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Guide
Lamp Division of General Motors in World War Two
Anderson, IN
1906- 1984
Rest in Peace
This page updated on 7-29-2021.
Guide Lamp was one of two GM
Divisions located in Anderson, IN. Its core product lines before
and after the war were headlights and tail lights for General Motors
vehicles.
Guide Lamp won the
Army-Navy "E" award on September 9, 1942, and added stars on May
15, 1943 and December 7, 1943. It added two more stars of unknown
dates for a total of five Army-Navy "E"
awards.
Guide Lamp World War Two Production
Statistics: (8,500,000) total of
headlamps, tail lamps, dome lamps, blackout lamps and signal
lamps; (3,400,000) Stimsonite reflector units; (22,000) Bell
Aircraft P-39 Airacobra spinner noses; (1,000,000) water jacket sleeves
for Allison aircraft engines; (36,750,000) cartridge cases for
37mm, 40mm, 90mm and 105mm constructed of both brass and steel; (1,600,000)
.50 caliber Browning machine gun barrels; (682,163) complete M3
and M3A1
submachine guns.
The M3 Submachine Gun:
1943 - 85,130 M3
1944 - 343,372 M3
1945 - 178,192 M3
1945 - 15,469 M3A1
Total Production of M3 - 606,694
Total Production of M3A1 - 15,469
This World War Two-era photo shows a
portion of the military headlight production line at Guide Lamp.
Not shown in the Guide publication below are
the 1,000,000 FP-45 .45 caliber "Liberator Pistols" that it built in
three months during 1942 as it was totally top secret. The 300
women that built them worked in a part of the Guide factory on the west
side of Anderson in an area that was completely walled off for security
purposes. The workers were sworn to secrecy. Not even their
husbands nor boy friends knew what they were doing. With it being
so secret it obviously did not end up in the Guide Lamp World War Two history. This was a GM Inland
Division design, but Guide did all the final assembly, Frigidaire
Division of GM chambered the barrels, Saginaw Steering Gear Division
of GM made barrel bushings, and Detroit Transmission Division
made barrel collars. Moraine Products Division built the barrel
and trigger guard. This was a true cooperative effort among the
six GM Divisions and a host of other outside sub-contractors.
The FP-45 fits into the category of "it
sounded like a good idea at the time". The pistols were to be
given to partisans in German occupied territory to attack German
soldiers. Cooler heads prevailed, as firing a .45 caliber pistol
is an acquired skill as it creates significant recoil. The light
weight of the FP-45 would not have been able to absorb the amount of
recoil. Firing the weapon would probably have been more dangerous
to the shooter than the target. There was also the issue of what
happened to the shooter if the shooter missed with the first shot, which
was highly likely, and then killed by return fire from the German
soldier. The pistols were never used as intended and most were
subsequently scrapped. In the end, it took massive well-trained
armies to end the war.
As seen at the Museum of the United
States Air Force in Dayton, OH. Author's Photo.
This pristine Guide Lamp-built FP-45 is on
display at the
Indiana Military Museum in Vincennes, IN. Author's photo.
Even more interesting is the reverse side,
which has been cut away. Author's photo.
The M3 Submachine gun as seen at the World
War Two Museum in New Orleans, LA. Author's photo.
Many of the M3s on display in museums are
reproductions. Not this one, as "Guide" can be seen stamped
on the magazine receiver.
Author's photo.
This Guide Lamp-built M3 submachine gun is on
display at the Indiana War Memorial in downtown Indianapolis, IN.
Author's photo.
One can see the actual "Guide"
stamped on this one as well. Author's photo.
This M4A1 Sherman tank on display in Foster
Park in Kokomo, IN has two Guide Lamp blackout lights on it.
Author's photo added 2-7-2019.
The two Guide Lamp blackout lamps are
49 miles from where they were built in Anderson, IN. Author's
photo added 2-7-2019.
This Guide blackout headlamp is on the
driver's side of the tank. Author's photo added 2-7-2019.
This blackout lamp is on the assistant
driver's side of the tank. Author's photo added 2-7-2019.
This M5A1 Stuart Light tank was on display at the 2014 Indiana Military
Museum's World War Two Days. Guide Lamp was the supplier of the
lighting for the 8,884 M5 and M5A1 tanks produced during World War Two. Author's photo added 10-27-2020.
The blackout lamp is on the driver's side of
the tank. Author's photo added 10-27-2020.
Author's photo added 10-27-2020.
Guide Lamp also supplied the external lighting for the M24 light tank.
It also furnished the interior dome light for the tank. There were
4,731 M24 Chaffee tanks built. Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
Guide Lamp supplied all of the exterior and
interior lighting for the 2,414 M26 and M45 Pershing tanks built during
World War Two. Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
International Harvester built 5,872 M1 and
M1A1 13-ton high speed tractors to pull artillery pieces. Guide
Lamp furnished all of the exterior lighting for the vehicle.
Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
The vehicle also had rear flood lights
supplied by Guide Lamp. Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
Allis-Chalmers built 5,811M1 and M1A1 18-ton high speed tractors with
Guide Lamp lighting. Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
The Guild Lamp lighting also included rear
flood lights. Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
All of the lighting for the 281,570 Chevrolet 1-1/2-ton 4x4 trucks built
during World War Two were provided by Guide Lamp. Author's photo.
This Diamond T M3 half-track is one of
53,623 half-tracks that were produced by Autocar, Diamond T,
International Harvester, and White Motor Company during World War Two. Author's photo.
Author's
photo.
Author's photo.
Brian Mulcahy took this photo of a halftrack along the Normandy beach in
2013. It is one of many relics on display in the area.
Photo courtesy of Brian Mulcahy.
The halftrack has the original Guide Lamp
Division of General Motors headlight in it. Many of the vehicles
that landed at Normandy were equipped with Guide Lamp headlights,
taillights and blackout lamps. Photo courtesy of Brian Mulcahy.
Typical of one of the 8.5 million lamps produced by
Guide for military vehicles during World War Two. This one is on an
American Bantam-built 1/4 ton trailer. Author's photo.
GMC built 624,873 2-1/2-ton 6x6 trucks of various types for the war
effort. They all came equipped with lighting furnished by Guide
Lamp. This is the CCKW-353 version with a winch, one of 120,671
of this type built. Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
21,147 DUKW amphibious trucks were also
built by GMC with Guide Lamp waterproof lighting. Author's photo
added 7-29-2021.
This 1944 Autocar U-7144-T 4-ton tractor was one of 11,104
built during World War Two which came equipped with external lighting
built by Guide Lamp in Anderson, IN. Guide Lamp supplied several
non-General Motors truck manufacturers during World War Two. Author's
photo added 7-29-2021.
There were 3,946 White Motor Company 666
prime movers built like this one that came with Guide Lamp lighting
equipment. White also built another 3,047 666 series trucks with
different cargo bodies with lighting from Guide Lamp.
The White M3A1 scout car was another non-GM
product to be equipped with Guide Lamp products. 20,894 were
built. Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
The Diamond T-built Model 969 4-ton wrecker
was equipped with lighting by Guide Lamp. Author's photo added
7-29-2021.
This Ward LaFrance M1 heavy wrecker was one
of 4,925 M1 and M1A1 the company built. They were equipped with
lights built by Guide Lamp. Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
Federal Motor Truck Company built 2,307 C-2
7-1/2-ton 6x6 wreckers for the Army Air Force with Guide Lamp lighting.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Lakaszcyck added 7-29-2021.
This International Harvester-built M-1-4 233
1/2-ton 4x4 truck is one of 1,123 built with Guide Lamp lighting during
World War Two. Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
International Harvester manufactured 9,094 M-2-4-233 one-ton 4X4s for the Navy and
USMC during World War Two. Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
Guide Lamp lighting was used on the
International Harvester 1-1/2-ton 4x4 U.S. Navy crash truck. It is
one of 6,542 model M-3L-4 and M-3H-4 trucks built. Author's photo
added 7-29-2021.
The International Harvester M425/M426 series
5-ton 4x2 tractors all came equipped with lights built in Anderson, IN
by Guide Lamp. Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
Guide Lamp provided the lighting equipment
for the International Harvester-built KR-11 5-ton 4x2 truck.
Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
Both Reo and Federal built a 20-ton tractor during World War Two that
were equipped with Guide Lamp exterior lights. Federal built 1,443
and Reo 700. Image added 7-29-2021.
There were 1,372 M1 and M1A1 "Dragon Wagon"
tank retrievers built with Guide Lamp equipment. Author's photo
added 7-29-2021.
The 60,486 Harley-Davidson WLA motorcycles
were
produced with Guide Lamp lighting. Author's photo added
7-29-2021.
The Indiana War Memorial in downtown
Indianapolis, IN has one whole room dedicated to military products built
in the state during WWII and since that time. Here is a Guide
built Blackout Lamp. Author's Photo.
Also on display is this World War Two military
tractor lamp. Author's Photo.
Guide Lamp stamped out 22,000 nose cones for
the Bell P-39 Airacobra. Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
Author's photo added 7-29-2021.
Guide built one million water jacket sleeves
for Allison V-1710 aircraft engines like this one on display at the
National Museum of the United States Air Force. Author's photo.
Guide made 1.6 million Browning
M2 .50 caliber machine gun barrels during the Second
World War. Author's photo.
"Guide's page in the history of American
Industry at War"
This gives an excellent overview of
what Guide Lamp did by those who worked there
during the Second World War.
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