Producing More for Victory   Progress in Technology   One Million Browning Machine Guns   Toward Victory
General Motors Corporation in World War Two
Detroit, MI
1908-Current (Now Warren, MI)

An Overview
New Page Added - AC Spark Plug on 5-3-2018.
New Page Added - GMC added on 12-6-2017.
New Page Added - GMI added on 11-16-2017.
New Page Added - Fisher Body Grand Rapids Stamping Plant added on 11-7-2017.
New Page Added - Fisher Body Cleveland Plant # 1 added 8-4-2017.
New Page Added - Saginaw Steering Division of GMC added 6-18-2017.
New Page Added - Oldsmobile - "Fire-Power is our Business" page added 4-8-2017.
New Page Added - Buick M18 Tank Destroyer photo page added 12-12-2016.
New page added -  Pontiac Motor Division page added 11-15-2016.
New pages added - Fisher Body M4A3 and M10 photo pages added 11-10-2016.
New page added - Cleveland Diesel Division of General Motors added 10-20-2016.
New page added - Grand Blanc built M4A2 Sherman Tank images added 7-3-2016.
New page added - Fisher Body Detroit Die and Machine Plant added 2-15-2016.
Detroit Diesel "The Power to Win" added 1-3-2016.

This page updated on 11-10-2023.
The 900 lb. Gorilla among the American World War Two Auto Companies!

General Motors at the start of the second world war dwarfed all of the other auto makers and by itself was close to being or was the same size as the rest of them put together.  In December of 1941 when war was declared GM had five car divisions;  Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac.  It also had its body division in Fisher Body and its truck and bus division in GMC.  Then there were where the over 20 component divisions which made everything from aircraft propellers to diesel engines.   GM produced $12,321,789,412 in war materials during World War Two out of the total of $29 billion produced by the entire auto industry or 41%.

Of the 109 General Motors plants operating in 46 communities and 13 states during the war, 66 of them or 60% were awarded the Army-Navy "E" Award or the Navy "E" Award during World War Two.  The 66 GM plants then added 154 stars as the war progressed with one having six stars, and many of them with four.

According to the 1945 GM Annual Report, the company produced the following production totals during the Second World War:  (119,562,000) Shells, (39,181,000) Cartridge Cases, (206,000) Aircraft Engines, (13,000) Naval Fighters and Torpedo Bombers, (97,000) Aircraft Propellers, (301,000) Aircraft Gyroscopes, (38,000) Tanks and Tank Destroyers, (854,000) Trucks, (190,000) Cannon, (1,900,000) Machine Guns and Sub-Machine Guns, (3,142,000) Carbines. (3,826,000) Electric Motors, (11,111,000) Fuses, (360,000,000) Ball and Roller Bearings and (198,000) Diesel Engines.  These numbers are not inclusive of all products but give an understanding of the types and numbers produced.  More can be learned looking at the individual divisions.

The Boeing B-29 was the largest and most expensive project of the Second World War, surpassing even the Manhattan Project in cost.  Seventeen General Motors Divisions provided 800 subassemblies and parts for this World War Two state of the art bomber.  They were:  AC Sparkplug, Allison, Brown-Lipe-Chapin, Buick, Chevrolet, Delco Appliance, Delco Products, Delco Radio, Delco-Remy, Fisher Body, Frigidaire, Harrison Radiator, Hyatt Bearings, Moraine Products, New Departure, Packard Electric, and Rochester Products.

General Motors World War Two Products:  The World War Two products built by General Motor are detailed below by Division, in alphabetical order.  Many of the divisions listed below have their own page with more information above in the General Motors Category.

This General Motors post World Two era advertisement graphically shows all of the General Motors Divisions that contributed to the winning of World War Two.  Image added 11-10-2023.

AC-Sparkplug Division:  Aircraft Parts - Air Cleaners, Air Cleaner Replacement Elements, Aircraft Coolant Pressure Relief Valves, Sperry Automatic Pilots, Bombsights, Cable Terminal Connectors, Carbon Stack Insulators, Carburetor Intake Silencers and Air Cleaners, Crankcase Breathers, Crankcase Ventilating Valves, Die Castings, Diesel Engine Intake Silencers, Electric Pressure and Vacuum Pumps, Engine Bearings for Aircraft, Tanks, and Trucks, Firing Pins for Anti-Aircraft Shells (Should this be for Anti-Aircraft Guns?), Flame Arrestors, Flexible Shafts and Cables, Fuel Pumps -Electrical and Mechanical, Fuel and Vacuum Pumps, Fuel Pump Repair Kits, Gas Tank Pressure Caps, Gasoline Strainers, Ignition Cable Terminals, Instrument Panels for Tanks, Armored Cars, Trucks, and Marine Craft, (containing:  Ammeters, Fuel Gauges, Indicator Lights, Oil Indicator Switches, Oil Pressure Gauges, Speedometers, Tachometers, Water Temperature Gauges, Voltmeters), Machine Guns - Browning .50 Caliber, Oil Filters - Lubricating and Fuel, Oil Filter Replacement Elements, Oil Temperature Gauges, Oxygen Pressure Gauges, Radiator Pressure Caps, Shell Magazines, Spark Plugs - Automotive and Aircraft, Spark Plug Cleaners, Spark Plug Gaping Tools, Speedometers Drive Adaptors, and Torpedo Directors. For more information see the dedicated AC Spark Plug page above.

Aeroproducts Division:  (24,000 or 20,773) Aircraft Propellers - For F8F, P-39, P-63, XP-75, P-75A, P-51K and P-51H.  For more information see the dedicated Aeroproducts page above.

Allison:  Aircraft Engines - (69,305) V-1710, V-3420, (297) J-33, (16) J-31engines for P-38, P-39, P-63, P-40, P-51A, A-36, P-59, XP-75, P-75A and P-80.

Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division (BOP):  BOP first showed up as a Division in the 1945 GM annual report and was a post war division for the assembly of automobiles at locations away from the home plants.  Southgate, CA became part of this division after making tanks for Cadillac.

Brown-Lipe-Chapin Division:  A portion of (193,566) .30 caliber M2 Aircraft Machine guns, .50 caliber M2 Aircraft Machine guns and .30 M1 carbine barrels.  For more information see the dedicated Brown-Lipe-Chapin page above.

Buick Motor Division:  (74,198) Pratt & Whitney R-1830 and R-2000 aircraft engines (Final assembly for the R-1830 was done at the Buick plant in Melrose, IL and Flint for the R-2000.  Machining of components was shared between Melrose and Flint.), (2,507) M18 Tank Destroyers, ( 640) M39 Armored Tractors (M18 chassis converted, not new production),  (19,928) M4, M10 and M26 transmissions and final drive assemblies,  (2,952) 90mm and 4.7 Anti-Aircraft Gun Mounts, (148,196) Diesel Engine Crankshafts, (2,424,000) 75mm steel cartridge cases, (1,149,300) 57mm shell bodies, (9,719,000) 20mm Shell Bodies, (3,120,000) Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Aluminum Cylinder Heads, (52,200) Rolls-Royce Aluminum Cylinder Blocks ( We have to assume these were for the Packard built Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, (54,714) V-1650 Merlins were built by Packard.), 204,500 Cylinder blocks and heads for Hercules engines.  For more information see the dedicated Buick page above.

Cadillac Motor Car Division:  (1,824) M5 Stuart tanks, (4,726) M5A1 Stuart tanks, (175) different parts for the Allison V-1710 aircraft engines including crankshafts, camshafts, connecting rods and piston pins, supercharger rotator vane and gear reduction assembly, (1,778) M8 3 inch howitzer motor carriages, (?) M24 Chaffee tanks (4,731 total WWII production split with Massey-Harris.) and at least (10,572) V-8 engines to other manufacturers of armored vehicles.  Cadillac built all 1,824 M5 Stuart tanks and 3,530 of the M5A1 Stuarts in its Detroit plant. The remaining 1,196 M5A1 tanks were built in the borrowed Buick-Olds-Pontiac (BOP) plant in South Gate, CA.  Most likely the 1,778 M8s were built at South Gate also.

Chevrolet Motor Division:  (439,893) Chevrolet and GMC trucks, (2,583) Passenger Sedans, (3,844) Staghound Medium Armored Cars, (60,766) R-2800 and R-1830 Pratt & Whitney Radial Aircraft Engines (17 Chevrolet Plants involved with final assembly at Tonawanda, NY.  R-1830 engines were used on C-47s, C-53s, and B-24s.  Production of R-2800 was project started in 1944 and the engines were for the P-61 and P-47.), 75mm armor piercing and high explosive projectiles, 3 Inch armor piercing and high explosive projectiles, (2,000) 90mm Anti-aircraft gun tubes, breech ring and block, and recoil rails, 200 million pounds of aluminum forgings included forged aircraft propeller blades from four plants, making it the second largest producer of Al forgings in the world, 5.7 million pounds of magnesium castings, and two billion pounds of grey iron castings and aluminum castings.  For more information see the dedicated Chevrolet page above.

Cleveland Diesel Engine Division:  150-2,000 hp diesel engines.  Applications for the Model 278A 16 cylinder, 1600 hp, two-cycle engine included 70% of the US WWII submarine fleet and also destroyer escorts, fleet and harbor tugs and landing craft. (The combined diesel engine production of Cleveland Detroit Diesel, Detroit Diesel and Electro-Motive Divisions was 198,000 during WWII.)  For more information see the dedicated Cleveland Diesel Engine Division page above.

Delco Appliance Division: Small electric motors for various military applications such as aircraft flap motors, marine engine ignition cut-out motors.  For more information see the dedicated Delco Appliance page above.

Delco Brake Division: This division was formed in 1936 as a spin-off from the Delco Products Division in Dayton where it had been the hydraulic brake department.  In August of 1942 it was joined with the Moraine Products Division as Moraine Products.  For more information on the combined Division see the dedicated Moraine Products page.

Delco Products Division:  (40,000,000) 20mm, 37mm and 40mm projectiles and fuses, (7,000,000) shock absorbers for army trucks, gun carriages, tank destroyers and other armored vehicles, (1,000,000) electric motors to include windshield wiper motors for US aircraft, fuel booster pumps for aircraft, Selsyn motors for anti-aircraft guns and truck steering gears,  (2,500,000) link assemblies tank treads, (23,000,000) spark plug shells for AC-Sparkplug (This must have been production after April of 1943 as it is not mentioned in the "War Diary" below, (6,500,000) miscellaneous items to include shafts and gears for the Allison V-1710 aircraft engine, (250,000) units of hydraulic actuating devices for Grumman aircraft, (25,000) generators to include those for large searchlights and applications on navy ships, (24,000) sets of aircraft landing gears for B-24, B-25 and B-26, (250) electric actuators.  For more information see the dedicated Delco Products page above. 

Delco Radio Division:   Anti-Radar Devices (Radar Jammers.) , IFF (Identification, Friend or Foe) radio equipment for identification of aircraft, Ignition testers, Oxygen Flow Indicators, Radios for Tanks, Interphone Amplifiers, Aircraft Radio Components and Two-Way Field Radios (Walkie-Talkies.).  For more information see the dedicated Delco Radio page above.

Delco-Remy Division:  Electrical Components for Military Trucks - Generators and generator regulators, starting motors, ignition distributors and coils, switches, and batteries; Electrical Components for Military Tanks and Armored Vehicles - Generators and generator regulators, starting motors, ignition distributors and coils, apparatus boxes, and batteries; Electrical Components for Military Aircraft - Generators and generator regulators, magnetos, and batteries; Automatic Aircraft Engine Controls; Solenoids for Sperry Autopilots; Automatic Trim Tab Controls; Electrical Components for Military Marine applications - Generators and generator regulators, starting motors, ignition distributors and coils;  Marine propeller pitch controls for landing craft and submarine chasers; Marine diesel equipment - pistons, blowers, pre-heaters and pre-heater fuel pumps, governors; Tubing - for electrical, fuel, brake, air conditioning, oil and air lines; Allison V-1710 engine castings - Various; Aircraft engine machined parts - Various; (1,000,000) 20mm shell bodies;  Various solenoids for starting motors, aircraft bomb release racks, guns and overdrive controls.  For more information see the dedicated Delco-Remy page above.

Detroit Diesel Engine Division:  15-250 hp diesel engines for trucks and tanks.  It also supplied built up engines to Gray Marine that modified the engines for use in LCVP landing craft and others by adding a water to water heat exchangers for cooling.  (The combined diesel engine production of Cleveland Detroit Diesel, Detroit Diesel and Electro-Motive Divisions was 198,000 during WWII.)  For more information see the dedicated Detroit Diesel Engine Division page above.

Detroit Transmission Division:   At least (49,862) Hydra-Matic Automatic transmissions for M5 Stuart and M26 Tanks, LVT(3) Landing Craft, Staghound and Boarhound Armored Cars and M8 Motor Carriages.  It also provided parts for Browning machine guns produced by other GM divisions.  For more information see the dedicated Detroit Division page above.

Diesel Equipment Division:  This division was created in the middle of the war in 1943 and given divisional status on January 1, 1944.  to provide diesel engine components for the three expanding GM diesel engine divisions.

Eastern Aircraft Division:  (1,060) FM-1 and (4,777) FM-2 Grumman Fighters, (7,546)TBM Grumman Torpedo Bombers.

Electro-Motive Division:  Diesel Engines for LSTs, 180 Foot Patrol Craft Escorts, Army DPC 86 foot Tugboats, 110 Foot Sub-chasers along with Components for LCI(L)s and Naval ship board Generators. (The combined diesel engine production of Cleveland Detroit Diesel, Detroit Diesel and Electro-Motive Divisions was 198,000 during WWII.)  For more information see the dedicated Electro-Motive Division page above.

Fisher Body Division:  (5,214) B-25 Bomber Assemblies which went to the North American Plant in Fairfax, KS.  Fisher Body supplied at the beginning of the war 55% of the content in these B-25s.  (13,772) B-29 Engine Nacelles.  (68,612) B-17 exhaust collector systems, (46,748) B-17 fixed engine cowlings and (40,228) B-17 removable engine cowlings.  (20,000,000) Dzus Fastener Blanks, (85,600) 150 Drop Tanks for the US Navy and (53,600) mounting kits.  (168,400) Gyro Horizons and (124,700) Directional Gyros, (46,615 Compass Transmitters and (76,291 Compass Indicators.  For the Bendix Air Position Indicator Ternstedt Division produced (4,724) analog computers, (4,716) pumps, (9,425) right angle drives.  (11,358) M-4 Tanks, (5,368) M-10 Tank Destroyers, (487) M-36 Tanks, (1,200) M-26 Tanks; (2,359) 90mm AA guns, (550) 120mm AA Guns, (6,342) Breech Housings for 5in Naval guns, (480) 5 inch gun mounts, (9,459) 3 inch Naval Guns, (888) Parts for Heavy guns, (1,500,000) Parts for 20mm Cannons for Oldsmobile; (9,353) crankcases for marine Diesel engines, (551,772) 155mm shells, (2,000,000) incendiary bomb noses, (200,000) 4.5 inch rocket fins; (140) planers, (250) vertical boring machines, (48) horizontal mills, and (25) drilling and tapping machines; (50,000) cutting tools. 

 For more information see the dedicated Fisher-Body page above.

Fisher Body-Ternstedt Division:  This shows up for the first time in the 1945 GM annual report as a distinct division.  For the war effort its contributions are shown under Fisher Body.

Frigidaire Division:  (363,000) .50 Caliber Browning M2 Machine Guns, (1,000,000) spare .50 Caliber Machine Gun Barrels - First Contract was in June of 1941.  Frigidaire engineers made over 500 design and manufacturing changes and reduced the cost of the machine gun to 25% of the original cost using mass manufacturing techniques.  Chambering of one million FP-45 "Liberator" pistols to .45 caliber.

(21,263) three blade Hamilton Standard Propellers for the C-47, B-17, B-24, PB4Y and C-87.  (54,737) four Blade Propellers for the B-29 and P-47.

Frigidaire also built components for both three and four bladed Aeroproducts propellers, which was another GM Division located in nearby Vandalia, OH.  These propellers were installed on the Bell P-39 and P-63.  Components supplied by Frigidaire were the blades, hub, regulator assembly, blade thrust member and other parts.

Various components including the long range fuel tanks for the famous Doolittle Raiders' B-25s, components for the Hispano-Suiza 20mm aerial cannon, diesel cylinders and heads the Cleveland Diesel Division of GM that were installed in Sub Chasers, carburetor bodies for radial aircraft engines, 20mm Oerlikon cannon parts and millions of .50 caliber bullet cores.

For more information see the dedicated Frigidaire page above.

Frigidaire Products of Canada:  This shows up for the first time in the 1945 GM annual report as a distinct division.  Frigidaire had a plant in Leaside, ONT, a Toronto suburb since 1937.  It is not know what contributions it made to the war effort.

General Exchange Insurance Corporation: This was new in 1945 and had no contribution to the war effort.

General Motors Acceptance Corporation: This was new in 1945 and had no contribution to the war effort.

General Motors Institute (GMI):  GMI was GM's own in-house four year college to produce engineers and managers for its world wide operation. During WWII GMI provided industrial training to 17,500 men and women to help them learn the skills needed to produce military products in GM plants.  Over 10,000 military personnel were trained here on GM wartime products.  For more information see the dedicated GMI page above.

General Motors of Canada, Ltd.:  ((1,506) Mark 1 Fox Armored Cars, Modified Canadian Military Pattern Trucks, (201,000) Canadian Military Pattern Trucks (CMPT), (1,032) De Havilland Mosquito aircraft fuselages, gun sights, gun mounts and 20,000 plus machine guns.  For more information see the dedicated General Motors of Canada, Ltd. page above.

GM Overseas Operations Division:  The main plants were in England, India, and Australia with smaller ones in other countries.  Products included tanks, trucks, aircraft engines, anti-tank guns, artillery, assault boats, troop barges, aerial torpedoes and depth bombs.

General Motors Parts Division:  This would have supplied the replacement parts needed to keep the civilian cars and trucks operating during the Second World War.  A limited number of spare parts were manufactured during the war which became extremely important as no new cars were being built.

General Motors Proving Ground:  Also known as the Milford Proving Grounds.  Test location for new WWII vehicles such as trucks, tanks and tank destroyers.  Over 900 vehicles from all manufacturers were tested during the Second World War.  For more information see the dedicated General Motors Proving Grounds page above.

GMC Truck and Coach Division (Yellow Truck & Coach Manufacturing Company):  528,829 6x6 trucks, 55,096 other types of multi-drive vehicles, (32) armored cars and busses for military use.  In 1944 limited civilian truck production resumed to provide transportation for the US war industry.  (GMC did not become a GM Division until September 30, 1943.  Previous to that it was part of the assets of Yellow Truck & Coach Manufacturing Company that was owned by GM, but not a division.)  For more information see the dedicated GMC page above.

Guide Lamp Division:  (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 Aircobra spinner noses; (1,000,000) water jacket sleeves for Allison aircraft engines;  (36,750,000) cartridge cases for 37mm, 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. This was an GM Inland Division design with Guide doing all the final assembly.  For more information see the dedicated Guide Lamp page above.

Harrison Radiator Division: Radiators and oil coolers for various military applications including tanks and aircraft.   For more information see the dedicated Harrison page above.

Hyatt Bearing Division:  Roller bearings for various military applications.   For more information see the dedicated Hyatt page above.

Inland Manufacturing Division: 
The .30 caliber Carbine:
The M1 carbine most identified with the Inland Division and during WWII the division produced (1,984,189) M1 Carbines, (140,000) M1A1 Carbines, (500,000) M2 Carbines, and (811) M3(T3) Carbines.
Tank Shoes:  (4,000,000)
Tank Tracks:  (142,708) were built during the war.
Gun sights and Shoulder rests for Oerlikon 20mm anti-aircraft cannons:  (40,000) Gun Sights and (13,688) Shoulder Rests.
M-1 Helmet Liners: (2,000,000)
Clutches: (846,000) of all types.
Truck Steering Wheels and Brake linings:  Unknown numbers of these were built for Chevrolet and GMC trucks. 
Rubber Parts:  (68.8 million) various rubber parts for military vehicles, aircraft and ships. 

The Inland Manufacturing Division of won the coveted Army-Navy "E" for Excellence award at least three times during the course of World War Two.  For more information see the dedicated Inland page above.

McKinnon Industries, Ltd.:  This was the St. Catherine's, ONT GM operation and during World War Two produced  4x4 trucks, percussion fuses, dynamotors, for 2-way radios, fire control mechanism, gyro gun sight motors, torpedo drives, elevating units for 37mm anti-aircraft guns and ball and roller bearings.

Moraine Products Division:  M-1 Anti-Tank Mine Fuse, M-64 Relay Igniter Housing, M-20 Booster for powder charges, Tank Track Assemblies, Spinner assemblies for Aeroproducts propeller, .50 caliber cores, M-57 fuse, parts for .50 caliber machine guns, aircraft hydraulic fittings, Brake components for military trucks, Connecting rod bearings for various military engines, Bearings and bushings, Porex parts, Powdered Metal parts.  For more information on the combined Division see the dedicated Moraine Products page.  For more information see the dedicated Moraine Products page above.

Motors Holding Corporation:  This was new in 1945 and had no contribution to the war effort.

Motors Insurance Corporation: This was new in 1945 and had no contribution to the war effort.

New Departure Division:  New Departure continued to make the same product line during the Second World War as it did previously which was roller bearings.  Available data shows that in 1942 it made 67,376,111 bearings and in 1943 it made 85,321,043 bearings for the war effort.  Estimating that it made another 85 million in 1944 and then 50 million in 1945 as the war contracts were cancelled in August of 1945 New Departure probably made on the order of 287 million bearings for thousands of different uses in World War Two.  More can be learned about those military applications and some its previous history by visiting the dedicated New Departure page listed above.

Oldsmobile Division: 
Oldsmobile World War Two / WWII Production Numbers / Statistics for the Lansing, MI Home Plant
Cannons:  (77,010) 20mm M2 , (2,779) 37mm M4, (1,500) 37mm M4E3, (150) 37mm M1A2, (2,930) 37mm M9, (5,129) 75mm M6/T13, (21,894) 75mm M3, (14,135) 76mm M1A2,
Misc.:  (24,713) M2 Feeders, (1,680) 37mm M4E3 Magazines, (30,672) .50 Cal. Gun Tubes, (220,906) P&W Piston Rods, (27,050) 4.5 T22 Rockets, (231,198) T38 Rockets,
Shells:  (8,597,161) 75mm M48 HE, (398,328) 75mm M66 , (5,417,737) 105mm HE , (316,362) 105mm M67, (3,740,678) 75mm M61, (414,098) 75mm M62A, (330,476) 75mm M72, (1,026,1200 3in, (121,490) 155 M101,( 56,150) 75mm M61A1

The 75mm and 155mm shells were produced in the Olds Plant 2 Forge Plant which was NW about a mile from the main Olds complex.  Total amount of shells, projectiles and shot produced at the Lansing operation was 20,418,600 from 8-19 -42 until 6-30-45.

Oldsmobile World War Two / WWII Production Numbers / Statistics for the Janesville, WI Plant
(4,088,757) 3in M62APC Projectiles, (270,000) 3in M79 AP Projectiles, (6,585,950) 105mm HE Shells, (720,973) 90mm M82 APC Shells, (196, 315) M73HE Shells, (558,358) 3in MK29 APC Shot

Oldsmobile borrowed both the Chevrolet and Fisher Body plants for WWII production.  Total amount of shells, projectiles and shot produced at the plants was 12,420,353 from 7-7-42 until 8-19-45.

Oldsmobile World War Two / WWII Production Numbers / Statistics the for Leeds, MO Plant
(3,198,255) 75mm M48HE Shells, (1,980,994) 90mm M71HE Shells, (182,498) 75mm T39 HEAT Shells, (3,149,516) 105mm M67 HE Shells, (1,060,413) 75mm M66 Shells, (1,122,287) 3in M42A1 Shells, (1,805,274) 105mm M1 Shells

Oldsmobile borrowed this plant for the war from the Fisher Body Div. of GMC.  Total amount of shells, projectiles and shot produced at the plant was 12,499,237 from 8-19 -42 until 6-30-45.

For more information see the dedicated Oldsmobile page above.

Packard Electric Division:   Electrical cable (wire) from Packard Electric was used for the wiring a multitude of military applications during the Second World War.  Electrical wiring is ubiquitous as it is used everywhere there are electrical circuits but it is usually never given much thought as it is never seen.  There was a considerable amount of engineering and manufacturing expertise needed to get the correct electrical insulation for the military application that Packard Electric was able to provide for the war effort.  Packard cable was used in land vehicles, aircraft, ships, engines and various military instruments and electrical equipment.  It should be noted that WWII was previous to the invention and use of the circuit board.  Electrical equipment all used point to point wiring that needed copious amount cable and wire to make it work.  For more information see the dedicated Packard Electric page above.

Pontiac Motor Division: (47,026) 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannon, (39,275) single 20mm Oelikon mounts, (5,760) twin 20mm Oerlikon mounts, (4,526) Mark XIII aerial torpedoes, 155mm artillery shells, tank axles for the M-5 Stuart and M24 Chaffee tanks built by Cadillac, parts for Detroit Diesel to include fly-wheel housings, connecting rods and cylinder liners, truck engine castings for GMC to include six Cylinder blocks for all GMC and Chevrolet built GMC 270 engines, some but not all engine heads for GMC 270 engine, oil pump housings, bearing caps.  Pontiac produced 4,900 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun mechanisms and 17,892 40mm Bofors gun tubes through March 1944.  It was the first auto manufacturer to win the Army-Navy "E" Award from the Navy on January 20,1942, which was the first of five.   For more information see the dedicated Pontiac Motor Division page above.

Research Laboratories Division:  Research support for the manufacturing divisions.  One important development coming out of the GM Research Labs in 1942 was the 16 cylinder 2 cycle pancake diesel engine that was then manufactured by Electro-Motive Division and was used to power (243) 110 foot Navy Subchasers.  The lab also developed the balancing and polishing machine used by Electro-Motive for the brass propellers on the LCI(L), Landing Craft Infantry (Large).

Rochester Products Division:  (75) types of Aircraft generators, (60) types of relays, controls, radio filters, and carbon pile and contract voltage regulators, naval alternators, voltage boosters, (60) types of aircraft starting motors, hydraulic pump motors, and tank generators, starters and control units.  For more information see the dedicated Rochester Products page above.

Saginaw Malleable Iron Division:  Armasteel for various military applications including Browning machine guns manufactured by other GM divisions.   For more information see the dedicated Saginaw Malleable Iron page above.

Saginaw Steering Division:  (517,213) M1 .30 Caliber Carbines, (412,384) .30 Caliber Machine Guns, (13,377,152) 37 mm and (148,981) 57 mm projectiles.  (AC, Brown-Lipe-Chapin and Frigidaire Divisions produced .50 caliber machine guns, and Brown-Lipe-Chapin and Saginaw Steering Divisions produced .30 caliber machine guns.  Between the four GM divisions they produced 1,900,000 machine guns for the war effort.) Of the (412,384) .30 caliber machine guns produced by Saginaw Steering Division (43,479) were M1919A6.  For more information see the dedicated Saginaw Steering Division page above.

Southern California Division: This was last shown as a separate Division in the 1942 GM annual report and was the South Gate, CA assembly plant.  It was loaned to Cadillac for the war effort and then at the end of the war became part of the new Buick-Olds-Pontiac assembly division. 
(354) M5 Stuarts from August-December, 1942 and (1,196) M5A1 Stuarts from December, 1942 through August of 1943, and (1,778) M8 Gun Motor Carriages.  The plant also rebuilt diesel engines and produced aircraft parts.  For more information see the dedicated Southern California Division page above.

Sunlight Electric Division:  Sunlight made small motors for washing machines and was merged into Packard Electric Division on July 1, 1943.  See Packard Electrical Division page for information.

United Motors Service, Inc.:  This was the distribution division to provide both parts and service to GM vehicles.  In November of 1942 United Motors took over management of the Lima, OH Tank Depot which during the war prepared many vehicles for the war in Europe, including the M-5 light tank, the T-26 Pershing tank, and the M4 Sherman amphibious tank that was used on D-Day.  See the United Motors Service page for more information on it and the Lima Tank Depot.

Yellow Manufacturing Acceptance Corporation:  This was new in 1945 and had no contribution to the war effort.