Vintage shots from days gone by!

them there are ostrich trotters...

 

started scanning a bunch of old family pics:
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my Great Grandfather

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my Grandma and Great Uncle

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You're right, the original never flew, it was completed as the Germans invaded France during WWII and the plane was hidden away to keep it from them. There is a replica,full scale, flyable plane being built in Tulsa, Oklahoma that they are hoping to fly this year. Really an interesting plane and huge project that these guys are undertaking. K.

 

Bob, knew his wife was mad, but he didn't know she was this mad!

 

I think he is listening closely for the leak and apparently it was on the bottom

 

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Watch em Run!


<iframe width="640" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Tpl4Cr3-Tm0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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I start skipping whole pages when they consist of people whining about large or repeated photos and rules. This is one of the greatest threads ever and those who are contributing photos and information deserve our gratitude. If you want to skip whole pages, please do but spare us the criticism and complaints.

 

I am on a terrible internet connection, I just open the page in a new tab, and go do other things and let the photos load, then I go through them. If that's too hard to do then I'm not sure if there is a way to please everyone.

moefuzz that is a cool video, I always thought it was wild how they used to destroy steam trains like that for entertainment... no wonder they are few and far between these days.

 

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Ford of Canada? Too cool!

 

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All images Willow Run during WWll.

 

I have larger versions


-The V8-60, The Lincoln V-12, Several versions of the Flathead/Mercury V8's and the Ford 9N 4 cylinder.


I need to find someone with a Nikon D90 or similar to capture the images and ultimately save them as 12 or 14 mega pixel posters (in both white and 'blue print versions).

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This tug has Ford hub caps!

Amazing stuff! Larger you say? you should totally post those!

I have Nikon P90... not the same thing but 12.4 MP... but I think you are too far away from me to take some shots!

 

(I will be going thru your area on sunday, on my way up to Spruce Grove).....




You have a keen eye, I guess if your gonna build tugs your gonna need hubcaps.


I think the largest version I have of the blue prints are 2400 wide, the above are about half that.
I used a cheapy camera at 4 megapixel to capture what I have but photobucket keeps downsizing my uploads.




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Just some of the Ford products produced for WWll.




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Jet engines, assembly and testing

 

I had an inkling you were not too far from me for some reason, but I can't recall if you told me or I assumed due to something, my short term memory is shot unfortunately.

My camera currently has a scratched lens, does anyone have any idea where I can get that taken care of? (Nikon P90 has a non-detachable lens)

 

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Ford broke ground on Willow Run in the spring of 1941, with the first plane coming off the line in October 1942. It had the largest assembly line in the world (3,500,000 ft²/330,000 m²). At its peak, the Willow Run plant produced 650 B-24s per month in 1944. By 1945, Ford made 70% of all B-24s in two nine-hour shifts. Pilots and crews slept on 1,300 cots at Willow Run waiting for their B-24s to roll off the assembly line. At Willow Run, Ford produced half of 18,000 total B-24s.



The 1st Liberator B-24 off the Willow Run Line, October 1942:







The 5,000th Liberator, June 29th 1944.
Ford was building them faster than the Japs could shoot them down.
And that was a good thing.









Lucky number 7,ooo:



Number 8000:




The Last B-24






In all, 18,482 B-24s were built by September 1945. Twelve thousand saw service with the USAAF. The U.S. Navy operated about 1,000 PB4Y-1s, and almost 800 PB4Y-2 Privateers which were derived from the B-24. The Royal Air Force flew about 2,100 B-24s in 46 bomber groups and 41 squadrons; the Royal Canadian Air Force 1,200 B-24Js; and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) 287 B-24Js, B-24Ls, and B-24Ms. Liberators were the only heavy bomber flown by the RAAF in the Pacific. Two squadrons of the South African Air Force based in Italy flew B-24s







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'School Daze', Bought with funds raised by members of Ford's Various Trade Schools thru the purchase of war bonds







Other/Various Liberators:











Gloria Swanson:












Gracie (of George Burns and Gracie Allen Fame):





Walter Pidgeon:






Christening B-24 "Air Wac" 1/20/1944


















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General "Hap" Arnold with Henry Ford 7/13/1944






Henry Ford and Vice President Wallace 7/24/1943











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Of the 18,000 Liberators built, many survived the War to fly for various Allied Air Force as well as civilian duty.

Some aircraft were known to accumulate 12,000 + hours flight time over and above the time spent Defending Democracies.








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Are those 18" wheels??

 

Of the +18000 Liberators built, many survived the war. But only a handfull left today. Here some more aircraft photos. This B-17 belly landed in France in 1944. I found the crew many years later.

 

Another Liberator:

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Original photosource unknown; on web, likely from Library of Congress​

 

A couple more B24s:

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Original photosource unknown on web; likely Library of Congress​

 

is there a way to make this smaller? sorry tryed the multi quote , did somthing wrong ..i was referring to the squatters pic

 

Whoa. Cool ad. HAS to be one of THE coolest early Mercs! Period.

 

My dad was flight engineer and top turret gunner on this B-24. The plane and alternate crew were lost on Christmas eve 1944.