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   Sullivan Machinery Company   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   Badger Meter Manufacturing 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 Trailer Corporation  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   Le Roi Company  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  
   

 W.L. Maxson Corporation in World War Two
New York, NY
1935-1964
1964-1969 as Maxson Electronics
1969-1975 as Riker-Maxson Corporation
1975-~1987 - In 1975 Riker-Maxson changed its name to Unimax Switch Corporation

This page updated 10-12-2022.


This is a Multiple Caliber .50 Machine Gun Mount M45.  It is more commonly known as the Maxson Quadmount, named after W.L. Maxson who invented the weapon.  This is one of the few weapons of World War Two that is known by the inventor's name. 

While the Maxson Quadmount is well known among military historians and collectors, little is known of the company that bears M.L. Maxson's name.  There is no record of the company's products before or after World War Two, with the exception of a proposed idea M.L. Maxson was working on at the time of his death in 1947.  He had developed a concept with Pan-American Airlines that was similar to what later became TV dinners.  At that time, airlines had no way of preparing hot meals for its customers.  W.L. Maxson invented an oven, similar to a convection oven, to cook pre-packaged meals.  After the death of his father, W.L. Maxson, Jr. became president of the company.

More is known about the man himself than his company or what it did during World War Two.  William Leslie Maxson was born on May 10, 1898, in Necedah, WI.  He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1921 and served with the Navy until 1935, when he started his company.  He died from post-surgical complications on July 15, 1947, at age 49.  The M45 was the second multiple gun mount that W.L. Maxson invented.  The first was the M33 twin .50 caliber mount, which was standardized by Army Ordnance on 2-26-1942 as the Twin Caliber .50 Multiple Machine Gun Mount.  It was primarily mounted on the M13 halftrack.  While W.L. Maxson invented and built prototypes of his gun turrets, his company did not receive the production contracts.  These were won by Kimberly-Clark and Landers, Frary & Clark as shown in the table 1 below.  Maxson did produce the variable speed drives for the turrets.

The W.L. Maxson Corporation continued operations after World War Two outside of New York City, NY.  One factory was located at Great River, NY and a second plant was opened in 1951 in Old Forge, PA.  The company re-focused on the manufacture of electronic devices and was renamed Maxson Electronics.  In 1963 the New York City operations were moved to the Great River, NY facility which then became the company's headquarters.  Of significance was a $23.5 million contract to build the Bullpup air-to-ground missile for the U.S. Air Force in Old Forge, PA.  This was a Martin-Marietta-designed weapon that Maxson Electronics produced after Martin-Marietta stopped production.  Of the 4,600 Bullpup missiles built, Maxson Electronics is credited with building the majority of the missiles.  This may well have been Maxson Electronics signature product after World War Two.  It was also its swan song product, because after production ended in 1969, the Old Forge, PA plant that produced the weapon was closed.  250 persons lost their jobs on June 15, 1969.

In 1947 the W.L. Maxson Corporation formed the Unimax Switch Division of the company, located in Wallingford, CT.  With changing markets and the fortunes of the company which started in 1935, the company changed its name to the Unimax Switch Corporation in 1975.  The last reference to the Unimax Switch Corporation in the historical record is 1987, at which time the company had no government contacts.   At this point, all vestiges of the former W.L. Maxson Corporation that started in 1935 ceased to exist.

Table 1 - M33 and M45 Gun Mounts Accepted by Detroit Ordnance, US Army
The information below comes from "Summary Report of Acceptances, Tank-Automotive Material, 1940-1945."  Published by Army Services Forces, Office, Chief of Ordnance-Detroit, Production Division, Requirements and Progress Branch
January 21, 1946.
Mount Type and Company 1942 1943 1944 1945 Total
M33          
Kimberly-Clark   278     278
Landers, Frary & Clark 428 1,454     1,882
Total M33 428 1,732     2,160
           
M45          
Kimberly-Clark   2,754 2,019   4,773
Landers, Frary & Clark   4,961 3,336   8,297
Total M45   7,715 5,355   13,070
Combined M33 and M45 Total         15,230


When the M45 is mounted on a M20 trailer, the combination was known as the M55, as seen here at the Military Veterans Museum in Oshkosh, WI.  Author's photo.


Author's photo.


The W.L. Maxson Company's New York plant won the Army-Navy "E" Award three times during World War Two.

W.L. Maxson World War Two Production:  The company had $18,898,000 in major contracts from the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy during World War Two.  The single largest contract was with Army Air Forces for Bomb Sight Kits valued at $6,755,000 which was 35.7% of all contracts.  This was contract number 33038 AC4495 awarded August 1944.  The contract was for 26,000 Type X1 Reflex Sights for the M9 Norden Bombsight which allowed the bombardier a wider field of vision in looking at the target.  The unit price for the Type X1 Reflex Sight was $259.80. 

The second largest contract was awarded in April 1945 by the Army Air Forces for $5,898,000 or 31.2% of the total contracts.  This was for oscilloscopes. 

W.L Maxson also produced 15,230 Model 120A variable speed drives for the Maxson M33 and M45 Multiple Gun Mounts and at least 1,751 azimuth drive units and 1,751 elevation drive units for the A-8 training turret.

Table 2 - W.L. Maxson Company's Major World War Two Contracts - New York, NY Plant
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 9-30-2022.
Product - Customer Contract Amount Contract Awarded Completion Date
Optical Equipment - Army $140,000 7-1940 8-1942
Ordnance Equipment  - Army $107,000 7-1940 10-1941
Ordnance Equipment  - Army $77,000 10-1940 2-1942
Ordnance Equipment  - Navy $1,235,000 2-1941 6-1943
Ordnance Equipment  - Army $142,000 6-1941 11-1942
Ordnance Material  - Navy $96,000 8-1941 11-1941
Ordnance Equipment  - Army $139,000 10-1941 1-1943
Optical Instrument - Navy $342,000 2-1942 10-1943
Equipment Ordnance - Navy $346,000 4-1942 5-1943
Mounts Gun  - Army $73,000 4-1942 7-1942
Ordnance Equipment  - Army $182,000 5-1942 7-1943
Ordnance Equipment  - Army $53,000 6-1942 5-1943
Mounts Telescope - Army $114,000 8-1942 12-1943
Turrets - Army $100,000 11-1942 7-1943
Ordnance Equipment  - Navy $251,000 11-1942 8-1943
Research Services - Navy $1,839,000 12-1942 6-1946
Sight Mechanisms - Army $353,000 8-1943 12-1943
Ordnance Equipment  - Army $112,000 8-1943 2-1944
Rectifiers  - Navy $88,000 9-1943 2-1944
Elec Turret Drives - Navy $193,000 5-1944 3-1945
Bomb Sight Kits - Army $6,755,000 8-1944 5-1945
Turret Rectifiers - Army $144,000 9-1944 1-1945
Gun Mount Equipment  - Navy $119,000 3-1945 6-1945
Oscilloscopes  - Army $5,898,000 4-1945 1-1946
Total $18,898,000    

Late in Word War Two the company opened a plant in Los Angeles, CA for the production of rectifiers for both the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy.

Table 3 - W.L. Maxson Company's Major World War Two Contracts - Los Angeles, CA Plant
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 9-30-2022.
Product - Customer Contract Amount Contract Awarded Completion Date
Portable Rectifiers - Army $98,000 9-1944 1-1945
Rectifiers MP1011 - Navy $75,000 11-1944 7-1945
Portable Rectifiers - Army $56,000 5-1945 6-1945
Total $229,000    

W.L. Maxson Torpedo Sight and Director:  The following seven photos were taken at the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Chantilly, VA.  The two items shown below were in a glass display case along the north wall of the main hangar.


According to the information placard, this type of aircraft torpedo sight and director was built for the British.  However, the information on the data plates show that it was produced under contract NOS. LL-90496.  This corresponds to the contract listed in Table 2 dated 8-1941 for $96,000. Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


It is a mystery as to whether the U.S. Navy purchased these for its own use or for the British Navy.  Author's photo added 9-30-2022.
 


This pilot indicator informed the pilot which direction to turn for an accurate torpedo launch.  Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.

The A-8 Training Turret:  The Army Air Forces utilized a number of AT-11s as turret gunnery trainers.  These aircraft contained a ventral turret with a Type A-8 turret.  W.L. Maxson furnished the control units for the elevation and azimuth drive motors.  Based on the serial number of the Type A-8 shown below, the company produced at least 1,751 of each type of drive motor control system.  The W.L. Maxson drive type for the A-8 training turret was an electric drive that utilized a pulsation field control system.  The Arny Air Corps approved this drive design for use after the company attempted several V-belt drive systems.

In August 1941, the Armament Branch at Wright Field contacted W.L. Maxson about providing a turret drive for the Brewster XB2A that was being developed for the Netherlands.  The company developed a V-belt type drive system that was found to be too heavy for the application.  W.L. Maxson was subsequently eliminated for consideration for building the turret drives.  Also, none of this type of Brewster aircraft were ever produced for the Dutch.

In December 1941, W.L. Maxson submitted another V-belt turret drive to the Armament Branch.  While it showed some promise, it was not adopted.  Instead, the company changed course and developed the electric drive system that was utilized in the A-8 training turret.


This is an AT-11 with a Type A-8 training turret installed.  Author's photo added 9-30-2022.

The following photos were taken of the display of a Type A-8 in a mockup AT-11 fuselage at the Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum in Kalamazoo, MI. 


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


This is serial number 1751.  This serial number is evidence that W.L. Maxson provided at least 1751 elevation and azimuth drive controls for the Type A-8.  Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.

Type X1 Reflex Sight for the M9 Norden Bombsight:  These were built for the U.S. Army Air Forces on contract  number 33038 AC4495 awarded August 1944.  This was W.L. Maxson's largest contract of the war for $6,755,000.  These were a late war addition to the Norden bombsight which allowed the bombardier a wider field of vision in looking at the target. The original order was for 26,000 units.  The unit price for the Type X1 Reflex Sight was $259.80.    So far in my research, the highest serial number I have found in museum displays is 10179.

It should be noted that not all Norden M9 bombsights on displays in museums have the Type X1 Reflex Sight attached.


This M9 Norden Bombsight is on display at the National Museum of United States Air Force.  Author's photo.


 The W.L. Maxson X1 Reflex Sight is in the upper right corner of the photo.  Author's photo.


 The reflex sight was a late addition to the basic bombsight to assist the bombardier in finding the target from high altitudes in overcast European skies.  The reflex sight gave the bombardier a wider angle of view than the telescope through the eye piece.  The X-1 reflex sight projected the view onto the angled piece of glass.  This was a World War Two use of heads-up display that is now used in aircraft and automobiles.  This was cutting-edge high technology of the era.  Author's photo.


This is Reflex Sight serial number 2897.  Author's photo.


Author's photo.


 Mazda was a trade name for a GE light bulb.  By turning the knob, the bombardier could control the amount of light on the heads-up display.  Author's photo.


This Norden M9 bombsight with W.L. Maxson X1 Reflex Sight is mounted in the bombardier's position of a B-17G being rebuilt at the Champaign Aviation Museum in Urbana, OH.  Author's photo added 9-30-2022.  


Its position in the front of the aircraft allows for different views of the X1 Reflex Sight.  Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


This X1 is serial number 3272.  Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


 This Norden bombsight on display at the Tri-State Warbird Museum in Batavia, OH has a Maxson X-1 Reflex Sight attached.  Author's photo.


This is Reflex Sight serial number 5745 and bombsight serial number 50553.  Maxson did not build the M9, so the serial number for the bombsight must have been added at the bombsight manufacturer.  Author's photo.


This Norden bombsight with the Type X-1 Reflex Sight is on display at the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.  Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


It is serial number 6432.  Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


 Another X-1 can be found at the Motts Military Museum in Groveport, OH.  Author's photo.


 Author's photo.
The glass for the heads-up display can be clearly seen in this photo.  Author's photo.


This example is serial number 9034.   Author's photo.


 This Norden M9 bombsight was built by Lukas- Harold in Indianapolis, IN.  It is on display at the Indiana War Memorial in downtown Indianapolis, seven miles from where it was built.  Author's photo.


   Author's photo.


 This view allows a look at the back side of the X-1.  Author's photo.


This view looks down at the Reflex Sight.  Author's photo.


Serial number 10179 indicates Maxson built at least this many reflex sights.   Author's photo.

M33 and M45 Gun Mount Hand Grip Control Units:  While the W.L. Maxson Company did not built the M33 and M45 turrets, the company did produce the hand grip control units that the gunner used to aim the turret.  W.L. Maxson provided 17,390 of these units.


This halftrack and Maxson M45 turret saw combat with the U.S. Army in  Korea and French forces in Vietnam.  Owner Mark Koloc rescued it from the French controlled Horn of Africa while serving there as a Lt. Colonel with the U.S. Army.  The "African Queen," as this vehicle has been named, was on temporary display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force for a year.  Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


The next two photos of the "African Queen"  were taken at the Findlay, OH Military Show.  Mr. Kolac allowed me access to the M45 turret.  I was able to photograph the Maxson hand control unit.  Author's photo added 9-30-2022.


Author's photo added 9-30-2022.

The New York City W.L. Maxson Operations:  World War Two era W.L. Maxson "Help Wanted" advertisements gave several addresses in New York City.  One was at 423 9th Avenue at 34th Street. 


This is the current street view of the location on 9th Avenue.  While the building has been repurposed into several commercial businesses, the yellow brick at the top of the building indicates this is an older building and could have been the location of the W.L. Maxson factory.  Photo courtesy of Google Maps added 9-30-2022.


This photo shows the view from around the corner on West 34th Street.  Photo courtesy of Google Maps added 9-30-2022.


Another address given in a job advertisement and also from a quarterly dividend report is 460 West 34th Street.  This may have been the corporate headquarters.  Photo courtesy of Google Maps added 9-30-2022.  


44 East 23rd Street in Manhattan is another location given for job applicants to go for a W.L. Maxson job during World War Two.  The current address for the building under restoration is now 46 East 23rd Street while the brown building to the right of it is 42.  Most likely, W.L. Maxson had a store front in the larger building on the left with an address of 44 East 23rd Street.  Photo courtesy of Google Maps added 9-30-2022.

The Old Forge, PA, Maxson Electronics Plant:


This plant was built in Old Forge, PA, in 1951 and had 150,000 square feet of floor space.  Between 1951 and 1969 when it closed, it built a number of different electronics devices.  It produced communication, microwave, radar, and missile guidance systems.  In 1961, it also developed a three-dimensional radar for the Federal Aviation Administration.  Photo courtesy of Google Maps added 10-12-2022. 


This AGM-12C Bullpup air-to-ground missile is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Riverside, OH.  The information placard associated with this display notes that Maxson Electronics produced most of the 4,600 AGM-12Cs built.  However, when the contract expired in 1969 for the building of this missile at the Old Forge, PA plant, there were no follow-up contracts, and the plant closed.  Author's photo added 10-12-2022.

 

 

 

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