In May 1940; Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt called for the production of 50;000 military airplanes. He then drafted the president of General Motors; William Knudsen; to mobilize industry in the United States. The automotive companies were called upon to produce a massive fleet of bombers; as well as tanks; trucks; guns; and engines. By the Willow Run; a sleepy little creek near Ypsilanti; Michigan; Ford Motor Company built the world's most famous bomber factory; which was the ultimate manifestation of the automotive industry's role in building armaments during World War II. By the spring of 1944; Willow Run was producing a four-engine B-24 bomber each hour on an assembly line. With tremendous assistance from the Yankee Air Museum; this book presents a pictorial history of Willow Run during World War II.
#2503790 in Books 2012-02-15 2012-02-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.02 x 6.00l; 1.31 #File Name: 1458201813408 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Excellent history of the 21st Michigan InfantryBy Lowell WhiteI am a Civil War reenactor. I also was one of the founders of the 21st Michigan reenactors and led the unit in the '80's and early '90's. We chose to portray the 21st because we felt that although the heaviest fighting of the Civil War took place in the East; the war was won in the West. We chose the 21st because it was typical of the regiments that served in the West. Naturally I have a keen interest in the history of the 21st and ordered the book as soon as I found it while browsing Civil War titles on . The book tells the story of the recruitment of the regiment in western Michigan in the summer of 1862 and initial training at Ionia MI. The regiment left the state in September 1862 and went by rail to Kentucky. It immediately took part in the Perryville campaign and was lightly engaged there. Genco describes the hard marching in hot and dry weather prior to the battle and more forced marches on the way to Nashville after Perryville. The book ably describes the Twenty-first Michigan Infantry in action at the battles of Stones River TN; Chickamauga GA; and Bentonville NC. The regiment also spent many months in camp near Murfreesboro TN in the first part of 1863 and also spent almost a year on engineer duty in the Chattanooga area in 1863-64. The regiment also marched- a lot! During less than three years of service they marched about 3300 miles. The only map in the book shows the route of these marches. I would like to have seen maps showing the position of the 21st at the major battles of the regiment. The book has many photos; most of which I have not seen before. I do question the captions on the often published photos on pages 116-119. The author states these photos were taken at Murfreesboro TN in the spring of 1863. My research indicates these were taken in the spring or summer of 1864 in the Chattanooga TN area. High resolution images of these photos are available online. Close examination of the muskets in the images show these as being Enfields and/or Springfields. As the regiment carried the Austrian Lorenz musket in early 1863; these photos could not have been taken earlier than the spring of 1864 when the regiment was near Chattanooga. The author makes use of the Chauncy Peck letters. I was given a copy of the Peck letters by a relative of his in 1994 and they have been posted online at [...] . Mr. Genco states that the dying Peck was placed in a tent away from the main hospital to spare the others from the sight of Peck's terrible wound. A careful reading of Mr. Willard's letter to Peck's family states that "his right leg; from the hip down; was mortified and swollen as large as his body; the stench did not offend me..." This indicates it was not the sight of Peck that the others in the hospital found disturbing but the smell of his gangrenous leg. Also; Mr. Genco states that Chauncy Peck received his mortal wound at Chickamauga. However; on page 143 and 144 of Charles Belknaps "Michigan at Chickamauga; Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge 1863" states that the mortal wound came from Confederate artillery on Lookout Mountain. "... strange as it may seem; from all the shots fired; but one man in the army; Private Peck; Company F; Twenty-first Michigan; was killed; one wounded seriously and a few others slightly." (I think of Chauncy Peck whenever I am at Point Park on Lookout Mountian knowing that it was one of the guns positioned here that killed Peck.) My special interest is flags carried by Michigan units in the Civil War. Page 300 of the book has a photo of the Regimental Flag made by Horstmann Bros in Philadelphia and carried by the 21st for much of the war. This and three other flags are stored at the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing. The flag returned to the Ladies of Ionia in 1865 is on display at the Ionia County building. I would like to have seen photos of these other flags in the book as well. The flaws in the book are minor and the omissions would have made a very good book even better. The release of the book is timely as the 150th anniversary of the formation of the 21st Michigan Infantry will be later this year. This book is a must have for anyone interested in Michigan In the Civil War and should be a welcome addition to any Civil War library.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Donald LoaseVery satisfied with this purchase.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting look inside the life of the Civil WarBy C. DixonThis is a documented and well written glimpse into the lives of Union soldiers during the Civil War. It is written around primary correspondence and reminds us that our nation fought a terrible war and learned how horrendous war war is for people. A great look as our history that might help us in directing our future.
