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Oldsmobile’s
Role During World War II
Many
people are not aware of the role that the automotive industry
played during World War II. Oldsmobile was no exception. Following
are a few articles that I thought you might find of interest
along with some poster images from the period. I hope you enjoy
The
automotive industry in World War II
an Encyclopedia Britannica Article
"Between
1940 and 1945 automotive firms made almost $29,000,000,000 worth
of military materials, a fifth of the entire U.S. output. The
list included 2,600,000 military trucks and 660,000 jeeps,
but production extended well beyond motor vehicles. Automotive
firms provided one-half of the machine guns and carbines made
in the United States during the war, 60 percent of the tanks,
all the armoured cars, and 85 percent of the army helmets and
aerial bombs."
Some
articles from a hometown newspaper, the Gazette
News in Janesville Wisconsin
August
1942, Janesville, WI Gazette
News: Full-scale production of artillery shells starts at the
Oldsmobile plants, whose motto is "Keep 'Em Firing." Censorship
orders prevent the Gazette from reporting what types of shells
and how many people are working at the plants. Most of the shells
are 105mm howitzer rounds, and the plants employ at least their
wartime highs of 3,000 people total. A World War I veteran working
at Oldsmobile comments: "Most of us can't get into the actual
fighting for one reason or other. But we've got an important
job to do here--and believe me we're doing it."
Late
August 1945, Janesville WI Gazette
News: War contracts are canceled, and factories start preparations
to return to peacetime production. The Janesville GM plants
return to Chevrolet and Fisher Body control from the Oldsmobile
division, which turned out 16 million artillery shells in three
years of war production. Most of the shells were 105mm for howitzers,
but the combined plant also made 90mm, 3-inch armor-piercing,
3-inch solid-shot and 4.7-inch high-explosive anti-aircraft
shells.
An
interesting history of Oldsmobile from a woman’s perspective
http://www.womanmotorist.com/ftrs/jb-olds-history.shtml
A
typical WWII fighter plane specifications listing the Oldsmobile
guns on the aircraft
P38
Fighter Oldsmobile Armament
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