The 10,000th Sherman tank rolls off the line at the Detroit Arsenal plant July, 1943 – a mere 19 months after the attack on Pearl Harbor
On December 29, 1940, FDR coined the phrase “The Arsenal of Democracy” in a speech declaring that the United States would provide military aid to countries fighting the global threats of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. While he was referring to America as a whole, Detroit has rightfully claimed the title as its own. Indeed, the Detroit Arsenal Plant continues to operate to this day.
While World War II was won by the soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines who braved enemy fire and paid the ultimate price, they were supported by factory workers here in Detroit and across America. During the war, Americans built roughly 50,000 Sherman tanks and 18,400 Liberator bombers, half of them by Ford Motor Company. Thus, when the Nazis destroyed a Sherman tank or shot down a B-24 Liberator, another tank or the plane would appear, relatively quickly. When the Allies knocked out a Nazi tank or plane, it could not be so easily replaced.
In addition to those in the armed forces and those working in factories, filmmakers also contributed to the war effort. Whether it was a drama like Casablanca, where Humphrey Bogart’s Rick begins the movie neutral, but ends by shooting Conrad Veidt’s Nazi major, or the classic documentary Why We Fight by Frank Capra, movies rallied America.
All these contributions are pretty well-known. What is less well-known is the contribution of Detroit filmmaker Henry Jamison “Jam” Handy. Over the course of the War, Handy produced approximately 7,000 training films for the armed forces. Not only did American factories have to quickly switch over from peace time to wartime production, thousands of American civilians had to be trained on how to operate the myriad equipment of a mechanized war.
This video, produced by Handy for General Motors, promotes unity between labor and management as the U.S. continued to ramp up production in 1942:
This Memorial Day seemed like an appropriate time to remember our city’s role in winning World War II, whether on the battlefield, on the assembly line, or behind the camera.
For more about Detroit’s and Michigan’s contributions to the WWII effort, check out this post at Seeking Michigan.
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Categories: Features
Reblogged this on Paula's Cinema Club and commented:
St. Clair Cinema Club’s Memorial Day reflection on Detroit’s fairly important role in World War II
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Reblogged this on kjmhoffman.
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You should be proud of that Detroit arsenal plant, Paula. Long before the US entered WW 2 they were preparing for it in factories and plants like that all over America. The sacrifices made by all American citizens back then is greatly appreciated. It was not if the United States was going to enter WW2 but when.
The preparations by the entire populace and the factories was a huge undertaking. That America of the 1940s was a special place and time. I always seem to be searching for that country back in the 1940’s but never seem to find it. Thank God I can see glimpses of it through documentaries and the great classic films we both love. Thanks for writing about this Paula!
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You’re very welcome, John! We are very proud of our city’s contributions. That was indeed a special place and time, it seems like the vast majority of people were concerned with more than just themselves, and I doubt I’ll ever see anything like that in my lifetime. Thanks for stopping by
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I just had lunch with one of my parishioners who said that she worked at jam Handy making training films. I had to look this up. thanks for a very informative site. The Rev. Clyde Elledge, Marblehead, MA
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You’re so welcome, happy we could help! It’s an amazing place
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