HOW IT WORKS: WW2 Tank Factories

Manufacturing process for heavy equipment on production assembly lines during the 1940s.

[@BigboiiTone]

Both my granddads were in ww2. One did very similar work to this. Wasn't the coolest job and its not glamorized today like the combat troops are but I'm still proud of him. Thanks for putting this up! RIP Grandpa Lee!

[@ninemilliondollars]

My father was a Staff Sergeant in WWII and an airplane mechanic. He taught airplane mechanics to other soldiers. Part of there job was replacing engines, testing and fixing the, plus loading aircraft with life rafts and parachutes. He also worked on heavy bombers. What a challenge and an honor for him and your Grandpa. Is your Grandpa registered on the WWII Registry? You can do this here for him and any relatives not registered.www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/Default.aspx

[@BigboiiTone]

@@ninemilliondollars i doubt it but I'll check his name. Thanks for the link. Very cool! And thank you to your father.

[@kevinbarber2795]

*Salute

[@jasonsabourin2275]

Anybody with half a brain realizes EVERY Job in the Defense industry during War time is about as an important as there can be, like you said some jobs may not be as "Glamorous" but, there Importance is NO LESS.

[@S.C1970]

He was just as important as any of the combat troops. His service is appreciated.

[@robertchristie9434]

I worked there from '74 to '95 in Master Mechanics as a Tool Designer & Manufacturing Engineer. We built the M60 & Mi series. Great job, people & product. I gained a lot of experience & worked with some great folks.

[@davidfusco6600]

My dad drove a M-3 Lee tank, then transferred to M-4’s. This was America’s finest moment!

[@Snookynibbles]

Kudos to your dad and to millions other that willingly served their country. However, warfare is hardly a defining moment or virtue of America.

[@jlyle51]

@@Snookynibbles we were attacked. Remember. Japan, and the German were sinking out ships off the east coast before we were in the war. Do the research the government kept it quiet 🤫. We had no defense against the German subs!

[@donniebrown2896]

James Hurst, the war with Japan was complicated with beginnings. Japan launched the attack but the us drew first blood, uss ward vs mini sub. Germany didn't start the sub warfare on our eastern coast until we were well involved, long range subs had not been developed when we declared war on germany. The U.S. Had declared itself "neutral" yet had no problem supplying supplies and weapons to great britain. German subs attacked on our coastline and even as far as the southern gulf coast. And yes we did have the defenses to guard against the attacks

[@davidfusco6600]

Yes, the war years were a defining moment in US history. It was a time when millions of Americans willingly served their country, a time when if not for our involvement, brutal naziism, fascism, and Japanese imperialism, would have controlled, Europe, Russia, China, and most if not all pacific rim nations. Americas industrial might stepped up to the plate, as one can see by the Chrysler “film”, this was the new norm for almost all industries. A United America, gave more than we promised in blood and treasure, this was a time citizens young and older gladly volunteered for combat, there were few if any unwilling to serve, even Hollywood’s top actors had front line positions. So I believe that was a defining moment in our history, just as the civil war was. These military actions told the world clearly, where the American people stand, that we don’t just build good refrigerators, that we are the sleeping bear that should not be awakened. My father recently passed away, a combat veteran of the Second World War, but I can remember times when he’d watch the evening news, shaking his head in disbelief, as he watched riots, and looting in our cities, asking “what the hell did we fight for?” And I’d tell him, your generation kept us free.

[@Snookynibbles]

James Hurst, obviously America was attacked. Yet that doesn’t speak to how wars are among America’s defining moments as they are much less to be considered a virtue: 1.) God didn’t create mankind to kill. The fall of Adam & Eve wrought sin & the scourges thereof with endless wars & violence that continue to plague the world. That both personal & national defense is a sad necessity doesn’t make it something we ought celebrate; rather, such illustrates the depravity of mankind. 2.) Unless one grasps the reality of the hellbent Globalist Elite who through centuries have amassed $$ & control of the nations, one will be duped in to believing the necessity of wars. History shows the truth of how world wars are engineered & funded by Globalists and their central banks whereby the outcomes always serve their interests. A huge scam is to dupe the masses in to revering righteous, “patriotic” warfare. 3.) A great many serve their countries’ military call, and valiantly...for that they are to be applauded. Yet such is a matter entirely separate from ascribing any sense of virtue intrinsic to the wars they fought in.

[@davidadam6997]

In the mid70s to early 80s I worked in a valve plant running a Warner & Swasey 5A turret lathe. It had a cast label riveted to it that stated it was "approved by the War Production Board". I have to wonder if my lathe might have been in that plant.

[@mrz80]

Ah the WPB. My granddad ran radio and radar production for the WPB. He came out the war well-versed in mass production and distribution issues, and with a thoroughgoing lifelong hatred for FDR (to whom he always referred as "King Franklin the First" and considered one of the two vilest individuals he'd ever met, along with Amar Bose. :D )

[@spaceman081447]

@@mrz80 RE: ". . . and considered one of the two vilest individuals he'd ever met, along with Amar Bose." Why did your grandfather hate Amar Bose?

[@mrz80]

@@spaceman081447 [edit - gaaah... browser ate my reply :P ] My grandfather was one of the pioneers of the audio industry (think chrome steel chassis, black glass panels, and big blue wattmeters :) ). He knew Bose, and characterized him as a con man, an indifferent engineer at best, and lower than a snake-oil salesman, peddling cheap, distortion-laden junk as if it were high fidelity gear. "No highs? No lows? Must be Bose!" :P :P

[@finscreenname]

7:22 the flooring they are putting down are wood blocks. Helped absorb the noise and made the floor warmer to stand on.

[@louislamboley9167]

The Drafting room is where I'd be. With just Ceiling Fans and a small ocillating fan on your table. A good tank book that covers the production process that was published in 1946, Tanks are Mighty Fine Things.

[@boblatzer]

The logistics of such engineering feats just boggles my mind.

[@Riverrockphotos]

Without a computer to boot. no pun intended.

[@Gramatic69]

Me too man, me too. The scale is unbelievable.

[@GaminHasard]

With pen and paper only.

[@joeljamesconroy]

Totally

[@spaceman081447]

At 3:17-3:47, The sight of those drafting tables with French curves and triangular engineering rulers reminds me of when I first entered engineering in the mid-1960s.

[@ninemilliondollars]

Then came Cad-Cam, and from that point on, throw away your slide rules.

[@spaceman081447]

@@ninemilliondollars RE: "Then came Cad-Cam, and from that point on, throw away your slide rules." CAD-CAM replaced drafting tables. What replaced slide-rules were hand-held electronic calculators.

[@jjhpor]

@@spaceman081447 I graduated in 1971 with a BSME, using a slide rule through it all. In 1972 the HP-35 calculator was introduced. that was the death of the slide rule. I still have my slide rule but haven't even tried to use it for many years.

[@spaceman081447]

@@jjhpor RE: "I graduated in 1971 with a BSME, using a slide rule through it all. In 1972 the HP-35 calculator was introduced." I bet you LOVED that calculator! I know I loved my first calculator. I don't remember the exact model number, but it was an HP and it had an LED screen.

[@johnwheet7037]

amazing what we can do when we work together and have a purpose

[@krunoslavnegulic9939]

and money. :D

[@garrisonnichols7372]

Yes. We always work well when we Americans have a common enemy to defeat. Otherwise we're at each other's throats 🤣

[@phineascampbell3103]

It's an ironic observation is it not?! Given that these efforts are towards war, by its nature oppositional, people divided into groups working directly against each other! Imagine if we ALL, as a species, united in cooperative projects! We probably wouldn't still be obliged to look sheepishly at our shuffling feet were aliens to arrive and inquire how come we're yet to technologically advance to a level where we can navigate beyond our planet!

[@jasonk5979]

Amazing that plant was built in 6 months. During the war it built a quarter of the 89000 tanks produced. Cool history.

[@MadAdventure919]

Unbelievable hard work.

[@WiscomptonBoys]

The scale of this blows my mind. Almost all of WWII production is remarkable. The tech back then was so archaic (compared to now) but they still could build this huge building in 6 months?! Not to mention thousands of tanks, which require some very precise bits. And not only was the US doing this.. but Russia, Germany.. even Japan's Royal Navy is mind boggling to pull off such feats with such "basic" tech. Wow

[@spaceman081447]

@Izuhara Torozu RE: "but they still could build this huge building in 6 months?!" The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the entire Pentagon in 16 months.

[@ninemilliondollars]

Actually, the engineering wasn't archaic; it's still what we use today, only having computers manufacture lots more. They knew how much parts would expand and contract, how to fit oil seals on moving parts, the correct oil viscosity, the right screws and bolts with the correct holding strength.

[@nono-jj9rr]

Mills are really, REALLY good machines.

[@Geoduck.]

What's remarkable no computers were used to design and plan this endeavor. American production won the second world war. I recently retired as a Machinist. In the late 70's and early 80's I "ran" a number of machine tools labeled as war production property. They were high quality and built to last.

[@ninemilliondollars]

You probably could confirm that it was engineering knowledge behind the creation of the machines you've used. And that knowledge hasn't really changed that much. Sizing of parts, expansion, force-fits, material strength, lots of it's been know for a long time. But using computers for CNC equipment, etc. is what's new. Yet they accomplish the same thing as in the past, perhaps with more accuracy. Yss/no?

[@General.Longstreet]

Must have been great being a part of something so big . Everyone had a role to play in those days .

[@WalrusWinking]

Racially homogenous societies are like that.

[@tedlumley4470]

Wow. I'm from Canada but I've always been impressed how so much awesome construction and manufacturing was done in the U.S in the 30s and 40s. And WITHOUT HYDRAULICS!!!! When Japan attacked Pearl Harbour Yamamoto was quoted as saying "we have awakened a sleeping giant"

[@pdbandit1]

I think Yamamoto also said we can run wild for 6 months, after that I have no confidence. America had a lot of advantages, our population was comparable with the 3 major axis countries combined, for the most part we had plenty of natural resources like oil and steel, none of the axis powers were in a position to mount a serious attack on the US mainland where manufacturing took place. I think the leaders of the axis powers started believing their own BS.

[@mrz80]

@@pdbandit1 I don't think a solid source for the "sleeping giant" quote has ever emerged, but is the sort of thing he would've felt. He always felt it was folly for the Empire to take on an opponent so much larger and with such an advantage in industrial capacity. In fact, he had gotten so outspoken about it that the Naval staff gave him the Combined Fleet command and effectively "banished" him to his flagship most of the time to keep him out of reach of hotheaded young militarists who wanted to assassinate him. When confronted with the inevitable, he fought about the best campaign he could with what he had, and for the first year or so he did pretty much "run wild". Once we got our feet under us and the remorseless game of numbers started, it was pretty much less a question of "if" and more of "how long, and how much will it cost".

[@mrz80]

I had about the same reaction to an old British documentary describing the construction of a steam locomotive. An awful lot of good old muscle power involved in those 1930s behemoths. :)

[@73gmiller]

"Chrysler spent two hundred thousand dollars of it's own money" wow Now that'll get you 2 new trucks

[@giganaut6007]

adjusted for inflation from mid1930s money to 2021 money value USD 200,000 is valued at USD 3,820,000 in today's money

[@michiel1362]

They ssaid 16 milllion dollar... later they mentioned 2 million on tools alone

[@73gmiller]

@@michiel1362 Those are government dollars. Some things haven't changed.

[@mitch_the_-itch]

The Fascist economic model implemented by FDR has consequences. Devaluing the currency and hyper-inflation IS ALWAYS the result. Just wait till Millennials figure this out.

[@jjhpor]

@@mitch_the_-itch "The Fascist economic model implemented by FDR" Roosevelt saved American capitalism and advanced the possibility of a more sane and inclusive society than had ever existed before. Right wing fanatics have been trying to destroy it ever since. They are closer to success today than ever before.

[@arturo0727]

In my place of work here in the ohio valley to this day we are still using those very old late 1930's machining mills from Chrysler that they sold back in the 70s, they have been retrofitted with modern automated systems ofc. But that just tells you the durability and quality of those products.

[@KittyK.]

My parents took me to school with an M3 until 1965, when they bought a new tank.

[@buckbuck9225]

The greatest generation.that says it all.

[@johnnyfoo8737]

Some of the best engineers ever born too

[@AdrianDucao]

yeah today it's just KARENS, BLM, rappers, and gamers

[@genetic._.jackal7189]

@@AdrianDucao and what are you exactly? Lmfao

[@genetic._.jackal7189]

@Daniël Wassink lmfao, you wanna live back when racism was rampant and police beatings were seen as normal?

[@manweller1]

@@AdrianDucao wasn't that the same generation that lynched people on pure hearsay? 🤔🤔

[@1jfecteau]

Ha! Today I don't think we could get the surveying done in 6 months, let alone the whole factory! lol

[@jackbarlow7221]

Jim Beau hell, today the environmental impact statement would take a decade!

[@5thfjreenactor602]

It takes 3 years for small bridges to get repairs where I live just this weekend one finished they started 2016 now they finish with it

[@tird108]

If we could cut back regulations....

[@garym8348]

Hell, you can't even get the PAPERWORK done in 6mos today!

[@garym8348]

@Patrick Ancona that's called corruption! It cost $5mil to do a $1mil project so these politicians can stuff theirs and their friends pockets while working man and woman scrape by. Yet people continue to vote for these criminals! Wtf have they done for you to get reelected?

[@greathornedowl3644]

1) designed by Architect to Detroit Albert Kahn (designed Packard plant, Ford Highland Park and River Rouge), during the depression he worked for Russia designing their tractor/tank plants - like Stalingrad. 2) Thought govt built the plant but Chrysler would run it, we didn't think about building tanks until mid-1940 the fall of France. 3) Kahn also designed the Willow Run B24 bomber plant - which took Ford a while to get running, but by 43 they were rolling out 1 bomber an hour 24/7.

[@rooftopvoter3015]

The obligatory pipe smoker at 3:49 that always pops up in documentaries of that time.

[@progx8679]

When America was "Truly" Great and not Divided !!! Semper Fi

[@jeromesmiskol6675]

QProg

[@owenstv]

Except for the "America First" movement. We were pretty divided on the war. You may want to look into that a little bit.

[@Hellsong89]

Well America was already back then controlled by Zionists, hence why ww2 even happened.

[@5thfjreenactor602]

Hellsong89 ww2 happend because of a culmination of germany invadeing Europe of the Japanese’s wagering war against China and then us putting an embargo on allot of their imports wich led to their attack on Pearl Harbor and when we declared war on them due to their pact with Germany and Italy they all declared war on the us

[@George040270]

Racial and religious discrimination was all over the country. Do not think for a minute that it was not.

[@pedrojulio5889]

My midwest family lives in Eau Claire, Minneapolis and the Quad Cities. Both my Grandpa and my uncle from the 40's till the 60's they worked there and John Deere and IH. I remember the Arsenal from the 60's very well.

[@kimber1911]

Riding on the slung load under a gantry crane. Stuff that would get you fired today!

[@ernesthofmeister3054]

Knowledge, Ability and Initiative!.............where are those terms today?

[@chriswilde7246]

To think this was going on for ships and aircraft too..they definitely knew how to get the ball rolling back then, hopefully today too.. Hats off to the US..

[@josephking6515]

Wasn't there a Liberty ship finished every 5 days? They were building them faster than the U-boats could sink them. Mind some of those ships sunk themselves due to the speed of the construction and corners cut but it was *total war.* I believe you are correct about that _getting the ball rolling_ could happen today. Look at the vaccine production increase when the "war footing" (or whatever the correct terminology is called) order was enacted by the President at some time after midday on 20th Jan 2021.

[@donniebrown2896]

Joseph King, you have your dates and presidents mixed a bit. The vacinne production was started under Trump called "warp speed". He also.inacted a law not used since WW2 forcing auto manufacturers to produce much needed ventilators and stopping 3m from shipping PPE to foreign countries. He also slowed the infiltration of untested, unvaccinated illegals from flooding across our southern boarder. Unlike our current president.

[@roceye]

Warren, Michigan. I was there in 1980 and got to see XM-1 testing.

[@eski-ingilizceci]

The image of America in my childhood (I am 44 now). A land of industrious, intelligent, and honest people with handsome man and beautiful women where good people always won.

[@0witw047]

How’s that image holding up now?

[@ct92404]

And now we have whiney, skinny jeans wearing Millennials who cry about pronouns. Yikes.

[@nuancolar7304]

Even more amazing is that the US had allowed its military strength to dwindle badly since WWI. At the outset of WWII, some troops had to train with wooden guns because there weren't enough to go around. The ramping up of the industrial capabilities was the game changer - neither Germany, Japan or Italy of the Axis powers were able to continue production on a scale needed to win a war.

[@rmarty550]

Fantastic documentary!

[@DESIBOY-fe7nm]

Whenever a threat cones, Americans came prepared. Thats the thing i love about America. Respect from India

[@Lucas_S1217]

Ty. One of the things I respect about India is your country’s Defiance against China

[@thebrothers3971]

Uk here and retired. We still had old Cincinnati lathes in use here ten years ago. There must be hundreds of themstill in peoples hobby garages.

[@gilgarcia3008]

Looking at videos Ike this reminds me of my years working at ALCOA’s Vernon Works that went into operation in 1938. I spent 17 years at that plant, and many things I see in this video were present while worked there.

[@TheAnubis57]

I like how Carl Sandburg help out in the assembly of the tank plant @8:00.

[@robblacie2377]

No social media, cell phones or computers. Everything built by hand. You think we would be unstoppable. Now we are worthless. Now we cry about how people are mean to each other. The greatest generation dead and it's so sad

[@stephenjackson6111]

You seem to be crying a lot.

[@robblacie2377]

@@stephenjackson6111 where

[@samiam5557]

Tanks alot boyz! 😅 🇺🇸

[@MGZetta]

Even though i don't seem to like modern America, i admire this America.

[@hellomynamesnino8932]

same

[@drvonschwartz]

@Leroy Awar Racism has nothing to do with the high standard of production quality America was able to achieve during this time.

[@wongijen9167]

@Weird Yu-Gi-Oh! Kid hehe he won’t do a shit about the people, he’s only in for the power

[@stephenanderson812]

@Weird Yu-Gi-Oh! Kid yes

[@SirEpifire]

The America of the yesteryear wasn't by any means perfect but for any of it's missteps, it's lightyears ahead of where we're at now. Back then, pride and integrity were king and the march towards a better tomorrow was firmly in our sights. I sure wish I'd lived in that time to have seen it.

[@jimknowlton342]

Back when Warren was a bunch of corn fields.

[@yourtutor3329]

I really see it in front of me, a De Soto tank in berlin, defending the workers in Detroit. Shit,,,whats left? No De Soto, no workers and no Detroit,,,,,that was a victory

[@BigSkyCurmudgeon]

now Detroit is in the war zone

[@p47thunderbolt68]

Those early tanks were meant to support infantry. Not go at other tanks . Even the German tanks . The United States built so many it didnt matter anyway unless you were inside on of em' .

[@mdhofstee]

The M3 tank was armed with a short 75mm gun but the main AT gun in it was the 37mm AT gun. That was not really a good gun at that time. The M4 on the other hand could handle just about any tank built and the final version the M4A4 76mm HVSS was the best tank in the world as it could actually get to any place in the world. The one aspect that the Panther had over the M4 was the longer barrel but given that the tanks of the US 3rd army rarely if ever fired at tanks during their drive across France and Germany it was not an issue. I could go on but the simple fact is the armor of the M4 was as thick as the Tiger as the armor on the Tiger was at 10 degree slope versus the 45 degree slope which although thinner gave it a relative same thickness.

[@donniebrown2896]

Agree on some of your comment. I had an uncle who would have argued against many of your claims. He was an m4 driver, his first tank had the turret blown completely off, he and the front gunner were the only survivors. His second tank, a round from a panzer entered through the right front and killed the other crew members. He was shipped home with many injuries, both physically and mentally. We call it PTSD now. The m4 was no match against German main battle tanks.

[@p47thunderbolt68]

@@donniebrown2896 my uncle wasn't as fortunate. His crew ran over a land mine and all four were killed . February 1945 . They were buried in Chattanooga National Cemetery. Two to a coffin . My father was wounded in early April 1945 . Think my uncle was 35 years old . Until he found out it was a mine , dad said he figured they must of tried to tangle with Tiger . Brave men . So many didnt get to grow old . BTW I can see your reasoning about what your uncle and those in his predicament. I once saw a documentary about that . During training those poor future Sherman crews were told that the Sherman was a far superior tank compared to the German Panzers they would be facing . Imagine your first battle . You line up your cannon on a German tank ,fire and the projectile bounces off harmlessly. You watch the German cannon take aim at the Sherman beside you and the Sherman is blown to bits . Not leaving the Sherman crews with a lot of confidence.

[@brennanleadbetter9708]

Actually fighting tanks was expected

[@SpookyDeadeye]

Ah. How I love being educated about WW 2.

[@funkEfresh94]

Right?

[@memetasticvondank131]

*It's Amazing Isn't It?*

[@funkEfresh94]

Totally crazy

[@5thfjreenactor602]

It’s like music to my ears. Oh wait it’s also Glenn millers in the mood I’m hearing

[@robertclark1669]

Yeah its great man

[@jpolar394]

Today your lucky to get the expedited results of a simple soil test even before the first form is put into the ground in less than 6 months from the E.P.A.

[@1835dueber]

you're

[@jamesenloe277]

did they ever shoot at the Lee tank before making 1000's of them?

[@uweyaa]

James Enloe TIGER Tank wil make him a fast end!😆

[@bluemarshall6180]

The Enemy did. And the Crews inside the tanks are Guinipigs. 😀😀😀😀😀

[@robertdonnell8114]

Yes the M-3 was junk, however, it was what we could produce at the time. Do keep in mind we really had NOTHING else.

[@carved6749]

Robert Donnell until the US made the m4 and then mass produced the hell out of it

[@drewthompson7457]

It met the design spec, which was set by the military. Chysler built it to spec, and it was accepted.

[@marcomorreno8504]

Sure it had its defects. But the brits welcomed it in North Africa. Plus it's big Canon was not a pea shooter. And it had American reliability.

[@Mjc103]

who won?

[@a.t6066]

@@Mjc103 who won what?

[@a.t6066]

@@mobiousenigma you pretty much just repeated what the op said. The op is saying that the Sherman was a good tank

[@straightfacts2921]

This voice is something you never forget

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

"selected for their knowledge, ability, and initiative".

[@kjjosker]

Yeah, we would be in much better shape as a country if political correctness didn't put an end to this.

[@SirEpifire]

Amazing how that produces the best results!

[@davidanalyst671]

They didn't tell you that these tanks were.... sheet metal tanks. You see those rivets? Those were to hold the sheet metal on. How many shots from a Russian or German tank do you think a sheet of sheet metal can take before the tank goes up in flames. The USA realized this mistake in Africa before Normandy happened, so fortunately we werent too under gunned, just a little

[@SirEpifire]

I wish our current America was this holistically unified and determined,

[@GenScinmore]

*BULLET RESISTANT STEEL* >mild concern

[@mrz80]

There's armor, and then there's armor. :D

[@a.t6066]

I love how little the people in the comments know about tanks and history

[@a.t6066]

@Worlds Biggest Loser I love the fact you think history doesn't matter... you should add world's dumbest human to your name as well. Kekw noob rekt

[@SuperGunboy]

someone is a little cheesed off.

[@jamesteichler1290]

@@SuperGunboy probably cause you're an idiot

[@SuperGunboy]

Before you shoot your mouth, consider who i was talking about you moron.

[@a.t6066]

@@SuperGunboy cheddar cheesed. But sometimes also provolone or brie

[@benborah1264]

Good enough tank early on, but its super high profile and weak armament (that 75mm built into the hull negated a lot of its usefulness) made it ineffective past a certain point in the war (the British used a lot of them and they worked alright on the Mark IIIs and early Mark IVs which were fairly vulnerable to its 37mm, but against the big cats, as you can guess, they were hopelessly outclassed.

[@6h471]

The tallest version of the M4 Sherman was 9'9" tall, 1 inch shorter than the German Panther.

[@kenneth9874]

Just as the earlier panzers were hopelessly out classed, what's your point?

[@billwilson-es5yn]

The M3 used a temporary superstructure while Ordnance finalized the design of the M4's turret ring and casting of its upper hull.

[@henrycarlson7514]

The Heroes that made EVERYTHING POSSIBLE. Words FAIL

[@MFO46]

I believe this is the Tank Automotive Command in Warren Michigan.

[@MFO46]

I live 2 miles away from this place.

[@mikeg7909]

Yes. I lived in miles from it. On Van Dyke avenue that's where it was. Very close to the GM world headquarters tech center

[@ArtStoneUS]

Is this where Michael Dukakis had his tank ride photo opportunity?

[@Deigratis]

I expected Superman to swoop in any second to give his okey-doke...

[@FJ80Coop]

Yep,it's a MOPAR world... The slowest vehicle Dodge ever produced with the highest mileage road test ever...

[@erikev]

From Wikipedia: M3's overall performance was not satisfactory and the tank was withdrawn from combat in most theaters

[@ninemilliondollars]

But only after the "M4 Sherman became available in larger numbers."

[@scottrayhons2537]

The tanks were before wikipedia. Wikipedia will be gone before the tanks.

[@billwilson-es5yn]

Those were sent to the repair depots to be modified into gun motor carriages holding a 75mm and 105mm howitzer or prime movers for heavy artillery.

[@Fluffypancakes-o7q]

I have a iron golem factory The iron golem factory:

[@mikeray1544]

Still driving my 38 year old RamCharger...the Germans laughed about it whrn they lifted thier skirts n sold it all off to Daimler.

[@jbfrodsham]

These days environmental approval takes 2 years at least.

[@AdamMGTF]

Thoes days, it was thought good for your health to watch atomic bomb tests. Thankfully, the world has moved on.

[@AckzaTV]

they should make a movier about us manufacturing giants in ww2 and all the war factories, like brad pitt as a factory worker building teh sherman also works. it would just be a neat movie to show actors working on tanks and airplanes in factoris using cgi, but that will be so huge, we will show the real size of the factoriea and real factories around the country, in a movie like this... it will all just be in color 4k with real ac tors green scvreened in etc

[@oddhlisterud3834]

Once we were proud of the USA.

[@garym8348]

I still am proud of the USA. It's congress and snowflakes that makes me sick and embarrassed.

[@UCUCUC27]

@@garym8348 what about orange man?

[@joeyjonson8637]

We can be proud again, if we can just oust our corporate overlords and go back to the economic policies of FDR. Since FDR we have been regressing in economic policies, now we're back to monopolies, starvation wages, rampant government corruption. The new deal is what made our great economy of the 50's and 60's, and we've turned our back on it.

[@purpleldv966]

Still are!

[@cs-rj8ru]

50% of us are still proud of the USA and the Constitution. The other 50% are either Democrats or reside in California.

[@jullinnarcooper878]

Railroads, trailer Winnebago parks and mechanicalized farming, cruise ships, hydrants, manifolds, emergency service call boxes and storm Drains and wired equipment...etc.

[@memetasticvondank131]

*I was Looking for this*

[@domenicdalleva1045]

Great video thank you to men and women who did this for our country 🇺🇸, I wonder if it could be done today.

[@rexfrommn3316]

This tank arsenal of Chrysler corporation was an example of what can be done when it HAS to be done. The Army had a basic design for an M2 medium tank but Army officers in the infantry insisted that a 75mm gun be put on the tank after observing combat in France in 1940. The resulting M3 tank was a pretty good medium tank. It needed a few improvements. I get there was no time to develop the 75mm turret gun ring. The engineers just put a 75mm gun in a sponson on the right side because of the emergency conditions. But one problem was the heighth of the M3 which made it an easier target for enemy gunners. A better engine than the rotary aircraft engine should have been selected for the tank. The rotary aircraft engine was too large sitting about a 60 degree angle in the back. The final drives in front were driven by a diagonal shaft from the engine in the rear causing the desing to be too high. The design could have been lengthened to make room for a conventional tractor engine. The British turret design for the 37mm gun minus the top .30 caliber turret on top should have been standard for American M3's. A diesel engine or pair of diesel engines should have been put in the back. The Army didn't want two different types of fuel for logistical reasons. This idea was a poor choice. Gasoline brews up when hit. Diesel is much more efficient with better performance and economy. Diesel also is better for combat operations because it is less likely to catch on fire than regular gasoline. American farm tractors were still using gasoline engines in the late 1930's/40's. I think this had more to do with why the Army stuck with gasoline. But overall, the M3 tank did quite well as a Lend Lease tank until the very end of the war. The M3 was made in many versions to the level of 6258 examples of all types. Most M3's served with the British in North Africa, Sicily with a few examples in Italy but replaced by the Sherman. The M3 was also sent to the Soviet Union where it served in the battles around Leningrad and Kursk mostly as an infantry support vehicle. Later on the Soviets moved their M3 tanks to secondary theaters near Petsamo in the arctic. But the M3 saw service with the Soviet Union all through the war despite complaints about its height. It is even thought the Soviets used the M3 tank for the battle of Berlin in secondary roles such as command tanks. The Soviets shipped the their surviving M3's to Manchuria for the fight against Japan. The M3 tank was good enough for secondary roles thus freeing up manufacturing capacity of the Soviets for mainline theaters of war. Sometimes an adequate tank in a secondary theater is sufficient enough to get by. The M3 filled this role perfectly freeing up more T-34 tanks and other Soviet heavy tanks for the push to Berlin and Eastern Europe to end the war a little sooner. The British shipped their M3's to India in large numbers while Australia used them for training in Western Australia. The M3 tank fought vicious hard battles for the British Army at the Admin box, Imphal and Kohima including pushing the Japanese out of Burma until the end of the war. The 37mm gun in the jungle was loved by British and Indian troops for the canister rounds it could fire to silence troublesome snipers and hidden machine guns in the jungle. Special British/Indian army regiments were trained as armed escort teams with automatic weapons and grenades to accompany each M3 tank to kill Japanese suicide antitank units with bombs and satchel charges strapped to their bodies. A British or Indian soldier had this amazingly stressful job because to be slow on the trigger meant you got blown up by a Japanese suicide bomber hiding in the jungle bush just yards away from the tank! So for a stop gap hastily designed tank, the M3 saw combat in all theaters of war. Maybe the M3 tank was a second class tank in 1944 but it did a first class job when given roles such as infantry support or serving in secondary theaters where enemy tanks weren't first rate. Thus, the M3 serving in secondary theaters freed up first rate tanks for combat missions in the primary theaters thus saving manufacturing capacity for those primary theaters of war. tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/US/M3_Lee_Grant.php nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/the-m-3-grant-americas-nazi-germany-tank-killer-19126

[@tacomas9602]

The M3 was a great stopgap. That's it. That's why it didn't have much as far as upgrades over time. They just needed a 75mm on a tank chassis. It had reliability, it had very very respectable firepower and somewhat decent armor-from the front. M4 is what M3 tried to be for a stopgap

[@tomashton1781]

those Shermans had all kinds of engines but that aircraft engine was the worst in terms over overheating, they even made a five bank six cylinder water cooled push rod engine, with a goofy crank lay out, best one was dual cadillac motors. the T34 diesel engine is still around, and they didnt blow up and catch fire like the M-4s

[@brennanleadbetter9708]

At least you were more likely to get out of a Sherman alive than you would in a T-34.

[@arno557]

Millitary experts everywhere in comment section😅😅

[@Sturminfantrist]

yes as usual becausethe comment section is for discussions ;)

[@Spitznock]

187 lbs of blueprints to sift through. Goodness gracious.

[@mikeobrien9829]

These days one wouldn't even get the planning permits through for the buildings in 6 months, way to much red tape these days

[@Paciat]

US produced M3 Lee first because there was no machinery to produce the big M4 Sherman turret ring.

[@darrencornell1]

Paciat that tank was bollocks n u know it

[@drewthompson7457]

The Lee was first because that's what the army asked for. The production tooling had to be built for it, and later, had to be built for the Sherman.

[@bobcohoon9615]

There is one of these M3 tanks in the 40's movie " Sahara "

[@TheMrExemplar]

This is so beautiful

[@LincolnSixAlpha]

Back when 'Merica meant something. America today is just a shell of what it once was.

[@pressureworks]

Yep, forced segregation, deadly childhood diseases, 40% poverty rate ((15% in 2015) ah the good ole days !

[@bingosunnoon9341]

Let's choose up sides and kill each other. What's so great about that?

[@ct92404]

@@pressureworks Go cry on Tumblr.

[@pressureworks]

@@ct92404 ?????? Who's crying ? Not I !!!

[@nateone9588]

Dont be upset, we still build and export weapons on a massive scale

[@bullettube9863]

A lot of posters here do not realize that the German Panther and Tiger did not exist in 1941! Nor were the Germans using the famous 88mm gun as an anti-tank weapon in vast numbers. The M4, along with the Russian T-34 came as a shock to the Germans; both tanks had better armor and a faster speed then German tanks. The M-4 Sherman, was also a shock to the Germans because their 57mm gun could not penetrate it's armor. In war, numbers count, and the German army was overwhelmed by the thousands of M-4s and Russian T34s produced and thrown against them.

[@zexalex]

As said below "The m3 lee entered service in 1941. The panzer 4 entered service in 1939 and still the panzer 4 out performs the m3 lee. The allies could have made much better tanks. The m3 lee is too tall, to visible and had only had 50mm of armour at the front. You could never convince me to use that thing to fight panzer 4s, let alone Panthers and tiger tanks."

[@ernestpaul2484]

Although the M3 was an ugly and tall creature, it had that 75mm in the sponsoon that could out-range the 57mm in the Panzer Mk3's and had more velocity than the short barreled 75mm in the early Mk4's it was going up against. The Germans were shocked initially when the M3 showed up in Africa.

[@danhillman4523]

I was going to say that but some people you can't explain anything to. : /

[@phildouglas9086]

@@danhillman4523 Watch this documentary of German tank commander Michael Whitman taking out your mighty M4's like shooting ducks. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIq7n6aVrcSqlZI

[@foxsoft5]

@@phildouglas9086 in the end he still died by a shot from a sherman firefly lol

[@themechbuilder6171]

this video would haven censored to heaven if it was about german tank factories

[@markjeffels3327]

It's was to bad that they were out gunned after the first 8 months when Hitler and Rommel got their hands on one! But they could out maneuver all the other tanks!

[@ironwolfF1]

True enough, but for the Australians (and Kiwi's), that tank was a bunker-busting terror that could slap down any Japanese tank sent against it.

[@mrz80]

@@ironwolfF1 The poor sods in their Type 95s and Type 97s who ruled the island jungles were well and truly screwed when the Shermans came lumbering through the underbrush at them. In that environment, the M4 truly was the biggest baddest kid on the ball field. :D

[@robertpyt4835]

Fajny filmik. Robi wrażenie.

[@majkizbajki8032]

Dużo Polaków pracowało i budowało amerykańska potęgę

[@Nick-Stewbreeze]

I love our tool and die makers

[@personnelente]

While a remarkable achievement, the narrative for this film does it no favors.

[@tsuzukadesu]

After watching this, I set off to find where to buy war bonds

[@armyvet8279]

I'll sell you some.

[@ct92404]

A time machine.

[@Oh6Torch]

And that’s why Millennial Billy, the government bailed out the automotive manufacturers and why we still have railroads to this day…

[@ahosta7853]

During WW2 a in Cleveland OH a factory to build subassemblies for airplanes was erected it was called the bomer plant.during the Korean war maybe even vietnam.it was called the tank plant.the Cadillac tank plant now it's life is the I-X center for boat show and Auto shows

[@waldopepper1]

Did they leave the locomotive in there? 7:51 because it looks like there was no way to remove it. Edit to add timestamp

[@diggermitch1]

is this the warran tank plant in warran mich and who were the contractors

[@scarakus]

Ha! only 92 Ford people thumbed down.

[@OpusBuddly]

You can bet your ass they kept two sets of books.

[@straighttothepoint2717]

back when america actually worked together and didnt split up into different groups of people against everyone else for no good reason.

[@AdamMGTF]

You may want to learn a little more about American history at this time. There were HUGE splits in society, politics and economics. The isolationist Vs interventionist movements alone were a huge split in society.

[@jullinnarcooper878]

Type writer, gym barbels, anchor and sewing machine, telegraph equipment and such

[@normfreilinger5655]

Actual tank production at 16:00 your welcome

[@bryanmower2703]

They would weep if they could see the world today

[@StansboyJohn]

They did their duty. It’s us who have failed the principles of freedom and individual liberty

[@Apache1220]

stop talking and get busy! hats off to our greatest generation!

[@AckzaTV]

19:25 mmm powdered metal parts from the 40s

[@mariebcfhs9491]

lol the crappy iron grave for seven brothers

[@spamuraigranatabru1149]

Sadly, they hadn't the technology to make a turret to carry the 75mm so they created that as a test bed for parts they would use in the far better M4 medium... Though it is technically a massive improvement over the tiny amount of M2 mediums they had before. How they couldn't put the gun in the turret i have no idea...

[@john_air]

i'm hearing the tiger laughing in the back ground

[@brennanleadbetter9708]

That might’ve been it’s engine coughing

[@xRepoUKx]

Nice factory, shame about the tank...

[@Mocking69]

凄い貴重映像に秀樹感激Goodです=3

[@ecrusch]

Honestly makes me proud to be an American.

[@rockystelone21]

sad to say but the Germans tanks were nasty, mean and deadly.

[@Hellsong89]

@Richard Ensey Trow enough shit to wall and some will stick. Mind it took all allied nations including soviets to defeat Germany and Japan (Italy was not really a treat to anyone really). With out Soviets you would be speaking Germany right about now. Sadly America was fighting wrong enemy the whole time and is not owned by them.

[@a.t6066]

German tanks were not that great. What makes German Panzers better than American panzers?

[@498pankaj]

German tanks like the panzer and the tiger mkII were beasts but were outnumbered by Sherman tanks of America . No tank was better than german tanks ,they were impenetrable and had a high range and almost all tanks used by Germans were classified as either heavy or artillery tanks

[@a.t6066]

@@498pankaj ??? no, that's totally incorrect

[@498pankaj]

@@a.t6066 tell me your version