The American Automobile Industry in World War Two
An American Auto Industry Heritage Tribute by David D Jackson

Overview      Lansing Michigan in World War Two   The U.S. Auto Industry at the Normandy Invasion, June 6, 1944    The U.S. Auto Industry and the B-29 Bomber   U.S. Auto Industry Army-Navy "E" Award Winners   The Complete listing of All Army-Navy "E" Award Winners   Sherman Tanks of the American Auto Industry   Tank Destroyers of the American Auto Industry    M26 Pershing Tanks of the American Auto Industry   M36 Tank Destroyers of the American Auto Industry   Serial Numbers for WWII Tanks built by the American Auto Industry   Surviving LCVP Landing Craft    WWII Landing Craft Hull Numbers   Airborne Extra-Light Jeep Photos  The American Auto Industry vs. the German V-1 in WWII   American Auto Industry-Built Anti-Aircraft Guns in WWII   VT Proximity Manufacturers of WWII   World War One Era Motor Vehicles   National Museum of Military Vehicles  
Revisions   Links

 Automobile and Body Manufacturers:  American Bantam Car Company   Briggs Manufacturing Company   Checker Car Company   Chrysler Corporation   Crosley Corporation   Ford Motor Car Company   General Motors Corporation   Graham-Paige Motors Corporation   Hudson
Motor Car Company   Murray Corporation of America   Nash-Kelvinator   Packard Motor Car Company      Studebaker    Willys-Overland Motors

General Motors Divisions:  AC Spark Plug   Aeroproducts   Allison   Brown-Lipe-Chapin   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Cleveland Diesel   Delco Appliance   Delco Products   Delco Radio   Delco-Remy   Detroit Diesel   Detroit Transmission   Electro-Motive   Fisher Body   Frigidaire   GM Proving Grounds   GM of Canada   GMC   GMI   Guide Lamp   Harrison Radiator   Hyatt Bearings   Inland   Moraine Products   New Departure   Oldsmobile   Packard Electric   Pontiac   Saginaw Malleable Iron   Saginaw Steering Gear   Southern California Division   Rochester Products   Ternstedt Manufacturing Division   United Motors Service   Vauxhall Motors

 Indiana Companies:  Bailey Products Corporation   Chrysler Kokomo Plant   Continental Steel Corporation  Converto Manufacturing    Cummins Engine Company   Diamond Chain and Manufacturing Company   Delta Electric Company   Durham Manufacturing Company   Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation   Haynes Stellite Company   Hercules Body Company   Horton Manufacturing Company   Howe Fire Apparatus   J.D. Adams Company   Kokomo Spring Company   Magnavox  
Muncie Gear Works   Pierce Governor Company   Portland Forge and Foundry   Reliance Manufacturing Company   Republic Aviation Corporation - Indiana Division   Ross Gear and Tool Company   S.F. Bowser & Co.   Sherrill Research Corporation   Tokheim Oil Tank and Pump Company   Warner Gear   Wayne Pump Company   Wayne Works

Commercial Truck and Fire Apparatus Manufacturers:  American LaFrance   Autocar  
Biederman Motors Corporation   Brockway Motor Company   Detroit General   Diamond T   Duplex Truck Company   Federal Motor Truck   Four Wheel Drive Auto Company(FWD)   International Harvester   John Bean   Mack Truck   Marmon-Herrington Company   Michigan Power Shovel Company   Oshkosh Motor Truck Corporation   Pacific Car and Foundry   "Quick-Way" Truck Shovel Company   Reo Motor Car Company  Seagrave Fire Apparatus   Sterling Motor Truck Company    Ward LaFrance Truck Corporation   White Motor Company

Aviation Companies:  Abrams Instrument Corporation   Hughes Aircraft Company   Kellett Aviation Corporation   Laister-Kauffman Aircraft Corporation   Naval Aircraft Factory   P-V Engineering Forum, Inc.    Rudolf Wurlitzer Company-DeKalb Division  Schweizer Aircraft Corporation   Sikorsky Division of United Aircraft Corporation   St. Louis Aircraft Corporation   Timm Aircraft Corporation

Other World War Two Manufacturers: 
Air King Products   Allis-Chalmers   American Car and Foundry   American Locomotive   American Stove Company   Annapolis Yacht Yard  
Andover Motors Company   B.F. Goodrich   Baker War Industries   Baldwin Locomotive Works   Blood Brothers Machine Company   Boyertown Auto Body Works   Briggs & Stratton   Caterpillar   Cheney Bigelow Wire Works   Centrifugal Fusing   Chris-Craft   Clark Equipment Company   Cleaver-Brooks Company   Cleveland Tractor Company   Continental Motors   Cushman Motor Works   Crocker-Wheeler   Dail Steel Products   Detroit Wax Paper Company   Detrola   Engineering & Research Corporation   Farrand Optical Company   Federal Telephone and Radio Corp.   Firestone Tire and Rubber Company   Fruehauf Trailer Company   Fuller Manufacturing   Galvin Manufacturing   Gemmer Manufacturing Company   General Railway Signal Company   Gibson Guitar   Gibson Refrigerator Company   Goodyear   Hall-Scott   Hanson Clutch and Machinery Company   Harley-Davidson   Harris-Seybold-Potter   Herreshoff Manufacturing Company   Higgins Industries    Highway Trailer   Hill Diesel Company   Holland Hitch Company   Homelite Company   Horace E. Dodge Boat and Plane Corporation   Huffman Manufacturing   Indian Motorcycle   Ingersoll Steel and Disk   John Deere   Johnson Automatics Manufacturing Company   Kimberly-Clark   Kohler Company   Kold-Hold Company   Landers, Frary & Clark  Lima Locomotive Works   Lundberg Screw Products   MacKenzie Muffler Company   Massey-Harris   Matthews Company   McCord Radiator & Mfg. Company   Metal Mouldings Corporation   Miller Printing Machinery Company   Morse Instrument Company   Motor Products Corporation   Motor Wheel Corporation   National Cash Resgister Company   Novo Engine Company   O'Keefe & Merritt Company   Olofsson Tool and Die Company   Oneida Ltd   Otis Elevator   Owens Yacht   Pressed Steel Car Company   Queen City Manufacturing Company   R.G. LeTourneau   R.L. Drake Company   St. Clair Rubber Company   Samson United Corporation   Shakespeare Company   Sight Feed Generator Company   Simplex Manufacturing Company   Steel Products Engineering Company   St. Louis Car Company   Twin Disc Company   Victor Adding Machine Company   Vilter Manufacturing Company   Wells-Gardner   W.L. Maxson Corporation   W.W. Boes Company   Westfield Manufacturing Company   York-Hoover Body Company   Youngstown Steel Door Company  
   

Aeroproducts Division of General Motors in World War Two
 
Vandalia, OH
1935-1960
Rest in Peace

This page updated 11-30-2017.


 Author's Photo.

Aeroproducts is one of the more obscure and now forgotten General Motors Divisions.  In its day, it was a prime contributor to the American World War Two effort as a manufacturer of aircraft propellers.  The last Aeroproducts propeller was built in Indianapolis, IN in 1977 after Aeroproduct became part of the Allison Division of GM.  The particular design of the propeller allowed for an Oldsmobile-built 37mm cannon to fire through the hub on the Bell P-39 and P-63.



The Aeroproducts Division of General Motors won the Army-Navy "E" Award on October 15, 1943.


The award ceremonies took place on October 15, 1943 at the front entrance to the Aeroproducts Plant in Vandalia, OH.

Aeroproducts World War Two Production Statistics:   (20,773) Aircraft Propellers - For F8F, P-39, P-63, XP-75, P-75A, P-51K and P-51H.   During the war Aeroproducts had 2,500 employees.

Aeroproducts WWII Propeller Applications - There may be others due to the deficit of applications as shown below.

Aircraft Propeller Designation Number of Blades Diameter in Feet Dates Number of Aircraft Comments
Bell P-39F A632S 3 10.3 1941 231  
Bell P-39K-1 A632S 3 10.3 First Delivery in July of 1942 210  
Bell P-39K-5 A632S 3 11.6     This is included in the 210 number.
Bell P-39Q-21 A632S 4 ? SOP March 1943 109 109 P-39Qs had the four bladed props and were sent to Russia.  I
Bell P-63A A642S-D1, D3, E1, E2 4 11.0 First flight 12-7-1942 3,303  
Fisher XP-75 and P-75 AD7562-X5 6 12.6 First flight 11-17-1943 14  
Republic P-47B AD6462-X1 6   1943 1 AD designated dual rotation in Aeroproducts nomenclature.  In 1943 there was only one test flight of a P-47B with the Aeroproducts AD6462-X1 counter rotating propeller.  The propeller was found to de-stabilize the aircraft, and it was the only test flight ever made with the Thunderbolt and Aeroproducts propeller.  Added 5-5-2015.
Bell XP-77 A5215 2 9.5 First Flight 4-1-1944 2  
Vought XF4U-4 AD7562-X5 6 12.6 6-1944 to 8-1944 1 Testing indicated the AD7562-X5 resulted in the XF4U-4 being ten MPH slower, the climb rate reduced by 300 FPM while weighing 203 lbs more than than a standard four blade propeller.  Added 5-5-2015.  
Republic XP-72 AD7562-14 6   First Flight 6-26-1944 1 The end of the war cancelled the 100 place production run.  Added 11-30-2017.
Grumman F8F-1 A642-G1 4 12.6 First Flight 8-31-1944 658  
Grumman F8F-2 A642 4 12.6   100  
North American P-51F/G   3 or 4     5  
North American P-51K A542S 4 11.0   1,500  
North American P-51H A542-B2 4 11.0 First Flight 2-3-1945 555  
North American P-82 A542 4 11.0 First Flight 6-16-1945 272 Twin Engine aircraft
Boeing XF8B-1 AD7562-XB 6 13.5 First Flight 12-27-1944 3  
Total         6,965 There is a deficit of known applications for 13,810 propellers.


The Aeroproducts plant in during World War Two.  This Aeroproducts plant produced 3% of the total propellers made during World War Two.  Photo added 2-27-2015.


This is the Aeroproducts administration building as it stood before being razed in 2008.  When the product line went to Allison Division in 1960, Inland Division of GM then took over this building and the related manufacturing facilities. This was located just across the street from the Dayton International Airport.  The "E" for Excellence Award ceremonies took place at the main entrance in October 1943 as shown above.  Author's photo.


 Author's photo.


This ad is from 1944.


The Aeroprop emblems can be seen on this Grumman F8F Bearcat.  The diameter of the propeller is 12 feet and seven inches.  Author's photo from the 2009 Chino Airshow, Chino, CA.


Here a Grumman F8F Bearcat climbs for altitude at the 2013 Houston Airshow.  The Aeroprop emblems can be seen as blurs in this photo.  Author's Photo.


The Aeroprop emblems can again be seen as blurs in this photo at the 2013 Houston Airshow.  Author's Photo.


 This Fisher Body XP-75 on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force has an Aeroproducts counter rotating prop.  Author's Photo.


 The first flight of the Fisher XP-75 took place on 11-17-1943.  Author's Photo.


The Aeroproducts Counter Rotating Props were also used on these World War Two experimental aircraft:  Republic XP-72, Boeing XF8B-1and the Curtiss XBCT-2.  Author's Photo.


This photo shows the Aeroprop four-bladed propeller on a Bell P-63E displayed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.   Author's Photo.


 Author's Photo.


This is not an Aeroproducts propeller on this Bell P-30Q.  This photo does show how it is possible to have the barrel of an Oldsmobile 37mm cannon installed in either the Curtiss Electric or Aeroproducts propeller hub.   Author's photo from the National Museum of the United States Air Force.


This photo shows the entire P-39 drive train with General Motors Divisions' components.  On the left is the Allison V-1710 engine, then the Oldsmobile built 37mm cannon, the Cadillac gear reduction unit, and then the Aeroproducts propeller.  The engine was behind the pilot and the driveshaft went between the pilot's legs.  This allowed the cannon to fire out of the center hub of the prop.  Author's photo from the National Museum of the United States Air Force.


Author's Photo.


Author's Photo.


This P-39Q shows the aircraft type that is similar to the 464 P-39 aircraft that the Aeroproducts prop went into.  Note that the engine exhaust stacks are behind the pilot where the GM Allison V-1710 engine was located.  Author's Photo.

Blades for Victory - The Story of the Aeroproducts Propeller & the Men & Women who build it
This booklet gives an excellent overview of what and how the Aeroproducts propeller was made and those who made it during the Second World War.


 

 

 

 

 

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