Willow Run: 1942

Wow, thanks so much for sharing this photo. My grandma worked at this plant during the war; for all I know, she could be one of the ladies in the foreground. She carpooled with coworkers every day from River Rouge. I'm going to have a copy of this printed and share it with her. Thanks again!

I believe they are assembling wing spars for North American B-25 "Mitchell" bombers. I can do some digging on the web for confirmation, if necessary, but I remember reading recently that they were assembled there early in the war, before B-24 production ramped up. Note that the spars are not straight; the B-25 had a strange inverted gull wing.

New to this site: FABULOUS!

I'm thinking that it's the wing in-spar rib assembly area, though it's kinda hard to tell since there isn't a completed one on the tables. Looks like they just do the forming of the outer ribs and maybe it goes to another area (off camera) for the attachment of the flat sheet metal to complete the rib. The proximity to the wing jig makes me think my guess might be correct. That and I work in a rather large plant (Boeing 747) right now.

Good timing, as the Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run was hosting the 10th annual Thunder Over Michigan air show the day this image was posted. A lot of great old warbirds on display and flying, including a couple B-24s. This show just gets better every year.

Being an engineer and lifelong aviation enthusiast, I always love the photos of the aircraft factories. I am curious as to what the jigs in the foreground are for, as I can't quite make out the shape of what's being put in them. Any guesses? Control surface structure? Perhaps Dave can provide a closer look at the racks or one of the nearly completed jigs near the bottom of the photo?

[Click below to enlarge. Depending on your browser you may need to click a second time to expand the image. - Dave]

If memory serves me correctly, Ford made Consolidated B-24 bombers at this plant, or at least the airframes for them. Were there any other warplanes being assembled here at that time?

Charlie Paterson, a manager of Willow Run, was later a company vice president. I had to report to him because one my workers had cut off his thumb while operating a stamping press. Years later as I was walking back from lunch we met, he remembered me, he asked how I was doing etc. etc. as six or seven of his assistants stood waiting wondering how a vice president knew a die room supervisor.

I grew up in Belleville in the 60's, less than a mile from the plant, and have always had a fascination for its history. My grandfather worked there during the war as a machinist (center section) and always had some interesting stories. I actually worked at Willow Run in the 70's and 80's, and at one point worked in Hangar 1, Bay 4, the subject of another Shorpy picture. Unfortunately the B-24's were long gone. My dad tells of seeing them lined up along the Ecorse Road side of the field after the war, scheduled for demolition, lined up three rows deep for nearly a mile.

I love seeing the plant on Shorpy! I went to Willow Run School District for all K-12. The district, and practically all of Ypsilanti Township, was built for the families that came up (mostly from the South) to work at the plant. I loved hearing the stories. There's a great museum at Willow Run Airport.

Go Flyers! Class of 2001!