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   General Electric Kokomo Plant   Haynes Stellite Company   Hercules Body Company   Horton Manufacturing Company   Howe Fire Apparatus   International Machine Tool Company   J.D. Adams Company   Kokomo Spring Company   Magnavox   Muncie Gear Works   Pierce Governor Company   Portland Forge and Foundry   Reliance Manufacturing Company-Kokomo Plant   Reliance Manufacturing Company-Washington Plant   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    Frankfort Sailplane Company   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   Burke Electric Company   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   Gerstenslager 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 Traile    Hill Diesel Company   Holland Hitch Company   Homelite Company   Horace E. Dodge Boat and Plane Corporation   Huffman Manufacturing   Indian Motorcycle   Ingersoll Steel and Disk   Iron Fireman Manufacturing Company   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   Pressed Steel Tank Company   Queen City Manufacturing Company   R.G. LeTourneau   Richardson Boat Company   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   York-Shipley, Inc.   Youngstown Steel Door Company  
   

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Grand Blanc Tank Arsenal Built Tanks and Tank Destroyers
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Ternstedt Manufacturing Division of Fisher Body - General Motors Corporation in World War Two
Detroit, MI
1917-1983
1983-1994 as part of Fisher-Guide and then the Inland-Fisher-Guide Division.

This page updated 3-28-2022.

In 1911 Alvar Ternstedt invented a device for use in the new automobile industry that manually rolled windows up and down in the doors of the vehicle using a hand crank.  This is known in the industry as a window regulator.  Hand crank window regulators have given way to electrically powered units.  In some form however, they resemble the one invented by Alvar Ternstedt. 


The patent was issued on November 28,1916.  The window regulator used a bicycle chain to move the window up and down inside a wooden door.  Two other inventors of the era, Orville and Wilbur Wright also used bicycle chains in their aircraft to transfer the power from the engine to the propellers.  It was state-of-the-art technology at the time. 

In 1917, in order to bring his new product to market, Ternstedt had to enlist the financial assistance of the Fisher Brothers, who already owned the world's largest auto body building company, Fisher Body.  The Ternstedt Manufacturing Company was formed in 1917 with Alvar Ternstedt as the chairman of the new company.  Four Fisher brothers and three Fisher stockholders formed the rest of the board of directors of the new company.

Six months later. Alvar Ternstedt passed away.  In 1920 Fisher Body purchased the company.  When General Motors purchased Fisher Body in 1926, Ternstedt, the largest manufacturer of automotive hardware, was made a division of Fisher Body. 

At times General Motors did not seem to know where to place it in the company's organization, as sometimes it was part of Fisher Body, and other times its own stand-alone division.

The 1943 and 1944 General Motors Annual Reports list the Ternstedt Manufacturing Division along with the other GM Divisions.  In the 1945 GM Annual Report, Ternstedt is missing from that list.  The Army-Navy E Award was presented to the Fisher Body Ternstedt Manufacturing Division during the war.  In 1958 Ternstedt became its own Division within General Motors.  In 1968 it reverted back to being part of Fisher Body until it was dissolved in 1983.  Then it was folded into the new Fisher Guide Division of GM until it became part of Delphi in 1995.  By that time, all vestiges of its former division had disappeared.


The Fisher Body Ternstedt Manufacturing Division, Division #9, Detroit, won the Army-Navy E Award two times during World War Two.
The Fisher Body Ternstedt Manufacturing Division #3, and Plant #16, Detroit, won the Army-Navy E Award two times during World War Two.

Fisher Body Ternstedt Manufacturing Division World War Two Production Statistics:  168,000 Sperry aircraft gyro horizons, 124,000 Sperry aircraft directional gyros, 46,615 Bendix remote reading compass transmitters, 76,291 Bendix remote reading compass receivers, 4,724 Bendix air position computers, 4,716  Bendix air position pumps, 4,725 Bendix air position right angle drives, 4,962 M5 tank turrets, 1,798 M8 tank turrets, 600 T17 Staghound armored car anti-aircraft turrets, 3,553 M24 tank turrets, 20 LVT 75mm howitzer turrets, various machined forgings and die castings for the B-25 program,  various machined parts for the B-29 program, various parts for the XP-75 program, M4 Sherman parts, five-inch naval gun breech housing parts, 90mm anti-aircraft gun parts, 20mm anti-aircraft gun parts, 75mm tank gun parts, XB-19 aircraft bomber parts, 75mm shell parts, Dzus fasteners, incendiary bombs, and cutting tools.

As the above listing shows, the Ternstedt Manufacturing Division built everything from precision aircraft instruments, with extremely small parts, to welded steel tank turrets.  Like many manufacturers during World War Two, it built needed war material totally foreign to its peace time products.

Aircraft Instruments:  Ternstedt built both Sperry Instruments and Bendix aircraft instruments during World War Two.  This was a total departure from the automotive hardware the division had been producing before the war.  Many of the instruments needed to be assembled in air-conditioned rooms. 

Sperry Instruments:  Sperry Instruments had been building gyro horizons and directional gyros in semi-laboratory conditions in its plants in New York.  When the U.S. Army Air Force first contracted with Ternstedt in February 1942, the Division decided to use automotive assembly methods to meet the large number of instruments needed for the war effort.  There were 303,221 aircraft built during World War Two.  Each one required a minimum of one directional gyro and a gyro horizon.  Trainers, cargo aircraft, and bombers with two pilots needed two of each.  The only way to meet the demand for the number of instruments was to build them with mass production methods.  Initially, there were 3,341 Ternstedt workers involved to make these two products.  As the program progressed, the number of employees was reduced to 1,473 in June 1944.


This is the Ternstedt directional gyro assembly line.  Many of the operations had to be done in air-conditioned rooms to maintain tolerances.  The assembly line only shows a small proportion of the workers needed to build the Sperry instruments.  Most of the employees not seen in the photo were producing all of the parts that went into the final assembly. 


This is the directional gyro that the workers are assembling in the photo.  This was a very important instrument as it indicated the direction the pilot was flying.  It had to be accurate and reliable.


This diagram shows the complexity of the instrument and all of the small parts that went in to it.


This Ternstedt-built directional gyro is on display at the Regional Military Museum in Houma, LA.  Author's photo added 3-28-2022.


Author's photo added 3-28-2022.


Author's photo added 3-28-2022.


The gyro horizon, or artificial horizon as it is known to pilots, is used during instrument conditions.  It is used to keep the aircraft in level flight when the ground cannot be seen due to weather conditions.  It also has to be accurate and reliable. 


It is also a complex instrument with many small parts.

Table 1 - Ternstedt World War Two Shipments of Sperry Gyro Horizons and Directional Gyros
This table shows both the contracted amounts by month and year and the actual production.  No monthly data is available for April through July 1945.  Only the total number of instruments built by July 1945 is available.
Date Gyro horizon Directional Gyro
1942 Contract Actual Contract Actual
August 206 206 183 183
September 764 764 681 681
October 1,913 1,913 1,092 1,092
November 3,000 3,000 2,044 2,044
December 4,412 4,412 3,314 3,314
1943        
January 5,520 5,520 4,604 4,604
February 5,151 5,151 6,176 6,176
March 4,976 4,976 5,785 5,785
April 7,170 7,170 6,512 6,512
May 5,664 5,664 6,168 6,168
June 6,000 6,344 6,000 6,153
July 6,000 6,024 6,000 6,080
August 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,040
September 6,000 6,002 5,500 5,506
October 6,000 6,000 5,000 5,000
November 6,000 6,000 4,300 4,300
December 5,500 5,500 4,300 4,300
1944        
January 5,000 5,000 3,500 3,500
February 4,000 4,000 2,750 2,750
March 3,000 3,000 2,750 2,750
April 2,750 2,750 2,750 2,750
May 2,750 2,750 2,750 2,750
June 2,750 2,750 2,750 2,750
Totals 100,526 100,896 90,909 91,188
         
July 1944 - March 1945 25,174 25,174 24,591 24,591
Totals though March 1945 125,700 126,070 115,500 115,779
Totals though July 1945   168,000   124,700

Bendix Instruments:  The USAAF contracted with Ternstedt to produce two of the three components of the Bendix Remote Reading Compass.  These were the transmitter and the indicator.  The third component, the inverter, was not produced by Ternstedt.  When production began on this project there were 682 employees dedicated to this project.  This was later reduced to 388 in June 1944.


The indicator is in the lower left and the transmitter in the upper right.

Table 2 - Ternstedt World War Two Shipments of Bendix Remote Reading Transmitters and Indicators
This table shows both the contracted amounts by month and year and the actual production.  No monthly data is available for July 1944 through July 1945.  Only the total number of instruments built by July 1945 is available.
Date Transmitters Indicators
  Contract Actual Contract Actual
1943        
July 200 439 200 386
August 900 1,259 600 423
September 1,900 1,344 1,090 954
October 3,000 3,000 2,600 3,900
November 3,000 3,000 4,000 4,227
December 3,000 3,000 4,000 4,000
1944        
January 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000
February 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000
March 2,500 2,500 3,500 3,500
April 2,500 2,500 3,500 3,500
May 2,500 2,500 4,000 4,000
June 2,500 2,500 6,500 6,500
Totals 28,000 28,042 35,990 37,390
Totals though July 1945   46,615   76,291

The Eclipse-Pioneer Division of Bendix Aviation Corporation developed a new navigation method in World War Two.  It contracted with the Ternstedt Manufacturing Division of Fisher Body to build some of the components of the system.  The Ternstedt-built AN 5841-1 Air Position Computer was part of the larger 12580-3-B Air Position Indicator System Computer which gave the miles flown and the current longitude and latitude of the aircraft in the air.  The longitude and latitude of the aircraft would be set at its base before takeoff.  Once airborne, the navigator then plotted the aircraft's position on a map that factored in wind direction and velocity.  This is the wind vector and when plotted on the map gives the ground position of the aircraft.  This was a huge advancement in navigation during World War Two.  This system was introduced into late model B-29s that had to fly from the Tinian, Guam, and Saipan to bomb Japan.  This navigation system was on the B-29 Enola Gay as it flew the 1,361 miles over open ocean to Hiroshima, Japan.


Ternstedt built 4,571 Bendix Air Position Indicators.  This rare example of the Ternstedt-built AN 5841-1 Air Position Indicator is on display at Michigan Military Technical and History Museum.  Author's photo.


The computer was set to the proper longitude and latitude at the aircraft's home base just before departure.  The computer then calculated the aircraft's position in the air based on the initial setting.  The navigator then took the readings from this instrument and applied the wind vector.  This then gave the ground position of the aircraft.  Author's photo.


This and the following photo show some of the internal parts of the AN 5841-1.  Photo courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum.


Photo courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum.


The Enola Gay had an AN 5841-1 Air Position Computer in it as part of the larger 12580-3-B Air Position Indicator System Computer.  It may still be in the restored aircraft on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum.  Author's photo.

Because of Ternstedt's excellent performance and experience in building Sperry and Bendix instruments, the Army Air Force requested in April 1944 that it also build parts of the 12580-3-B Air Position Indicator System Computer.  This was the highest form of compliment the division could receive.

The 12580-3-B Air Position Indicator System Computer was composed of four main components.  They were the computer, controller, air mileage pump, and amplifier. There was also an optional right angle drive for the system.  The Ternstedt Manufacturing Division was contracted by Bendix to build three of these components.  Table 2 gives the build schedule for the computer, pump, and right angle drive.

Table 3 - Proposed Build Schedule for Bendix 12580-3-B Air Position Indicator System Computer Components
Based on a Bendix Purchase Order dated 6-9-1944.

The actual build was 4,724 computers, 4,716 pumps, and 7,425 right angle drives.
Date Computer and Air Position Pump Right Angle Drive
1944    
October 50 100
November 200 400
December 350 700
1945    
January 500 1,000
February 525 1,050
March 525 1,050
April 525 1,050
May 525 1,050
June 525 1,050
July 525 1,050
August 321 642
Totals 4,571 9,142

XP-75 Project:  Ternstedt provided a number of components for the Fisher XP-75 built in Cleveland, OH.


The only surviving Fisher XP-75 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, OH.  Author's photo.

Tank and Landing Vehicle, Tracked (LVT) Turrets:  Ternstedt specialized in building turrets for the Cadillac light tanks.  It built 4,962 M5 light tank turrets, 1,798 M8 self-propelled gun turrets, and 3,553 M24 light tank turrets.  It also built 600 T17 anti-aircraft gun turrets for Chevrolet and 20 75mm LVT turrets while transferring the tooling and work to Fisher Body Grand Rapids in February 1944.


This Cadillac-built M5A1 is on display at the Ohio National Guard training base at Port Clinton, OH.  The three photos of this tank show three sides of the Ternstedt-built turret.  Author's photo.


Author's photo.


Ternstedt produced 4,962 of the M5 tank turrets.  Author's photo.


Cadillac also produced the M8 75mm Gun Motor Carriage during World War Two.  Ternstedt manufactured 1,798 turrets for this self-propelled howitzer.  Author's photo.


Author's photo.


This photo shows that the M5 and M8 turrets were constructed of heavy formed steel plates and welded together.  Author's photo.


In February 1944, the U.S. Navy requested 2,596 M8 75mm howitzer turrets to arm its LVTs.  Due to the work load at Ternstedt, it was unable to build these turrets and the tooling and work was transferred to Fisher Body Grand Rapids.  However, Ternsdedt produced twenty turrets on an emergency basis to provide the Navy with turrets while Grand Rapids began production.  This LVT-(A)4 is on display at the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA.  Author's photo.


Author's photo.
Author's photo.


After production of the M5 light tank stopped at Cadillac, it began producing the M24 Chaffee light tank with Ternstedt turrets.  Author's photo.


Author's photo.


Author's photo.


The T17E2 was the anti-aircraft version of the Chevrolet-built Staghound armored car for the British.  Ternstedt built 600 turrets for the T17E2.  This turret was of sheet metal construction. 


This photo shows a restored T17E1 Staghound with a 37mm gun turret.  The construction of the turret is different than the T17E2.  Author's photo.


Author's photo.

Other Ternstedt World War Two Products:


Ternstedt furnished components to the Fisher Body Grand Blanc, MI tank plant for the M4A3(76)HVSS Sherman tank.  Author's photo.


Fisher Body built 6,342 gun breech housings for the five-inch naval gun during World War Two.  Ternstedt made components for the breech which was built in the Detroit Die and Machine Plant.  Author's photo.


Fisher-Body Pontiac built 2,359 90mm anti-aircraft guns with Ternstedt-built parts.  Author's photo.


Oldsmobile built 21,849 75mm cannons for the M3A(75)VVSS Sherman tank.  Ternstedt was a supplier to Oldsmobile for components in the weapon.  Author's photo.


The Pontiac Motor Division built 47,026 20mm anti-aircraft cannons for the U.S. Navy that included parts built by the Ternstedt Manufacturing Division of Fisher Body.

The Ternstedt Trenton, NJ Plant:  This plant was built in 1937 to provide more capacity for Ternstedt.  It was also close to several General Motors assembly plants on the east coast.  During World War Two General Motors folded the Trenton plant into the Eastern Aircraft Division which built Grumman designed Wildcat fighters and Avenger torpedo aircraft.  Trenton was the final assembly point for 7,546 TBM torpedo bombers.


The TBM was the largest aircraft that operated from U.S. Navy aircraft carriers for most of World War Two.  The Ternstedt Trenton plant went from making automotive hardware parts in 1941 to the huge TBM in 1942.  Author's photo.
 

 

 

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