Images from the Arsenal of Democracy

7. Guns, Shells, Bullets, and Other War Goods

p r e p a r i n g f o r w a r b e f o r e p e a r l h a r b o r 197 197 The American automobile industry produced a wide range of weapons, ammunition, and other war products that it had no experience or expertise with when the war began. Chrysler manufactured the Swedish-designed Bofors 40-mm antiaircraft gun after redesigning it to U.S. standards. Chrysler turned out 30,095 army version (single-barrel) Bofors guns, or 90 percent of the army’s needs. In addition, the company manufactured 14,442 navy versions (two-barrel) of the same gun. The auto industry also made a substantial number of Oerlikon 20-mm anti-aircraft guns for the navy. The Hudson Motor Car Company built 33,201 Oerlikons, and the Pontiac Division of General Motors was the second major supplier. Several General Motors divisions turned out other types of guns. Oldsmobile made more than 10,000 cannon, mainly for tank and tank destroyers. Four General Motors divisions (Saginaw Steering Gear, AC Spark Plug, Frigidaire, and Guide Lamp) produced.30-mm and .50-mm machine guns. Combined, they accounted for 70 percent of the machine guns made during the war. Chrysler manufactured incendiary bombs and various artillery shells, but its major contribution was the production of small-arms ammunition at its Evansville, Indiana, munitions factory. There, Chrysler produced 2,768,688,000 cartridges for .45-caliber carbines (68 percent of Ordnance Department purchases) and another 484,463 cartridges for .30-caliber carbines. 7 guns, shells, bullets, and other war goods 197 198 c h a p t e r 1 The auto industry also produced an almost bewildering smorgasbord of other products for the war effort. Chrysler and General Motors made gyrocompasses in large numbers. Chrysler built portable radar units and equipment used to collect U-235 for the atomic bomb. The industry also made marine engines used to power ships of all sizes. The Packard Motor Car Company specialized in marine engines during the war and made little else other than aircraft engines. Other substantial makers of marine engines included Chrysler, Hudson, and the Cleveland Diesel Engine Division of General Motors. 198 c h a p t e r 7 p r e p a r i n g f o r w a r b e f o r e p e a r l h a r b o r 199 In late 1940, the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy decided to use the Swedishdesigned Bofors 40-mm anti-aircraft gun. The army opted for a single-barrel air-cooled version, while the navy preferred a two-barrel water-cooled design. In January 1941, the navy awarded the Chrysler Corporation a contract to redesign the Bofors gun for mass production, with interchangeable parts, converting the specifications from meters to inches and replacing European metallurgical standards with American standards. Chrysler completed its first mass-produced Bofors gun on 5 February 1942. This photo shows a worker inspecting the breech rings at a Chrysler plant. (ACWP) Chrysler worker inspecting Bofors gun barrels. (ACWP) g u n s , s h e l l s , b u l l e t s , a n d o t h e r w a r g o o d s 199 200 c h a p t e r 1 200 c h a p t e r 7 p r e p a r i n g f o r w a r b e f o r e p e a r l h a r b o r 201 ‹By the end of the war, Chrysler produced 30,095 single-mount Bofors guns, 90 percent of which were bought by the U.S. Army Ordnance Department. Chrysler also completed 14,442 pairs for the navy, for a total combined production equivalent to 58,979 single guns, all assembled at the Plymouth Lynch Road plant in Detroit. In addition, the automaker built roughly 60,000 extra barrels. This photograph shows the assembly of single-barrel Bofors gun mechanisms. (ACWP). g u n s , s h e l l s , b u l l e t s , a n d o t h e r w a r g o o d s 201 202 c h a p t e r 1 202 c h a...