Re: Men bet their lives on it - the Packard-built Merlin V-12
Posted by RogerDetroit On 2017/3/30 13:30:19
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First: As mentioned above, the Merlin production line was running by October 1941, months BEFORE the car line was shut down. Merlin production was done in Building #22 with an adjacent building used for run-in testing - these were brand new buildings used only for thh Merlin.
Second: Yes, a significant number of women were hired, including my mother and several of what later became her best friends. Remember, during WWII, the plant was running literally 24/7 - the doors were probably never locked. My mom and her friends worked in Building #22, inspecting ball bearings and other small parts using tolerance gauges for proper fit.
Attached below are vintage photos of my mom and my "Aunt" Helen - that is the title people of my generation calls their parent's best friends. While Packard gave them their first "real money" paychecks they could not afford the 1941 120 convertible coupe they are posing with. That was a loaner borrowed from the husband of my mother's older sister who owned a used car lot. They took the buss to 1580 E. Grand Blvd. A number of relatively new cars were being sold as guys went off to war. You can also see my "Aunt" Helen in this movie trailer about the Packard Plant at the 4:30 minute point.http://freepfilmfestival.com/schedule-of-films/packard-the-last-shift/
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Deskdriver wrote:
I found this thread interesting. Knowing that Packard stopped car production in March of '42 to build the Merlin engines and also suspect they were building the marine engines for the PT boats.
But all this brought about more thoughts and questions. How did the war effect the number of males working for Packard? Did they hire women, we hear all about "Rosie, the riveter" but what about Martha the mechanic? Did Packard hire a significant amount of women to cover the shortages in their workforce?
First: As mentioned above, the Merlin production line was running by October 1941, months BEFORE the car line was shut down. Merlin production was done in Building #22 with an adjacent building used for run-in testing - these were brand new buildings used only for thh Merlin.
Second: Yes, a significant number of women were hired, including my mother and several of what later became her best friends. Remember, during WWII, the plant was running literally 24/7 - the doors were probably never locked. My mom and her friends worked in Building #22, inspecting ball bearings and other small parts using tolerance gauges for proper fit.
Attached below are vintage photos of my mom and my "Aunt" Helen - that is the title people of my generation calls their parent's best friends. While Packard gave them their first "real money" paychecks they could not afford the 1941 120 convertible coupe they are posing with. That was a loaner borrowed from the husband of my mother's older sister who owned a used car lot. They took the buss to 1580 E. Grand Blvd. A number of relatively new cars were being sold as guys went off to war. You can also see my "Aunt" Helen in this movie trailer about the Packard Plant at the 4:30 minute point.http://freepfilmfestival.com/schedule-of-films/packard-the-last-shift/
Attach file:
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