Evening star., 1942-08-03
Bomber Sections Roll
End|ess|y in Detroit's S
Assembly Plant
ChYsIer's Factory
Was Producing Five
Months After BIueprints
BY DAVID ]. WILKIE,
Wide World.

BY DAVID J. WILKIE,
Wide World.
DETROIT, Aug. 3.-In a ram
shackle old onetime automobile as
sembly plant on Detroit's west side,
the Nations air warfare program is
receiving major impetus as thou
sands of men and women concen-
trate on the volume production of
vital sections Of medium type bomber
planes.
And 1t is volume production. The
that moves along the assembly lines
is a seemingly endless one. You
couldn't count them unless you
measured the length of the line and
the space occupied by each section.
The line just fades away In the
distance and the last object you see
is a fuselage assembly.
This is Chrysler's De Soto bomber
plant. It isn't as large as the Ford
Willow Run factory that comes to
mind first when people In the Ma
tion's motor capital talk about the
bomber plant" But 1t represents
the mass production genius Of the
converted automobile industry in
action.
In Production in Five Months.
The plant was in production in
less than five months after blue
9 prints were received for the plane
sections.
They use an upside down as
sembly line system in this plant
Overhead mono-rail lines carry not
only the interior sections, but also
the sub-assemblies that 60 into
them.
It is really the heart OF the plant
that moves sideways down these as
sembly lines. AS the sections pro-
ceed along the assembly routes,
various parts are added-the bomb
bay doors in the belly, seats for the
navigator and the radio operator,
the bombardier's equipment and
scores of other items.
Completed planes do not come oil
these assembly lines, but when the
sections reach the shipping decks
they are complete In every detail.
Through the combined efforts Of the
hundreds Of men and women work.
ers, a complicated maze of cable
controls and miles of electric wiring
have been installed; ready for use
Is a two-way radio installation;
there is also an intersection" tele-
phone system.
Many Mechanisms Complete.
The mechanisms for operating the
de-icers, raising and lowering the
landing gear, operating the wing
flaps, controlling lights and other
essential controls are complete when
the sections are placed in end-open-
ing freight cars or other vehicles
for shipment to other factories for
\ addition of wings, motors and pro-
pellers.
Young women performing some OF
the riveting operations on the outer
shell of q bomb-bay section, eight
and 10 men working simultaneously
in the interior Of a control section
the huge tanks that carry great
quantities of fuel and the assembly
lines with the plane sections u
numerous they are only inches apart
Is they move from start to finish-it
all presents a most awe-inspirint
sight. ~
It is the electrical wiring ant
cable control systems, however, tina
impress the lay mind with the com
plexity of operations involved in tn,
Job that Is being done.
Wiring Assemblies Intricate.
Within the control section tn,
cables twist and turn at all angles
the wires follow the walls and parti
tions, out Of the way. Miles of wir
ing 60 into each plane. The wiring
assemblies are intricate, but the.
are finished by women workers VIII,
gained their experience in somewha
similar but less complicated Assem-
blies for automobiles in previou
years.
The number of interior section
moving of the assembly lines eacl
day and the number of men an,
women speeding them on their wa,
are military secrets. 1t may be said
however, that mass production is al
established fact at this particula
plant.