Having fun and preserving the legacy of the Rosie the Riveters of WWII with the Michigan Rosies (Rosie the Riveter Association of Michigan)
There are many rumors around town about why Ford's Willow Run WWII B-24 assembly line takes a 90-degree turn at the end, enabling the finished bombers to exit the plant on the Washtenaw side of the county line… but here's the real story! A look at the map reveals that the old bomber plant lies snug up against the… Continue reading Willow Run: The Story Behind Henry Ford’s “Tax Turn”
We were delighted to meet WWII Rosie the Riveter Frances attending the Open House at the Willow Run Bomber Plant. Frances, who is 91, worked at the plant during WWII, making B-24 Liberator bombers on the assembly line. She lived in Detroit at the time, and it took an hour by bus to get to… Continue reading A Real Rosie the Riveter
It's always a special pleasure to meet a real, live Rosie the Riveter, and we were delighted to meet Margaret! Margaret, who will be 89 this November, worked in the blueprints department of the Willow Run Bomber Plant during World War II. She told us that she had one of the original engineering drawings of… Continue reading Real Rosie the Riveter Has B-24 Blueprint
Today, I had the pleasure of sharing a lunch table with Chester and Jim. Jim, at right, is a World War II veteran, who was training as a pilot to fly the B-25 Mitchell, a two engine bomber. He completed his training on May 24, 1945, only days after VE Day, so he never saw… Continue reading WWII Veteran and a Man Who Was a Boy in Germany During WWII
The public was given a rare opportunity to step inside the vast (5.5 million sq. ft.) Willow Run Bomber Plant to see it one last time before most of it is demolished to make way for a smart car test facility. It was also announced today that demolition would be postponed to allow five more… Continue reading A Gentleman Who Worked at Willow Run With the Rosies
Miles creates beautiful drawings to help save the Willow Run Bomber Plant. This is Miles. He's 11, and he loves the Willow Run Bomber Plant. Some of us heard about him when we were talking with tailgaters at a recent U of M football game. But we had no way to find him. Fortunately, he… Continue reading 11 Year Old Boy Draws Bombers to Save Willow Run
Mr. Homer Hinchliff, whose father was a USAAF B-24 pilot, and attended the grand opening of the Willow Run Bomber Plant. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Homer Hinchliff of Willis, Michigan at the Orphan Car Show in Ypsilanti. Mr. Hinchliff says his dad, Lt. Col. Edward Hinchliff, was present in 1942 at the… Continue reading Willow Run Grand Opening 1942, Part I: a B-24 Bomber Flies up from Smyrna, TN
And you thought snakes were bad! Another great story from Mr. Homer Hinchliff of Willis, MI. Homer's father, Lt. Col. Edward Hinchliff, with his B-24 Liberator bomber, was present at the Grand Opening of the Willow Run Bomber Plant. But this story is about what happened after the war. Lt. Col. Hinchliff was on his… Continue reading Willow Run Grand Opening 1942, Part 2: Rats on a Plane!
World War One Aviator Eddie Rickenbacker meeting with Little People at Ford Motor Company's Willow Run Bomber Plant during WWII. Photo courtesy of TheHenryFord. I visited the Orphan Car Show in Ypsilanti today (a benefit for the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum, another treasure from Ypsilanti's distinguished industrial past.) And, as usual, I met a lot… Continue reading Little People at the Willow Run Bomber Plant
A wonderful group of people got together to help the Willow Run Rosies make this video. Rosie Jane Vass was the producer and choreographer, and featured in the video are several of Yankee Air Museum's "Tribute" Rosies. The star of the video is Original WWII "Rosie" Ruth Pierson-Webb of Wayne, MI who worked at the… Continue reading Willow Run Rosies Make a Video
We Can Do It! 