efforts to promote its war work at the Willow Run bomber plant, a Ford Motor Company photographer followed Isabelle Anderson through one of her workdays at home and at the factory. Mrs. Anderson was one of 42,000 workers -- and 15,000 women -- who built 8,685 B-24 Liberator airplanes at Willow Run during World War II.
- February 05, 1943
- Collections - Artifact
Mrs. Anderson Working at the Willow Run Bomber Plant, February 1943
As a part of the automaker's efforts to promote its war work at the Willow Run bomber plant, a Ford Motor Company photographer followed Isabelle Anderson through one of her workdays at home and at the factory. Mrs. Anderson was one of 42,000 workers -- and 15,000 women -- who built 8,685 B-24 Liberator airplanes at Willow Run during World War II.