Robert Richards

Sun, Mar 10, 2013 : 3:10 p.m.

The Stockbridge High School Robotics Team will be traveling to the Republic of Palau March 21 to April 3, 2013 to search for a B-24 shot down in 1944. This is the last missing B-24 in Palau her 8 member crew is still listed as MIA. The kids have been to the Yankee Air Museum as part of their research prior to deploying. You can follow their Expedition to Palau with the BentProp project on their Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/StockbridgeRobotics or at BentProp.org.

Alan Haber

Sun, Mar 10, 2013 : 2:57 p.m.

The untold story is that when the plant was opened, workers were recruited from various states in the South and migrated here for the war jobs. However, no provisions were made for housing the workers. The local real estate politicos refused to permit the feds from building public housing for these workers, (that would be socialism!) arguing that there was enough housing in Detroit, Inkster and other points East. So rather than build housing near the factory, they persuaded the government to build these workers a special road from Detroit to Willow Run, and to give the workers extra gas and tire rations so they could commute to work. This bit of road, now called I-94, was the first segment of actual freeway in America (other limited access, divided highways were all toll roads, like the Pennsylvania turnpike.) The result was that the factory was surrounded by tents and tar paper shanties where many workers lived in the winters of 1942 and 1943, and summers too. Temporary housing was finally built in 1944, which was taken over by the University of Michigan after the war for Veterans' student housing. The Willow Village area of Superior Township became a racially and economically divided cluster of neighborhoods marked by endemic post war poverty. An Office of Economic Opportunity, War on Poverty "demonstration" project was organized in 1964-66. Remember these reactionary economic policies every time you ride on this bit of "historic highway."

YAM-MAF

Sun, Mar 10, 2013 : 2:06 p.m.

The story of the Willow Run Bomber Plant is a fascinating story, not only about the Arsenal of Democracy which was Detroit and SE Michigan during World War II, but also the story of the people who were the "Home Front" during that time. So many people in SE Michigan today can point to that plant and recall knowing someone who worked there. The Yankee Air Museum has been researching and keeping that story alive for over 30 years and the Michigan Aerospace Foundation has been raising money to support the efforts of the museum. If you have not visited the museum at Willow Run (NE Corner of Willow Run Airport - D Street of Beck Road, you should do that. Also, the documentary which is being shown on PBS was provided to them by the Michigan Aerospace Foundation and the DVD can be purchased either through the website of the foundation - www.michiganaerospace.org or at the Yankee Air Museum Gift Shop at Willow Run - www.yankeeairmuseum.org. You can also receive a DVD for donating to the MIchigan Aerospace Foundation or Detroit Public Television. Learn about this important part of the history of SE Michigan.

PineyWoodsGuy

Sun, Mar 10, 2013 : 7:21 a.m.

Love reading the posts! The County of Washtenaw stands on the "edge" of creating the appropriate memorial to the Place where, like Helen of Troy, who launched a thousand ships, Willow Run launched ten thousand bombers that Won WWII!! High Altitude Daylight Precision Bombardment, that's what it was about 60+ yrs ago!!!

YpsiDipsy

Sun, Mar 10, 2013 : 4:04 a.m.

Channel 56 already aired it earlier this week. It was quite interesting, but: 1. Very dated; not unexpected, but wow 2. Clearly produced by Ford

brian

Sun, Mar 10, 2013 : 3:30 a.m.

I worked at the Engineering Department for 13 years there, what an amazing place inside.

Krupper1

Sun, Mar 10, 2013 : 2:18 a.m.

God bless all the veterans and men and women who worked to support them!

An Arborigine

Sat, Mar 9, 2013 : 10:28 p.m.

Michigan vs Indiana also at 4pm, looks like DVR time!

Top Cat

Sat, Mar 9, 2013 : 9:46 p.m.

Copies of this film can be purchased at the retail shop of the Yankee Air Museum.

Ross

Sat, Mar 9, 2013 : 8:54 p.m.

Dang, I'd like to watch this, but doesn't PBS know that the biggest basketball game of the season is on at 4pm too?

Spyker

Sat, Mar 9, 2013 : 8:13 p.m.

I spent 25 years working at that site in the Facilities Engineering Department. It was a great place to start as a young enigneer due to the specialized electrical, mechanical, and architectural systems incorporated in the buildings's original design and construction. The construction blue-prints were started in 1938, as proved by the title block dates on the drawings, well before the US officially entered the conflict. The plant received electrical power via underground conduits connecting the Power House to the Ford Lake dam. These conduits partially exist even to this day. The plant also had a small on-site hydro-electric plant powered by damming Willow Run Creek, but generated most of its electrical power via steam turbines driving generators in the Power House. War time employees were paid in cash. The armored car delivering the payroll had a private garage on the west facade equipped with a dumb-waiter which delivered the money directly to a large vault on the second floor. The PayMaster's office adjacent to this vault had an armored steel ceiling hidden above the visible tile celing to prevent break-ins from above. The building is equipped with four 35 ft x 150 ft hangar doors equipped with counterweights to facilitate their vertical opening. Two doors remain in operation and the counterweights need to be adjusted everytime the doors are painted. Hnad tools used by the aircraft assemblers were powered by 180Hz electricity generated in the underground electrical sub-stations. Use of high frequency electricity allowed these hand toosl to be smaller, lighter, and incapable of being used outside the plant where all electricity in the US is 60Hz. Wartime employees entered the plant via climbing stairs in the parking lots and along the bus road to overhead walkways which entered and bisected the plant at multiple points. Each walkway also had an exterior freight elevator, and atop the elevator shaft/ tower an anti-aircraft gun was mounted.

genetracy

Sat, Mar 9, 2013 : 6:28 p.m.

The Willow Run plant did more to advance women's rights than any modern day feminist.

hroad

Sat, Mar 9, 2013 : 6:27 p.m.

I think name of the Ypsilanti Community School's mascot should be the Liberators, the nickname of the legendary B-24 plane.

Ivor Ivorsen

Sat, Mar 9, 2013 : 5:42 p.m.

The history of the Willow Run B-24 is a great deal more complicated. The first bombers to roll off the line were more poorly made and had an awful failure rate. Charles Lindbergh, who was closely associated with Henry Ford, wrote that " the workmanship on the first bombers that went through Willow Run was the worst I had ever seen." The Ford team had bungled the project in the worst way, and productions fell way behind schedule. Then Senator Harry Truman was called in to investigate the plant that was being called "Will-it Run" by the Press. Eventually the Ford team would be replaced and the Willow Run plant would go on to produce high quality bombers in amazing numbers. The heroes of this story, are, of course, the thousands of dedicated women and men who worked around the clock to build the machinery of victory. Unfortunately this film only perpetuates mythologies about Henry Ford and omits his earlier flirtation with Adolf Hitler and his chronic anti-Semitism.

tdw

Sat, Mar 9, 2013 : 4:59 p.m.

Willow Run is where Rosie the Riveter was supposedly from

Dog Guy

Sat, Mar 9, 2013 : 4:48 p.m.

Seeing this this movie in 1952 explained to this "airport kid" why crews would trade a brand new Consolidated B-24 for a used Ford B-24. It was my education in manufacturing quality and efficiency.

Billy

Sat, Mar 9, 2013 : 3:48 p.m.

My grandparents worked in that plant.

WalkingJoe

Sat, Mar 9, 2013 : 3:30 p.m.

Katrease, I worked at the plant when it was the GM Powertrain plant and I have to point a couple things out. The Yankee Air Force Museum is not located where the former plant was but is across the airport to the east. And the bomber plant employed 42,000, not the airport. I have seen the documentary that you mentioned and believe I have a VHS copy here somewhere. It is very interesting and I recommend it to everyone especially history buffs. By the way I'm not trying to be like some who come to these articles just to find mistakes, I'm just pointing some things out.

tdw

Sat, Mar 9, 2013 : 3:17 p.m.

Any idea what time and what channel on ( Ughhh ) Comcast ?