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Detrola
Corporation During World War Two
Detroit, MI
1931-1948
This
page updated 2-7-2023.
In 1931 John Ross started a radio company at
the corner of Beard and Chatfield Streets on the south west side of
Detroit, MI. Mr. Ross named his new company the Detrola
Corporation and began a successful business of making affordable radios
during the Great Depression. Detrola not only manufactured its own
name plate radios but built radios for over 100 different brand names
including Truetone for Western Auto and Silvertone for Sears and
Roebuck. Early in World War Two, Mr. Ross sold Detrola to the
International Machine Tool Company and then became International Detrola.
Three years after World War Two ended the company closed.
Author's Note:
This is one of the shortest lifespans of any company I have researched for this
website. There are several companies on this website that were in business for over 100 years. Detrola's
seventeen year lifespan was the proverbial flash-in-the-pan. But what was
interesting is that Detrola made radios in a city best known for its
hundreds of companies that were part of the American Auto Industry.
While it may have only been around for a short time, it gave the auto
workers in the Detroit area a source of cost effective radios in a time
of high unemployment.
Detrola Corporation World War Two Products:
During World War Two, Detrola had $48,645,000 in major contracts, as
shown in Table 1, which included various types of communication
equipment for both the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. The U.S. Army was
Detrola's largest customer with $37,889,000 in contracts. This was
78% of the company's total major contracts. All but one of the
contracts were
with the Army Signal Corps. The other Army contracts were from the
Army Corps of Engineers for mine detectors. The procurement of
these types of devices were later taken over by the Signal Corps.
The U.S. Navy procured $10,756,000 worth of
communication equipment, radio receivers, radio equipment, and direction
finders. This was 22% of the major contracts.
Included in the many electronic components the
company manufactured for the Army and Navy were M-1 portable anti-tank mine detectors, SCR-625-series mine detectors, DU-2
radio direction finders, and Model 438 beacon receivers.
Table 1 - Detrola Corporation's
Major World War Two Contracts
The information below
comes from the "Alphabetical Listing of Major War Supply
Contracts, June 1940 through September 1945." This was
published by the Civilian Production Administration, Industrial
Statistics Division. Table added 2-7-2023. |
|
Product - Customer |
Contract Amount |
Contract Awarded
Date |
Completion
Date |
| Receivers Radio -
Army Signal Corps |
$175,000 |
7-1942 |
1-1943 |
| Radio Equipment -
Army Corps of Engineers |
$415,000 |
7-1942 |
12-1942 |
| Antenna - Army
Signal Corps |
$373,000 |
9-1942 |
7-1943 |
| Detectors - Army
Signal Corps |
$464,000 |
10-1942 |
4-1943 |
| Receivers Radio -
Army Signal Corps |
$572,000 |
11-1942 |
5-1943 |
| Communication
Equipment - Navy |
$196,000 |
11-1942 |
7-1943 |
| Communication
Equipment - Navy |
$4,288,000 |
1-1943 |
6-1944 |
| Radio Parts -
Army Signal Corps |
$5,084,000 |
1-1943 |
6-1945 |
| Communication
Equipment - Army Signal Corps |
$778,000 |
1-1943 |
10-1943 |
| Generators - Army
Signal Corps |
$1,592,000 |
2-1943 |
4-1944 |
| Detector Sets -
Army Signal Corps |
$1,727,000 |
4-1943 |
12-1943 |
| Radio
Transmitters - Army Signal Corps |
$5,643,000 |
5-1943 |
6-1945 |
| Detector
Sets - Army Signal Corps |
$359,000 |
5-1943 |
3-1944 |
| Signal Generators
- Army Signal Corps |
$1,009,000 |
5-1943 |
6-1944 |
| Covers -
Army Signal Corps |
$204,000 |
7-1943 |
10-1943 |
| Signal Generators
- Army Signal Corps |
$606,000 |
8-1943 |
3-1945 |
| Radio Sets
- Army Signal Corps |
$1,239,000 |
9-1943 |
6-1944 |
| Communication
Equipment - Navy |
$230,000 |
9-1943 |
7-1944 |
| Radio Detectors
SCR 625 - Army Signal Corps |
$1,439,000 |
10-1943 |
8-1944 |
| Radio
Equipment - Army Signal Corps |
$331,000 |
11-1943 |
8-1944 |
| Radio
Equipment - Navy |
$4,080,000 |
12-1943 |
2-1945 |
| Detector Sets SCR
625 - Army Signal Corps |
$500,000 |
1-1944 |
8-1944 |
| Direction Finders
- Navy |
$411,000 |
6-1944 |
9-1944 |
| Radio
Transmitters - Army Signal Corp |
$459,000 |
6-1944 |
9-1944 |
| Detector
Sets SCR 625 - Army Signal Corps |
$2,058,000 |
8-1944 |
4-1945 |
| Radio
Receivers - Navy |
$121,000 |
8-1944 |
11-1944 |
| Radio Detection
Sets - Army Signal Corp |
$740,000 |
10-1944 |
8-1945 |
| Sig
Generators 1208 - Army Signal Corp |
$278,000 |
10-1944 |
8-1945 |
| Signal
Generators 1208 - Army Signal Corp |
$296,000 |
10-1944 |
4-1945 |
| Radio
Receivers - Navy |
$177,000 |
11-1944 |
4-1945 |
| Detector Sets SCR
625 - Army Signal Corps |
$2,146,000 |
1-1945 |
5-1945 |
| Homing
Adptr Pts - Army Signal Corp |
$2,848,000 |
3-1945 |
8-1946 |
| Mine
Detector Set Kits - Army Signal Corp |
$52,000 |
4-1945 |
8-1945 |
| Detector
Sets PRS3 - Army Signal Corp |
$4,683,000 |
4-1945 |
11-1945 |
| Amplifiers
BC1141 - Army Signal Corp |
$93,000 |
4-1945 |
6-1945 |
| Modification
Kits - Army Signal Corp |
$1,726,000 |
4-1945 |
8-1945 |
| Radio Receivers -
Navy |
$295,000 |
6-1945 |
9-1945 |
| Radio Receivers -
Navy |
$166,000 |
6-1945 |
12-1945 |
| Receivers
ARW17 - Navy |
$183,000 |
8-1945 |
1-1946 |
| Receivers ARW37 -
Navy |
$609,000 |
8-1945 |
12-1945 |
| Total |
$48,645,000 |
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This M-1 Portable Anti-Tank Mine Detector is
on display at the Museum located at the Brevard Veterans Memorial
Center,
Merritt Island, FL. Author's photo.
Author's photo.
Detrola Corporation built the M-1 mine
detector for the Army Corps of Engineers. Contract W145-Eng-441 is
the 415,000 contract awarded in July 1942. At this point in the
war, the Corps of Engineers was ordering this type of
equipment. The next order for mine detectors was from the Signal
Corps.
This was built early in
World War Two, before the Mr. Ross sold the company to the International
Machine Tool Company. The data plate therefore shows Detrola
Corporation as the builder. Author's photo.
Author's photo.
Author's photo.
This Detrola International-built SCR-625-H
Detector Set was built for the Army Signal Corps. This unit is on
display at the Vermillion County War Museum in Danville, IL.
Author's photo.
Author's photo.
This Dector Set is serial number L 9181.
It was
built after the company had been sold to the International Machine Tool
Company. Author's
photo.
This SCR-625-C is on display at the WWII
American Experience located in Gettysburg, PA. Author's photo
added 2-7-2023.
Author's photo added 2-7-2023.
This unit is serial number 14957.
Author's photo added 2-7-2023.
Author's photo added 2-7-2023.
This World War Two era advertisement shows
the factory as being a four story building. The ad indicates that
"Detrola Radio" was a subsidiary of International Detrola Corporation.
This is a Model DU-2 radio direction finder
unit with a Type CDT 5006 coupler unit. The entire direction
finder was
17.5 inches tall by 12 inches wide.
Detrola Corporation built these units for the
United States Navy. The control box was 6.25 inches x 5 inches in
size and weighed 8 pounds. The unit was small and light enough to
be used in Navy crew-served aircraft.
Detrola also made the Model 438 beacon
receiver for the war effort.
Excerpts from Technical Manual 11-1122 for
the SCR-625 series and M-1 Detector Sets:
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