When Ford rolled out a 1.5-million-part bomber every 63 minutes, spies panicked

Discover the shocking true story of Ford’s Willow Run plant, where American industry stunned German intelligence by rolling out a fully operational B-24 Liberator bomber—containing 1.5 million individual parts—every 63 minutes. This meticulously researched account reveals how Henry Ford’s engineers transformed the most complex aircraft of the war into an assembly line product, breaking its construction into 8,000 repeatable operations performed by 42,000 workers, including 25,000 women. Based on production records, factory reports, and eyewitness accounts, this analysis shows how the United States built 8,685 bombers at Willow Run alone, while Germany struggled to hand-craft a fraction of that number across its entire aircraft industry. More than a factory, Willow Run was the embodiment of abundance weaponized—consuming 1,000 tons of aluminum, 500 tons of steel, and 200 tons of copper per day—and delivering a new heavy bomber faster than the Luftwaffe could destroy one. The 63-minute bomber was proof that modern war would not be decided by craftsmanship or tactical brilliance, but by the industrial systems capable of overwhelming the battlefield with relentless production.