United States Air Force Plant 6

Last updated
United States Air Force Plant 6
Part of Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC)
Located near: Marietta, Georgia
F-22 takeoff at Dobbins ARB Georgia.jpg
An F-22A Raptor from the 1st Fighter Wing, Langley AFB, Virginia taking off in front of a C-130H Hercules of the Air Force Reserve 94th Airlift Wing at Dobbins ARB, Georgia. Plant #6 is located at Dobbins ARB
USA Georgia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
United States Air Force Plant 6
Coordinates 33°55′35″N084°32′05″W / 33.92639°N 84.53472°W / 33.92639; -84.53472 (United States Air Force Plant 6)
TypeUnited States Government manufacturing facility
Site information
Owner United States Air Force
Controlled by Air Force Materiel Command
Site history
Built1942
In use1942-Present
Garrison information
Occupants Air Force Materiel Command

Air Force Plant 6, known during World War II as the Bell Bomber Plant, is a government-owned, contractor-operated aerospace facility at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia, currently owned by the United States Air Force and operated by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. The plant, originally occupied by Bell Aircraft, began operation in April 1943 and was intended specifically to produce B-29 Superfortresses under license from Boeing. During the course of the War, the factory produced 668 B-29s for the United States Army Air Forces, and at its peak had a work force of approximately 28,000. After the War the factory was mothballed, but with the United States's entrance into the Korean War, in January 1951 the plant was turned over to Lockheed who began refurbishing B-29s. The plant remains in use today by Lockheed.

Contents

History

Two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Bell Aircraft of Buffalo, New York was selected to produce B-29 Superfortresses under license from Boeing. Bell had been founded in 1935 by Lawrence D. Bell, and at the time of the United States's entrance into the War, had a workforce of around 1,000. As the nation prepared to expand its military production, the Roosevelt Administration believed that it was important to situate aircraft plants inland, away from vulnerable coastal positions. Atlanta had a pre-existing airport – Candler Field – and extensive railroad network, and thus seemed a logical choice for a new factory. In September 1940 Roosevelt had appointed Marietta native Lucius D. Clay head of a large airport construction programme, which included Marietta's Rickenbacker Field. After Bell was given the B-29 contract, Clay, along with Cobb County officials lobbied the Government to award the new plant to Marietta over other Atlanta suburbs. On 19 February 1942 the Government announced that Marietta would be the site of the new factory. That same day the Government announced it was taking control of Rickenbacker Field, which it would rename Marietta Army Airfield

B-29s in the main assembly building. Marietta-aaf-b29s-1944.jpg
B-29s in the main assembly building.

Construction of the plant began on 30 March 1942. Located at the northwest corner of airstrip, the complex consisted of four main buildings:

On 15 April 1943 the plant officially opened, and the first Bell B-29 was flown on 4 November 1943. During the War the plant had a succession of four general managers: Captain Harry E. Collins, Omer Woodson, Carl Cover, and James V. Carmichael. At its peak in February 1945 the plant employed over 28,000 workers. Roughly 37 percent of the workforce was female, and 8 percent African American. During the War the factory was racially segregated. On 28 November 1944 Bob Hope gave a performance at the plant. By the summer of 1945 Bell began to scale back production and by the fall only had a couple thousand employees. In 1946 the factory was fully closed, after having produced a total of 668 B-29s. After closing, building B-1 was used for storage, while building B-2 was occupied by the Veterans' Administration.

Two Marietta-built B-29s survive today: 44–84076, which is located at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska, and 44–84053, which is located at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia.

In January 1951 the Government turned the plant over to Lockheed for the purpose of refurbishing B-29 to go into service in the Korean War. During the 1950s Lockheed also produced 394 B-47 Stratojets at the plant. Today the site is used for the fabrication and assembly of large aircraft. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Plant 6 provides repair, retrofit and overhaul of F-22A, C-130 and other Air Force aircraft currently in the inventory, as well as providing technical support. [4]

Bibliography

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed Corporation</span> 1926–1995 aerospace manufacturer in the United States

The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer. Lockheed was founded in 1926 and merged in 1995 with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin. Its founder, Allan Lockheed, had earlier founded the similarly named but otherwise-unrelated Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company, which was operational from 1912 to 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing B-29 Superfortress</span> US heavy bomber aircraft with 4 piston engines, 1942

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress, the Superfortress was designed for high-altitude strategic bombing, but also excelled in low-altitude night incendiary bombing, and in dropping naval mines to blockade Japan. B-29s dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only aircraft ever to drop nuclear weapons in combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn L. Martin Company</span> Defunct American aerospace manufacturer (1917-61)

The Glenn L. Martin Company, also known as The Martin Company from 1917 to 1961, was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company founded by aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin, which operated from 1917 to 1961. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the US and allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War. During the 1950s and '60s, the Martin Company moved from the aircraft industry into the guided missile, space exploration, and space utilization industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell Aircraft</span> 1935–1960 American aircraft manufacturer

The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer, a builder of several types of fighter aircraft for World War II but most famous for the Bell X-1, the first supersonic aircraft, and for the development and production of many important civilian and military helicopters. Bell also developed the Reaction Control System for the Mercury Spacecraft, North American X-15, and Bell Rocket Belt. The company was purchased in 1960 by Textron, and lives on as Bell Textron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dobbins Air Reserve Base</span> Military base in Georgia, USA

Dobbins Air Reserve Base or Dobbins ARB is a United States Air Force reserve air base located in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Atlanta. Originally known as Dobbins Air Force Base, it was named in honor of Captain Charles M. Dobbins, a World War II C-47 pilot who died near Sicily.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">XX Bomber Command</span> 1941-1948 United States Air Force operational command

The XX Bomber Command was a United States Army Air Forces bomber formation. Its last assignment was with Twentieth Air Force, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on 16 July 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Wormingford</span> Former Royal Air Force station

Royal Air Force Station Wormingford is a former Royal Air Force station located 6 miles (9.7 km) northwest of Colchester, Essex, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">58th Air Division</span> Inactive unit of the US Air Force

The 58th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, based at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. It was inactivated on 1 February 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kansas</span> Production and delivery of US bombers during World War II

The Battle of Kansas was the nickname given to a project to build, modify, and deliver large quantities of the world's most advanced bomber to the front-lines, originally in Europe and also in the Pacific, although because of delays in production, it was used only in the Pacific. The battle began as the first B-29 Superfortresses rolled off the production lines of the massive new Boeing factory on the prairies near Wichita, Kansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">357th Airlift Squadron</span> Military unit

The 357th Airlift Squadron is a Tactical Airlift unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command and part of the 908th Airlift Wing at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. It operates Lockheed C-130H Hercules aircraft providing global airlift. The 357th AS operates (8) C-130H2 aircraft that were built in the 1990s, which utilize Flight Engineers and Navigators, along with the crew complement of Pilots and Loadmasters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">700th Airlift Squadron</span> Military unit

The 700th Airlift Squadron is part of the 94th Airlift Wing at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia. It operates Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft providing global airlift.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">731st Airlift Squadron</span> Military unit

The 731st Airlift Squadron is a flying unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command and part of the 302d Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. It operates Lockheed C-130H Hercules aircraft providing global airlift. The squadron also has the specialized mission of Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20th Bomb Squadron</span> Military unit

The 20th Bomb Squadron is a unit of the 2d Operations Group of the United States Air Force located at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The 20th is equipped with the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">812th Fighter-Bomber Squadron</span> Military unit

The 812th Fighter-Bomber Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 482d Fighter-Bomber Group stationed at Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing Plant 2</span>

Boeing Plant 2 was a factory building which was built in 1936 by The Boeing Company in King County, Washington in the United States. By the time production ceased in the building, the plant had built half of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, the Boeing 307 Stratoliners, the Boeing 377s, some of the Boeing B-29 Superfortresses, Boeing B-50 Superfortresses, B-47 Stratojets, B-52 Stratofortresses, and the initial Boeing 737s. It was located between the Duwamish River and Boeing Field, to the east of the 16th Avenue South bridge, facing East Marginal Way South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force Plant 4</span> Aerospace facility in Texas, US

Air Force Plant 4 is a government-owned, contractor-operated aerospace facility in Fort Worth, Texas, currently owned by the U.S. Air Force and operated by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. It is home to the F-16 and F-35 fighter aircraft. Military aircraft have been manufactured at the plant since 1942. Plant 4 is adjacent to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, formerly Carswell Air Force Base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force Plant 42</span> US Air Force-owned aircraft manufacturing facility in Palmdale, California

United States Air Force Plant 42 is a classified aircraft manufacturing plant owned by the United States Air Force in the Antelope Valley, about 60 miles from downtown Los Angeles. It is also used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force Plant NC</span>

Air Force Plants NC was an aircraft production facility established during World War II adjacent to Fairfax Field near Kansas City. Although operated by North American Aviation, the plant was built and owned by the United States government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn L. Martin Bomber Plant</span> Former aerospace facility in Nebraska, US

The Glenn L. Martin Bomber Plant was an aircraft manufacturing facility in the central United States, located at Offutt Field, Nebraska, south of Omaha. Adjacent to suburban Bellevue in Sarpy County, the plant was operational during World War II, from 1942 to 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James V. Carmichael</span> American attorney, business executive and politician

James Vinson Carmichael was member of the Georgia General Assembly, an attorney, business executive, and candidate for Governor of Georgia.

References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

  1. Shettle, M. L. (2005), Georgia's Army Airfields of World War II. ISBN   0-9643388-3-1
  2. The Bell Bomber Plant
  3. Baugher Boeing B-29B Superfortress
  4. 1 2 Air Force Plant 6 @ globalsecurity.org
  5. Lockheed-Martin Plant #6 History
  6. "About the plant". The Dallas Morning News. October 27, 2001.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)