Nazi POWs Watched B-24s Roll Off Every 63 Minutes — Their Reaction Said It All

In March 1945, a group of Africa Corps soldiers, accustomed to the brutal realities of ww2, encountered a bewildering sight: a Michigan factory that hummed with a power far beyond the battlefield. This video explores how the relentless industrial machine of American production, exemplified by the ford motor company, showcased a different kind of might. Witness the sheer scale of the manufacturing process that left these veteran soldiers in awe, symbolizing the turning tide of the war. In March 1945, a group of German prisoners of war from the Afrika Korps were given a tour of the Ford Motor Company's Willow Run plant in Michigan. These men were skilled engineers and pilots who believed in the superiority of German craftsmanship. They were taught that quality would always defeat quantity. But what they witnessed on that assembly line—the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber being produced at a rate of one every 63 minutes—shattered their worldview forever. This documentary explores the clash between the artisanal philosophy of the Luftwaffe and the overwhelming force of American mass production. We examine how Henry Ford’s production chief, Charles Sorensen, turned the complex engineering of a four-engine bomber into a streamlined process that eliminated human error. Witness the moment these German officers realized that the war was not lost on the battlefield, but on the factory floor. Discover the true story of the "Arsenal of Democracy" and the industrial mathematics that determined the outcome of World War II. Topics Covered: The engineering differences between German and American aircraft production. How Ford's Willow Run plant achieved the "impossible" production rate. The psychological impact of American logistics on Axis morale. The legacy of the B-24 Liberator and the post-war reconstruction. Timestamps 0:00 The Engineer's Worldview 1:59 Inside the Industrial Giant 6:59 Humans as Components 11:23 The Math of Victory 16:14 A Lesson for the Future #WorldWarII #AviationHistory #WillowRun #Ford #MilitaryHistory #B24Liberator