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Story of the Week In this section: This Week's Story Archives Story of the Week Posted: 11.08.2010 The Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant While its fair to say that the federal government and the private sector haven't always worked effectively together, there have been exceptions. One such collaboration was the famous Willow Run production facility located near Ypsilanti which Ford, working with Washington, produced nearly 9,000 B24's during the Second World War. Another less ballyhooed partnership, also necessitated by the conflict of World War II, was between the feds and, this time, the Chrysler Corporation for the manufacture of tanks. Prior to the time fighting broke out between the Allies and the Axis powers, there had never been a concerted effort in the U.S. to coordinate the systematic manufacture of tanks which many felt was an essential tipping point in the blueprint for winning the war. Because of its vast experience in the production of cars and trucks, it was natural for the government to look to Detroit for help with its tankbuilding program. The result was a massive construction facility north of the city in Warren, MI., called the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant. The mammoth structure, designed by master architect Albert Kahn, was erected on 113 acres of farmland measuring five city blocks deep and two blocks wide. At the time the factory was the largest tank building facility in the world, eclipsing even the largest German plants operating during WWII. Located in Warren and designed by architect Albert Kahn, the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant was completed in 1941. The factory was built in Kahns signature Modern Style that was both aesthetic in form and practical in use. In addition to having bold glass curtain walls that provided a crystal palace design, the building was fabricated for surviving an enemy assault. For instance, the materials used to build the huge structure were designed to survive bombardment by the most sophisticated weapons of the day. It included three foot thick concrete walls in some areas and a reinforced roof with slats to direct bombs away from vulnerable windows and exhaust fans. The facilitys fire station even included a Thunderbolt siren on top the structure at the ready in case the plant came under attack. Kahns building was also conceived with a view to the future. His design called for a "dualproduction facility, so that it could produce armaments in times of conflict but could be converted into a peacetime production facility at war's end. The venture was the nations first governmentowned, contractoroperated operation which would go on to build 22,234 tanks for the war effort, enough to equip more than one hundred Army divisions. And unlike the Willow Run facility which ended production at the close of WWII, the Detroit Arsenal continued to roll out stateoftheart tanks during subsequent military action in the Korean War, Vietnam, Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Desert Storm waged in Kuwait in 1991. The coordination of a concerted tank facility is generally given to William Knudsen, the industrial production specialist of the National Defense Advisory Commission. On leave from his responsibilities as president of the General Motors Corporation, Knudsen was on the job less than a week when he called his boyhood friend and colleague K. T. Keller, president of the Chrysler, inquiring about Chryslers ability to change production to a warfare capability. According to legend, Knudsen asked Keller if Chrysler could make tanks. Keller responded, Yes, then asked, Where can I see oneω Prior to World War II, there was a great deal of skepticism in senior military ranks about the need to mass produce tanks. This way of thinking was reconsidered when hostilities erupted in Europe in 1939, signaling the start of the Second World War. In the early years of the conflict Germany was utilizing tanks with alarming success in its Blitzkrieg offensives and it soon became clear the U.S. needed a mobile armored force if it was to meet the German challenge. In response to the idea of the tank being an integral part of the war effort, military planners decided to ramp up production of this overland vehicle as quickly as possible. In fact, the Arsenal received its first contract to build 1,000 M3 tanks in late August of 1940 which were first delivered to the Army in April 24, 1941, while the plant was still under construction. For Chrysler to be able to furnish the Army with a 35ton tank from scratch after only seven and a half months was nothing short of miraculous,said Mike Davis, historian and author of the book Detroit's Wartime Industry: Arsenal of Democracy. And while the product they produced “ the M3 “ wasn't the best tank in the world, it set the stage for the production of the more practical M4. At its peak the plant was running twentyfour hours a day, seven days a week with close to 5,400 Explore MotorCities: Home About Us Our Communities Speak Our Activities & Programs Story of the Week Events Explore MotorCities Search

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Repaso por la vida del arquitecto Albert Kahn en la sección Story of the week de la web MotorCities National Heritage Area.

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  • 5/5/2015 MotorCitiesNationalHeritageAreaStoryoftheWeek

    http://www.motorcities.org/Story/The+Detroit+Arsenal+Tank+Plant182.html 1/2

    StoryoftheWeek

    Inthissection:

    ThisWeek'sStory

    Archives

    StoryoftheWeek

    Posted:11.08.2010TheDetroitArsenalTankPlant

    While its fair to say that the federal government and the private sector haven't always workedeffectivelytogether,therehavebeenexceptions.OnesuchcollaborationwasthefamousWillowRunproduction facility located near Ypsilanti which Ford, working withWashington, produced nearly9,000B24'sduringtheSecondWorldWar.

    Anotherlessballyhooedpartnership,alsonecessitatedbytheconflictofWorldWarII,wasbetweenthe feds and, this time, the Chrysler Corporation for themanufacture of tanks. Prior to the timefightingbrokeoutbetweentheAlliesandtheAxispowers,therehadneverbeenaconcertedeffortintheU.S.tocoordinatethesystematicmanufactureoftankswhichmanyfeltwasanessentialtippingpointintheblueprintforwinningthewar.

    Because of its vast experience in the production of cars and trucks, it was natural for thegovernment to look to Detroit for help with its tankbuilding program. The result was amassiveconstructionfacilitynorthofthecityinWarren,MI.,calledtheDetroitArsenalTankPlant.

    Themammoth structure, designed by master architect Albert Kahn, was erected on 113 acres offarmland measuring five city blocks deep and two blocks wide. At the time the factory was thelargesttankbuildingfacilityintheworld,eclipsingeventhelargestGermanplantsoperatingduringWWII.

    LocatedinWarrenanddesignedbyarchitectAlbertKahn,theDetroitArsenalTankPlantwascompletedin1941.

    ThefactorywasbuiltinKahnssignatureModernStylethatwasbothaestheticinformandpracticalin use. In addition to having bold glass curtain walls that provided a crystal palace design, thebuildingwasfabricatedforsurvivinganenemyassault.

    Forinstance,thematerialsusedtobuildthehugestructureweredesignedtosurvivebombardmentby themost sophisticated weapons of the day. It included three foot thick concrete walls in someareasandareinforcedroofwithslats todirectbombsawayfromvulnerablewindowsandexhaustfans.ThefacilitysfirestationevenincludedaThunderboltsirenontopthestructureatthereadyincasetheplantcameunderattack.

    Kahnsbuildingwasalsoconceivedwithaviewtothefuture.Hisdesigncalledfora"dualproductionfacility, so that it could produce armaments in times of conflict but could be converted into apeacetimeproductionfacilityatwar'send.

    Theventurewasthenationsfirstgovernmentowned,contractoroperatedoperationwhichwouldgoontobuild22,234tanksforthewareffort,enoughtoequipmorethanonehundredArmydivisions.AndunliketheWillowRunfacilitywhichendedproductionatthecloseofWWII,theDetroitArsenalcontinued to roll out stateoftheart tanks during subsequentmilitary action in the KoreanWar,Vietnam,OperationJustCauseinPanamaandOperationDesertStormwagedinKuwaitin1991.

    The coordination of a concerted tank facility is generally given toWilliamKnudsen, the industrialproduction specialist of the National Defense Advisory Commission. On leave from hisresponsibilitiesaspresidentoftheGeneralMotorsCorporation,Knudsenwasonthejoblessthanaweek when he called his boyhood friend and colleague K. T. Keller, president of the Chrysler,inquiringaboutChryslersability tochangeproductiontoawarfarecapability.Accordingto legend,KnudsenaskedKellerifChryslercouldmaketanks.Kellerresponded,Yes,thenasked,WherecanIseeone

    PriortoWorldWarII,therewasagreatdealofskepticisminseniormilitaryranksabouttheneedtomassproducetanks.ThiswayofthinkingwasreconsideredwhenhostilitieseruptedinEuropein1939, signaling the startof theSecondWorldWar. In theearlyyearsof the conflictGermanywasutilizing tankswith alarming success in its Blitzkrieg offensives and it soon became clear theU.S.neededamobilearmoredforceifitwastomeettheGermanchallenge.

    Inresponsetotheideaofthetankbeinganintegralpartofthewareffort,militaryplannersdecidedtorampupproductionofthisoverlandvehicleasquicklyaspossible.Infact,theArsenalreceiveditsfirstcontracttobuild1,000M3tanksinlateAugustof1940whichwerefirstdeliveredtotheArmyinApril24,1941,whiletheplantwasstillunderconstruction.ForChryslertobeabletofurnishtheArmywitha35tontankfromscratchafteronlysevenandahalf months was nothing short of miraculous,said Mike Davis, historian and author of the bookDetroit'sWartimeIndustry:ArsenalofDemocracy.AndwhiletheproducttheyproducedtheM3wasn'tthebesttankintheworld,itsetthestagefortheproductionofthemorepracticalM4.

    At its peak the plantwas running twentyfour hours a day, sevendays aweekwith close to 5,400

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    Home AboutUs OurCommunitiesSpeak OurActivities&Programs StoryoftheWeek Events ExploreMotorCities Search

  • 5/5/2015 MotorCitiesNationalHeritageAreaStoryoftheWeek

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    workersturningoutnearly1,000tanksamonth.

    InNovember1960,theDetroitArsenalTankPlantdeliveredthefirst14,400M60Pattontanks.

    TheeuphoriaoftheplantsproductionsuccesseswashighlightedbyavisitonSeptember18,1942bythenpresidentFranklinRooseveltwhomadetheArsenalhisfirststoponatourofthenationswarproduction facilities. After returning to Washington, the president called the Detroit Arsenal anamazingdemonstrationofwhatcanbedonebytherightorganization,spiritandplanning.

    Even though Chrysler sold the huge facility to General Dynamics in 1982, the plant continued toproduceM60tanksuntil1996whenthecompanysoldthepropertytothecityofWarren.Today,thesite is home to a number of private businesses including U.S. Manufacturing Corp., JohnsonControlsandNobleMetalProcessing.

    For more information about other iconic figures, go to MotorCities National Heritage Area atwww.motorcities.org

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