Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-05-07
Baldwin Works
Steps Up Output
OF colon Tanks
BY REUEL =. MOORE
United Press staff Correspondent

PHILADELPHIA, MAY g. Ne"
6O-ton heavy tanks soon WIN be
rolling off the assembly line al the
Baldwin Locomotive Works TO
widen the stream of weapons pour
ing from Americas war industries
These monsters. among the hig-
ces, tanks ever used, VIII nc
turned Out on the same assembly
line basis which has increased the
plants production of Ms tine,
duml tanks by leaps ana
bounds" said c. H. Frocoel' Bald
wins manager of ordnance sales
STEPPED Up IO-FoLD
Frochers report was corrobo-
rated by Mai. A. J. Seller OF the
Philadelphia ordnance district,
who said that by the end of l942
Baldwin will be producing 10 times
as many tanks as were expected
wear ago. when il delivered It's
first NIB tank 10 the army.
Last month Baldwin's pro-
duction was three and a half
times what ID was when the first
tank came off the line" MAJOR
Seller said. production Will 20
up another three times before
the end Of the year"
Baldwin produced the first DO
ton tank in the United States. II
has been tested and proved, and
will be the model for mass produc-
ton.
The production at the BALDWIN
works is significant, because II is
one of the major tank producing
units in the country.
FIRST OPEN PLANT
II was one of the first war plants
opened 10 newspapermen, who will
inspect more than 80 such fac
tories throughout the nation In a
tour sponsored by the National AS
ISOLATION OF Manufacturers.
Moreover. Baldwin soon will be
making a new model medium tank,
the Ma. an improvement over
the M-3. II will be the same size,
about % tons, but il will have in
creased firepower, lower silhou-
cite, a wider angle of fire and inn
proved. obliquity-that is, the tank
is designed so that IFS armored
surfaces will be at angles TO enemy
fire instead of perpendicular TO il.
when we switch over from
the Ms TO the M, there won't
be a drop I'm production" Froebel
said. New models will be inte-
grated between old"
He said all reports indicated
that the performance of American
tanks was highly satisfactory.
ALL OVER THE WORLD
american tanks are In all
parts of the world" he said.
"M-3s have II over other tanks
like n blanket"
The Baldwin works provide an
excellent example of the CONVEX
sion of civilian industry 10 war
production. To meet military needs.
Baldwin doubled the size of its
personnel in 1941, as compared
with 1910; personnel is three times
what ii was two years ago and
production is up proportionately.
The company is producing more
locomotives 10 meet the transpor-
tation emergency.
Many other Philadelphia indus
tries are turning out weapons of
war in rapidly mounting quantities
with improvised plants and ma
chine tools and hurriedly trained,
but nonetheless efficient, per-
sonnet.
BIGGEST WAR UNIT
One is the Westinghouse Elec-
trio Company's steam turbine
plant. among the biggest war in
dustrial units in the country.
Westinghouse has constructed
four war plants costing $50, DOC, 900,
which the government provided
They include naval ordnance fac
tories in Ohio and Kentucky. a new
cargo ship turbine and gear plant
in the Philadelphia area. and a
naval ship propulsion machinery
factory at an undlsclosed city.
The Westinghouse Electric ele-
vator plant in New Jersey has been
converted TO make gun mounts, a
refrigerator plant in Massachusetts
has been converted 10 the manu-
facture of accessories for army
mechanical fnrcnr and iiS elect tiI