The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-06-15
WORLDS LEAD
IN 'FIREPOWER'
TAKEN BY CM

Detroit. June Is. (UP)-The
General Motors Corp, which just
few years ago was the worlds fore
most manufacturer OF automobiles,
today is the worlds biggest manu-
facturer of firepower' and is turn
ing out everything in guns from
carbineS TO cannon, according to
"GM Folks" employe publication OF
the corporation.
A total of 10000 shooting irons"
was turned out in GIN plants in
one month, the publication stated,
Just five years after company en-
gineerS had looked curiouSly at the
first blue prints of a gun. Two years
later, in May, 1910, the War Depart
ment placed an educational order"
for 500 machine guns with a Cen
eral Motors division.
Today, % General Motors divi-
Sions in the United States and Can
ada are producing is different
types of weapons and assorted gun
parts for the fighting forces of the
United Nations, it was reported.
Auto Experience Invaluable
Not only have GIN engineers
translated the gunsmith's craft to
mass production terms, but they
also have worked in cooperation
with the ordnance department in
the improvement of the weapons.
1.-THE production record Of Gen.
eral Motors and the ever broaden
ing flow of weapons to the fight
ing fronts are good examples of the
results achieved when the automo-
bile industry focuses its resources
of technical skill and management
experience on the manufacture of
war product" "GM Folks stated.
"The knowledge of mass production
methods gained through long years
of experience in mastering the in
tricacies of automotive manufac-
turing and yearly model changes
has proven of inestimable value in
achieving quantity production in
an entirely new field"
Smallest gun turned out by GIN
Is one of the Army's newest weap-
ons-the 30 caliber, semi-auto-
matte carbine. 1t is produced,
among others, by the Inland Manu-
featuring Division, peacetime ex-
perts in the molding of rubber and
plastics but with little previous eX-
perience in metal fabrication.
Started on Machine Guns
Machine guns were the first
weapons for which GIN received
contracts. -Four divisions, AC spark
plug, Frigidaire, Saginaw Steering
Gear and Crown-Lipe Chapman be-
gan to turn them out in the spring
Of 194l. These 30-and 50-caliber
Brownings were the first machine
guns to be made outside the Eastern
small arms industry and also were
the first made with the aid of con-
veyors and other assembly line
techniques.
Today, the Fisher Body divisions
die and machine plant here is MAX
ing Sand 5-inch naval gun breech
housings, while other Fisher plants
manufacture Comm, and 4.7-inch
anti-aircraft guns for the Army,
with major assemblies coming from
Chevrolet and Buick. Pontiac pro-
duceS the Comm. Cerlikon and 040-
nm. Before anti-aircraft guns and
Is credited with virtual redesign of
the SWiss-named Serlikon.
Oldsmobile, which went into the
gun business two years ago, now
is the largest private bun plant in
the country, measured in terms of
daily production of flrepower. In
addition to the 20-mm. cannon, 1t
makes two types Of 37-mm. aircraft
cannon as we'll as heavy weapons
for tanks and tank destroyer:
In addition to these producers of
major weapons, other divisions of
the firm are in production on gun
control equipment, gun mounts,
sub-assembles and parts.