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  #1  
Old 14-04-21, 01:14
BCA BCA is offline
Brian Asbury
 
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Default Post WW2 Corporate Histories

After WW2 many companies published books about their contributions to WW2. The Bechtel-Price-Callahan book “Canol” about the building of the Canol Pipeline in the Yukon and Northwest Territories being an example. “Tanks are Mighty Fine Things” concerned the Chrysler Tank Arsenal production of M3 and M4 tanks. What are other examples of these corporate histories?
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  #2  
Old 14-04-21, 01:43
David Dunlop David Dunlop is offline
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Hello Brian.

“The LMS at War” was an English Publication by the London Midland and Scottish Railway about its contribution to the war effort. My Mum’s Brother signed on with them at the start of the war at 17, with the help of a family friend.

A brilliant book about not just how a railway was kept running during a modern, total blackout war, but the related wartime production done as well.

David
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  #3  
Old 14-04-21, 03:49
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Default Calling All Arms

A book that describes the wartime projects of the Nuffield group in the U.K. The book tends to ignore the not so 'exciting' stuff like trucks, instead ,there are long chapters on aircraft and tank production.
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  #4  
Old 14-04-21, 09:16
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Hanno Spoelstra Hanno Spoelstra is offline
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“Ford at War; booklet by H St. George Saunders, 1946 - illustrations by Helen McKie. A fascinating book issued by the Ford Motor Company of England to tell the story of the company's activities during WW2.”

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=23704
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  #5  
Old 14-04-21, 12:32
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Hanno Spoelstra Hanno Spoelstra is offline
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Default In the Service of America

Not post war, but published in 1943: "In the Service of America - Ford Motor Company, Dearborn Michigan"

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There is also this 2009 publication: "Ford in the Service of America: Mass Production for the Military During the World Wars by Timothy O'callaghan". I am not sure if this is just a reprint of the 1943 publication, or whether it has added text and photos:

Quote:
This is the history of the Ford Motor Company's achievements and products during World Wars I and II. It demonstrates how, in addition to well-known contributions like jeeps, Eagle Boats and B-24 Liberators, Ford also produced key items ranging from squad tents and the ultra precision gun director to tanks and aircraft engines. Details on each product and how Ford produced it are included. During both wars, the automotive giant used precision manufacturing methods and innovative designs and procedures to increase quantity and quality while lowering production costs.

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About the Author
Army veteran Timothy J. O'Callaghan retired from the Ford Motor Company after 40 years in management. He has written extensively on Ford history in magazines and journals, and has written two books about Henry and Edsel Ford's aviation ventures. He lives in Northville, Michigan.
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Old 14-04-21, 12:36
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Default “Tanks are Mighty Fine Things”

Quote:
Originally Posted by BCA View Post
“Tanks are Mighty Fine Things” concerned the Chrysler Tank Arsenal production of M3 and M4 tanks.
Definitely worth a read if you're into tanks. Original copies can still be found, and it was reprinted at least twice.

Or you can read it here: https://archive.org/details/tanmightyfi00stou/

Quote:
WWII was not just a war of weapons, but also a war of production. One of America’s greatest victories on this front was certainly in the city of Detroit, where auto assembly lines were transformed into an arsenal of democracy. Chrysler’s Tank Arsenal was the nation’s most spectacular war plant, a place where history was made. From it came 25,059 medium and heavy tanks of twelve different types, including the tanks that turned the tide of the war in North Africa.Commissioned by Chrysler President K.T. Keller as a “thank you” for the men and women who made a difference, “Tanks are Mighty Fine Things” was published in 1946 and written by Wesley Stout, the former editor of the Saturday Evening Post. It features rare photographs of the Arsenal and the Sherman, Grant, Pershing and other tanks and armored vehicles it produced.

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  #7  
Old 14-04-21, 16:20
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Default Bullets By The Billion

In addition to "Tanks are Mighty Fine Things" Wesley W. Stout also wrote "Bullets By The Billion" about production at Chrysler Corporation's Evansville, Indiana plant. Both of these books were published in 1946 by Chrysler Corporation. It would be interesting to know the print run and distribution of these books. .......... Brian
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  #8  
Old 14-04-21, 20:58
Bruce MacMillan Bruce MacMillan is offline
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Default Marconi

"Marconi - A War Record 1939-1945"
Published by Chatto & Windus (1946)
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  #9  
Old 14-04-21, 22:15
Bob Carriere Bob Carriere is offline
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Default In your own back yard Brain......

Smith & Stone had machinery with WD brass tags....... they were making the stretched brass casings for .303 during the war......... the same machines were still in operation, although slightly modified, in the early 80s stretching battery casings for AA and AAA batteries.....

Woods canvass in Hull PQ stopped making army tents and made football and hockey equipment......after all they had all the heavy sewing machines needed...

.....and E B Eddy and J R Booth helped the Federal Gov. burning surplus special war time money meant for the landing troups and allegedly fake German Marks meant to undermine the occupation economy in Europe..... after all the paper plant had the large boilers as incinerators. Again allegedly some employees got into trouble for raking out thightly rolled unburned currency until the RCMP got wise and posted guards by the ash pits...... the boilers were five story highs and powdered coal was dumped in at the top with truckloads of government papers....... my dad was a stationary engineer at the Chaudiere plant and I regularly visited his steam plant during downtime of high holidays. The story goes that certain extended families never ran out of rationed food when tons of expired food stamps booklets were destroyed.... on the positive side most of the post war crew were ex military and the majority had either limbs missing or disfigured facial burns but hard workers they were...... one Dutch DP ( displaced person) called De Hoog got caught between a massive capstan and a one inch steel cable and cut in half............. my Dad removed him and wrapped him in a tarp.....and was off for 3 days!!!!!!! During the war years my dad was exempt from service but worked 7 days a week and once a week worked 12 hours during shift changes.....24/7 365 days a year..... as a first class engineer he earned just over $1000 p.a. in 1939 even with all the hours.... and no union.

Small world......
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  #10  
Old 15-04-21, 00:46
Bob Phillips Bob Phillips is offline
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Here is another book.."Of Tasks Accomplished, Dominion Bridge Company" a a 1945 publication described as " The story of the accomplishments of Dominion Bridge Company Limited and its wholly owned subsidiaries in World War II "
Much of it related to ship construction and Vicker AA guns, also cartridge cases and shells.. lots of photos.
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  #11  
Old 15-04-21, 02:13
Bruce Parker (RIP) Bruce Parker (RIP) is offline
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While not a corporate history, Alvah M. Beatty (Publisher, Publications (1943) Limited 1075 Beaver Hall Hill, Montreal) published a book in 1944 called Canada's War at Sea. Part 1, written by Stephen Leacock is a general history of Canada and the sea. Part 2 by Leslie Roberts is what Canada was up to in the war, called Canada and the War at Sea. The next 100 pages is ads by all the companies that provided just about everything to the RCN from ships, to boilers to clothing to rope and propellers. It's amazing how much went into providing for the navy and to see all the firms involved. Some samples:
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  #12  
Old 15-04-21, 03:24
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Default GM-H War Record

Holden Retiree’s Club - Publications

https://www.hrc.org.au/holden/publications.html
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  #13  
Old 15-04-21, 08:28
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Default GM overseas

Overseas War effort20150806_40 OPT.pdf - Google Drive

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NUq...YB9TvNWf7/view

Interesting on the world map they have Adelaide marked as a manufacturing plant and the other Aust plants as assembly plants.
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Last edited by Mike Kelly; 15-04-21 at 08:40.
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  #14  
Old 15-04-21, 16:41
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Great stuff, lots of reading do to.

I've already seen some interesting tidbits which I can tie in to other threads on here.

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  #15  
Old 20-04-21, 11:02
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Default Cockatoo Dockyard Sydney

https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/145381...ee&startPos=20
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  #16  
Old 20-04-21, 12:00
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Default Cockatoo Docks Sydney : war record, 1939-1945

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Kelly View Post
Link to online version: https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1913018225/view
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