Chrysler Main Page   Dodge Trucks in World War Two   Dodge Trucks in Service with the Polish Army   Chrysler built M3 Grant/Lee Photos   Chrysler built M4 Sherman Photos   Chrysler built M4A3 Sherman Photos   Chrysler built M4A4 Sherman Photos  Detroit Tank Arsenal Photos   Chrysler Post WWII M60 Patton Tank Photos   Chrysler Post WWII M103 Heavy Tank Photos   Chrysler T23 Tank Photos  

Chrysler Corporation in World War Two
 Detroit, MI
1925-2014
Rest in Peace!

Last updated 12-16-2019.

Through all of the post WWII turmoil and ups and downs, the name Walter Chrysler gave to his company always managed to remain, even after two bankruptcies, in some manner, in the title to the corporation.  Until December 16, 2014, when Chrysler Group LLC announced it was now FCA USA LLC.  Also gone are Dodge Trucks, which played such an important part in the winning of WWII.  That name disappeared in 2010.  DDJ 12-25-2014.

The one thing that really stands out about Chrysler in the Second World War is its diversity of products which were not related to the core business of building cars and trucks.  While Chrysler is probably most well known for its Tank Arsenal in Warren, MI on Van Dyke, its aircraft engine plant in Chicago just south of Midway Airport, and its Dodge Division line of trucks.  It also produced such items as anti-submarine netting, 15-40 man unit cook stoves (The troops needed to eat three times a day.) and very important and difficult processing equipment for the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, TN along with airframe components for B-29 bombers, including the "Enola Gay".

 The Chrysler Tank Arsenal in Warren, MI received the Army-Navy "E" Award on August 10,1942.  It was the first of its kind to be awarded after the Navy and Army combined their individual awards into one.  The Plant added a star in February of 1943. 


Thirteen Chrysler Plants won a total of 37 "E" awards during WWII.

Chrysler World War Two Production Statistics:

Manhattan Project U-235 Separation Equipment - (406) X-100 Type 1, (1,942) X-100 Type 2, (1,418) X-100 Type 3, (826) X-100 Type 4.  These pieces of equipment took 100 railcars to ship from Detroit to Oak Ridge, TN.

Aviation -
(300) A-20 Bomb Chute Assemblies, (364,871) Bomb Shackles, (568) B-29 Bomber Noses, (559) B-29 Wing Leading Edges, (4,752) B-29 Bomber Cowling Sets, (1,586) B-26 Nose and Center Fuselage Sections, (4,100) Douglas B-17 Cockpit Enclosures, (18,413) R-3350 Radial Aircraft Engines for the B-29, (688) Flight Station Cockpits for the Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon,  (10,202) Landing Gear and Arresting Gear Sets for Chance Vought F4U,  (907) Nose Cap Assemblies,  (2,982) Propeller Balancing Stands, (163,290) Ski Pedestals, (5,669) Wing Center Sections for Curtiss SB2C.

Vehicles - (12,214) Partial Engine Assemblies, (9,965) Multi Bank M4 Tank Engines, (2,100) 2 Speed Gear Boxes, (2,056) Grouser Kits, (22,207) Tanks, (3,272) Modified Tanks, (3,694) Modified Trucks, (1,542) 1/2 Ton 4x2 Trucks, (6,216) 1&1/2 Ton 4x2 Trucks, (72,286) 1/2 Ton 4x4 Trucks, (255,193) 3/4 Ton 4x4 Trucks, (43,278) 1&1/2 Ton 6x6 Trucks, (15,000) 3 Ton Trucks - China, (20,404), Fire Apparatus (This assumes these are fire trucks.)

Ammunition and Shot - (485,463,000) .30 carbine rounds of ammunition, (222,000,000) .50 Cores, (2,768,688,000) .45 rounds of ammunition, (3,000,000) 20mm Practice Shells, (19,933,000) 20mm Practice Balls, 671,446) 3 Inch Shell Forgings, (1,989,801) 20mm Armor Piercing Shot.

Other - (14,370) Air conditioning and refrigeration units, (238,109,000) Bearings, (30,095) Single 40mm air cooled Bofors Gun Mechanisms for the US Army, (51,684) Single 40mm air cooled Bofors Gun Tubes for the US Army, (14,442) Dual 40mm water cooled Bofors Guns for the US Navy, (101,232) E48 Incendiary Bombs, (119,814) Industrial Engines, (21,131) Marine Engines, (62,192) Field Kitchen Cabinets, (233,118) Field Kitchens, (17,200) Gas and Oil Fired Furnaces, (29,589) Domestic and Export Water Heaters, (1,994) Anti-Submarine Nets,  (156,585) 20mm Oerlikon Gun Magazine Lever Assemblies, (9,002) Pontoons,  (2,228) Marine Tractors, (328,367) 4.5 Inch Rockets, (1,550) Searchlight Reflectors, (253) Smoke Screens, (37,932) Cook Stoves, (2,098) SCR-584 Anti-Aircraft Radar Antenna Mounts and Parabolic Antennas, (352) Air Raid Sirens, (8,307,540) Aluminum Forgings

Sperry Shipboard Gyro-Compasses - Dodge built 5,500 of these units which consisted of the main gyro that was installed down in the bottom of the ship.  This unit supplied the compass reading to several repeater units throughout the ship.  These would be in such places as the captain's quarters and the bridge.  These were all very sophisticated and complex precision units consisting of 10,000 parts.  Dodge developed the mass production methods needed to manufacture these in the large quantities needed.  This took 5,000 tools, jigs and fixtures to build which were all designed by Dodge engineers.  It took between 11 and 16 large wooden crates to ship these units to the shipyards for installation.

Pilot tanks - The Chrysler Engineering Department built 38 different pilot tanks, including the T92 and T-93.

Tanks -  The Chrysler Tank Arsenal in Warren, MI received the Army-Navy "E" for Excellence Award on August 10,1942, which was the first of four total awards.  There were a total of 6,258 M3 tanks built during WWII, with Chrysler building 3,352 or 53% of the total.  It built 17,947 of the M4 Sherman series tanks, or 36% of the total 49,234 built.  At the end of the war Chrysler manufactured 473 T26E3/M26 and 185 T26E2/M45 tanks.  It also produced 250 T23 medium tanks bringing the total of tanks built by Chrysler at the Detroit tank arsenal to 22,207.

Chrysler Shipments of World War Two Products (pdf) - This document from the Chrysler archives gives plant by plant and month by month production figures for all of the company's World War Two products.

The Manhattan and B-29 Projects:

One might consider it very strange to have as part of Chrysler information on WWII a photo of this replica of the first atomic bomb dropped during WWII that is located at the US Air Force Museum.  The device used U-235 as its fission matter and only one was made of this, the second atomic bomb using plutonium.  However, the process to obtain the 132 lbs of U-235 needed was complex and arduous as it had to be separated from the original U-238.  Several processes were developed to accomplish this and one involved hexafluoride gas and was done in the world's largest building that was constructed in secrecy at Oak Ridge, TN (The Secret City.) during WWII to separate out the U-235. 

The Manhattan Project asked Chrysler to design and manufacture the miles of nickel tubing needed for the diffusers, nickel being the only metal resistant to the highly corrosive hexafluoride. However, there was not enough nickel in the world to make the tubing out of pure nickel as was specified by the Manhattan Project engineers.  Chrysler engineers found a way to instead to plate the diffusers, which was considered impossible by the Manhattan Project group due to all of the small holes and interior surfaces involved.  But Chrysler prevailed and found a way to plate the parts which was also a provided a huge cost savings.  It took 1,000 rail cars to ship the diffusers from the Chrysler Plymouth Lynch Road Plant in Detroit to Oak Ridge where it was installed in the huge plant known by the secret number of K-35.  It was a half mile long by 1,000 feet wide.  Chrysler's expertise in engineering and manufacturing was instrumental in ending WWII in August of 1945.


K-35 at Oak Ridge where the 4,582 Chrysler X-100 Diffusers were used to separate U-235 from U-238 during WWII.

And last but not least, Chrysler's DeSoto Division on Warren Avenue in Detroit was the supplier of the forward fuselage section of the B-29 "Enola Gay" which dropped the atomic bomb "Little Boy" made with uranium from Oak Ridge plant K-35.  The name "Enola Gay " above is painted on the eighteen foot forward fuselage built in Detroit, MI by Chrysler.   Author's photo added 9-22-2015.

There was more to just stamping out the aluminum sheet metal pieces and then riveting them together with 50,000 rivets to make the fuselage.  DeSoto-Warren also assembled all of the interior of the B-29 nose section, which included four of the eight miles of wiring in the B-29.  The workers shown above are installing some of the 8,000 parts that went into the construction of the Superfortress fuselage.  The B-29 was the first insulated and soundproofed bomber and the insulation can be seen in this photo   The fuselage sections were shipped via rail to Omaha using oversized boxcars, which were foot wider and one and a half foot taller than the normal boxcar of the period.  Photo added 9-22-2015. .
The second nuclear B-29, "Bockscar", showing several the Chrysler supplied components for this aircraft, which were the forward fuselage, engine cowlings, wing leading edges and the Dodge built R-3350 engine.  Author's photo added 9-22-2015.

This photo shows the inboard and between the engine leading edges.  Chrysler also supplied a the leading edge outboard of the outside engines.  Chrysler built 568 B-29 nose sections along with 559 wing leading edge sets and 4,752 cowling sets for the aircraft.  Author's photo added 9-22-2015.

Above is information provided to me courtesy of Chris Howlett of the UK that he found researching the B-29 for his new book, The B-29 Manual,  which will be published by Haynes in December of 2015.  His information has been invaluable in my research and shows which auto companies were the major suppliers, including Chrysler, for the Superfortesses that were built by Martin in Omaha, NB.  Of significance is that Omaha built the Silverplate B-29s, i.e. "The Enola Gay" and "Bockscar" as noted above.  Photo added 9-22-2015.

Photo added 9-22-2015.


This is a SCR-584 anti-aircraft radar unit.  Chrysler produced 2,098 radar antenna mounts and  parabolic antennas; and then installed them in the ten- ton Freufauf built trailer.  The radar antenna mount stowed inside the trailer for travel.  It dropped straight down to where the table and mannequin are located.  Note the cables on the wall have slack in them, to allow for the up and down movement of the antenna unit.  This photo was taken at the National Electronics Museum in the Baltimore, MD area, which exhibits a history of the former Westinghouse Electronics Division (now Northrop-Grumman) located in the area.  Westinghouse installed the electronics within the trailer after receiving it from Chrysler.  Author's photo added 10-7-2016.

The SCR-584 antennas and mounts were produced in Chrysler's Dodge Main plant.  Production started in April 1943 and concluded in April 1944.  Author's photo added 10-7-2016.
 

This Chrysler built M3 Lee tank is on display at the Canadian War Museum.  It is serial number 3714.  Note the riveted construction.  Author's Photo added 1-8-2017.

The first type of Sherman Chrysler built was the M4A4 variant, and was powered by the Chrysler Multibank engine shown below.  This example is on display at the Arnhem War Museum, Schaarsbergen Netherlands.  It is Serial Number 21169 and was built in June 1943.   Photo courtesy of David D Jackson, Jr.

During WWII there was a shortage of engines to power both the M3 Lee and the M4 Sherman tanks.  Chrysler developed and built 9,965 multibank engines which were 5 six cylinder engines driving a single crankshaft.  Author's photo from the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, MI.

The engine produced 450 hp from 1,500 cubic inches of displacement and had lots of low end torque.  Note the top of the radiator extending above the engine.  Author's photo.

Here one can see the five distributors for each of the five engines.  In total 7,499 M4A4 tanks and 109 M3A4 Lee tanks received this type engine.  Author's photo.

This M4(105) Composite, photographed at Fort Wayne in Detroit, is interesting in that it is a one of a kind.  Chrysler was the only manufacturer of the M4 Composite and they were all armed with a 75mm cannon, not the 105mm cannon that is shown here.  This M4 Composite was used as the prototype for the use of the 105mm main gun in the Sherman.  The reason it is named a Composite is the front glacis is cast, and the rest of the hull is of a welded construction.  Author's photo added 4-21-2015.

Here one can see the cast section welded to the rest of the hull which is constructed of thick plate armor.  Author's photo added 4-21-2015.

This Chrysler built M4A3E8 was built in August 1944 and is part of a Battle of the Bulge diorama at the First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL.  Author's photo added 11-2-2015.

Chrysler built 250 T23s between November 1943 and December 1944.  The tank had a Ford GAN V8 engine that drove an electrical generator.  The generator in turn powered two electrical traction motors.  Author's photo added 10-17-2018 from the U.S. Army Armor and Cavalry Museum Collection at Fort Benning, GA.  This is one of three remaining T23s that the Museum Collection has.

Here is the 65 ton T92 240mm Howitzer Gun Carriage built by the Chrysler Engineering Department.  It as built on a Pershing chassis.  Photo added 11-3-2015.

The next experimental weapon that the Chrysler Engineering Department built was an 8in gun on the Pershing chassis.  Photo added 11-3-2015.

Chrysler built 14,442 Dual 40mm water cooled Bofors Guns for the US Navy under license from the Bofors Company of Sweden during WWII.  After Chrysler engineers set up the manufacturing and assembly techniques based on the mass manufacturing, the weapon could be assembled in ten hours.  Bofors in Sweden was taking 450 hours. 

This example is located on the USS Sullivans in Buffalo, NY, and is located on the middle of the ship on the starboard side.    Author's photo added 10-12-2017.

There is a data plate on each barrel and assembly.  This one is mounted on the breech of the gun facing the rear of the ship.  This Chrysler-built 40mm Bofors gun mechanism is serial number 29869.  Author's photo added 10-12-2017.

This is the other gun of the pair.  Author's photo added 10-12-2017.

Here is the data plate for the gun mechanism for the gun facing the front of the ship.  This one is serial number 39869.  What are the chances of a gun mount having two Chrysler 40mm guns with serial numbers separated by exactly10,000 units?   Author's photo added 10-12-2017.

This is the USS Massachusetts at Fall River, MA.  A visit to the USS Massachusetts in June 2019 revealed that most, if not all, of the 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns onboard were built by Chrysler in 1942.  This makes sense because the Massachusetts was launched in September 1941 and commissioned on May 12, 1942.  The Chrysler-built Bofors outfitted the battleship in 1942 as the weapons were coming off the assembly lines.  All of the 40mm Bofors I was able to visit on the USS Massachusetts were built by Chrysler.  Author's photo added 12-16-2019.

The USS Massachusetts bristles with 16-inch, 5-inch and 40mm guns.  Author's photo added 12-16-2019.

  There are two gun tubs on the fantail of the USS Massachusetts with two dual 40mm Bofors mounts in each.  Author's photo added 12-16-2019.

 The serial numbers from the four Chrysler-built 40mm Bofors in the starboard side rear quad 40mm gun tub are shown below.  Author's photo added 12-16-2019.

 This is serial number 25067.  Author's photo added 12-16-2019.

I have lightened this data plate as it was on the shade side of the weapon.  It is so worn that it is hard to read.  This is serial number 25065, just two less than the previous matching gun in the twin mount.  Author's photo added 12-16-2019.

This is serial number 35065.  Author's photo added 12-16-2019.

This is serial number 35067, two more than the matching gun above.  Author's photo added 12-16-2019.

 Author's photo added 12-16-2019.

Chrysler also built 30,095 Single 40mm air cooled Bofors Guns for the US Army like this one seen here at the Indiana Military Museum in Vincennes, IN.  Author's photo added 9-22-2015.

The information for the two tables below comes from " The History of the Americanization of the Bofors 40mm Automatic Antiaircraft Gun" written by the Historical Section of the Ordnance Department in May 1944.

Chrysler produced 83.5% of the gun mechanisms and 60.2% of the gun tubes for the US Army 40mm Bofors like the one shown above.  Note that the information comes from an article written in May 1944.  There was still over a year of war remaining, and the need for gun tubes and gun mechanisms continued. 

In either case, Chrysler supplied over 83% of the Bofors gun mechanisms for the US Army during WWII.

Chrysler sent complete 40mm guns consisting of the mechanisms and tube to Firestone, Koppers and J.I. Case for installation on the carriage.

This is a rare Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon, which was a Navy patrol bomber during the war and built in Burbank, CA.  Chrysler in Los Angeles, CA built 668 flight decks for this type aircraft.  This particular PV-2 is "Attu Warrior".  Author's photo.

The Flight Deck of the PV-2 Harpoon" Attu Warrior" as seen at the Great Georgia Airshow in 2013.  Author's photo.

Author's photo.

This is a Wright R-3350-23 Duplex Cyclone engine similar to the 18,413 that Dodge built in Chicago for the B-29 project during World War Two.  Author's photo.

The Martin B-26.  DeSoto Division of Chrysler built 1,586 nose and center fuselage sections for this medium bomber which were supplied to the Martin Plant in Omaha, NB.  When Martin Omaha converted to the B-29 DeSoto then produced the B-29 forward fuselage sections for aircraft.  Author's photo.

This is the world's only remaining flying Curtiss SB2C Helldiver seen here at the 2014 Tico Airshow.  Chrysler built 5,669 of the wing center sections, which is the portion between the wing folds.  Author's Photo.

On the left is a .30 caliber M1 Carbine round.  Chrysler manufactured 485,463,000 of these for the US military during WWII.  However, the real accomplishment was the manufacture of 2,768,688,000 rounds of .45 ACP rounds like the one seen on the right.  Chrysler did such a good job on making the .45 ACP round that the government stopped production due to the fact it had too many and was still using the ammunition in Vietnam.  The Chrysler Desoto plant in Evansville, IN was the sole source of .45 ACP ammunition during the war.  Author's photo.

Author's photo from the Indiana War Memorial.

In 1944 the Chrysler developed and built five inverted V-16, 2,500 hp engines at the request of the US Army Air Force.  Author's photo from the Walter P. Chrysler Museum.

Weighing in at 2,430 lbs and displacing 2,220 cu. in, the engine beat the goal of more than one horsepower per pound of weight and per cubic inch of displacement.  Author's photo.

The engine was successfully tested as shown here in this Republic P-47.  Even though it met all of the design criteria, the new jet engines spelled its doom.  However, all was not lost, as one of the design features that contributed to the success of the engine were the hemi-spherical shaped cylinders.  Today we know that design feature as the Hemi!

This example of the Chrysler V-16 engine is on display at the New England Air Museum at Windsor Locks, CT.  Because the Chrysler Museum is now closed, this may be the only example available for the public to see.  Author's photo added 11-14-2017.

Author's photo added 11-14-2017.

Listed above were 14,370 air conditioning and refrigeration units, all which had a military need or helped the war effort, such as this blood serum refrigerator unit produced by Chrysler's Airtemp Division in Dayton, OH.  Air conditioning units were used by US Army Field Hospitals and in the the manufacture of close tolerance parts.  Also Airtemp refrigerators were used on US Navy vessels to keep the food stuffs cool or frozen.

"Texas Raiders" is one of five B-17Gs that are still flying of the original 3,000 that Douglas built.  Chrysler built 4,100 Cockpit enclosures for the Douglas built Flying Fortresses.  Other Douglas B-17s still flying are "Memphis Belle"( Movie Version), "Fuddy Duddy", "Sentimental Journey" and "Nine-O Nine".   This work was done at its Los Angeles, CA plant.  Author's photo.

Also from Airtemp Division of Chrysler was this cook stove for squad to platoon size units that used gasoline as fuel. 37,932 of these units were produced at the Dayton, OH plant.

A Dodge WC-52 Weapons Carrier as seen at the 2012 Tico Airshow.  Author's photo.


Author's photo.

This is an Goodyear FG-1D built Corsair.  Chrysler built 10,202 Landing Gear for the Corsair.  Author's photo.

Chrysler also built 10,202 Tail Hook assemblies for the aircraft, seen here in the retracted position.  Author's photo.

Dodge WC-6 1/2 Ton 4x4 Command and Reconnaissance Car on display in September 2013 at the MPVA Rally at the Ropkey Armor Museum.  Author's photo.

Author's photo.

Author's photo.

This WC-6 was built on 2-20-1941.  Author's photo.

This is the Douglas A-20G that is on display at the US Air Force Museum.  Chrysler built 300 bomb chute assemblies for this type aircraft.

Seen here is a dual 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun located on the USS Kidd in Baton Rouge, LA.  Chrysler built 156,585 Magazine Lever Assemblies that can be seen in more detail in the following photo.  Author's photo.

Author's photo.

This is one of 119,814 industrial engines built by Chrysler with a fire pump attached.  Author's photo from the Michigan Military Technical and Historical Society added 11-29-2017.

Author's photo from the Michigan Military Technical and Historical Society added 11-29-2017.

Author's photo from the Michigan Military Technical and Historical Society added 11-29-2017.

Chrysler also built 2,228 Marine Tractors or Sea Mules like the one pictured here to be used as small tugboats inside harbors which were powered by two Chrysler Marine Engines.