Editing Willow Run (section)

== Defense plant {{anchor|Wartime}} ==
[[File:Both men and women man the machines which are turning out parts for America's bomber planes at Willow Run, Mich. - NARA - 195476.jpg|thumb|right|Turning out parts for bomber planes at Willow Run, 1942]]
The plant began production in summer 1941; the dedication plaque is dated June 16. The plant initially built components. The aircraft manufacturer [[Douglas Aircraft]], and the B-24's designer, [[Consolidated Aircraft]], assembled the finished airplane. Remote assembly proved problematic, however, and by October 1941 Ford received permission to produce complete Liberators.<ref name="Lloyd">Lloyd, Alwyn T. (1993), Liberator: America's Global Bomber, Pictorial Histories Publishing Co, Inc, {{ISBN|0-929521-82-X}}</ref><ref name="leary">O'Leary, Michael, (2003), Consolidated B-24 Liberator (Osprey Production Line to Frontline 4), Osprey Publishing, {{ISBN|1-84176-023-4}}</ref> Willow Run's Liberator assembly line ran until May 1945, building almost half of all the Liberators produced.
===Statistics===
* employees: 42,500
* military draft losses: each month 8,200 workers were drafted into military service
* training: the Aircraft Apprentice School had up to 8,000 students per week complete training and report for work
* size: 3.5-million-square-feet
* dimensions: More than 3,200 feet long and 1,279 feet across at its widest point
* building: Construction began in April 18, 1941
* aircraft: B-24 aircraft production began in the final weeks of 1942
* subassemblies: parts production and subassemblies were produced at almost 1,000 Ford factories and independent suppliers
<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/94614-how-fords-willow-run-assembly-plant-helped-win-world-war-ii|title=How Ford's Willow Run Assembly Plant Helped Win World War II|magazine=Assembly}}</ref>