This week, Americans everywhere are celebrating the freedom we enjoy that began with an extraordinary revolution that brought independence to the United States and changed the world. But amid the barbecues, fireworks and day off from work, it cannot be forgotten that our freedom is owed to the sacrifices of countless men and women who gave much, if not all, serving their country at home and abroad since the birth of this nation.
In World War II, as our “greatest generation” served with relentless bravery, they were aided greatly by a fully mobilized American automotive industry. President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously called on America to be the allies’ “Arsenal of Democracy,” and it was to Ford,Chrysler and General Motors that the government turned to help fill that arsenal for our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and guardsmen.
In “Freedom’s Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II,” Arthur Herman outlines how Roosevelt relied on auto industry leaders such as William S. Knudsen (of Ford, then GM) to mobilize the industry that equipped our soldiers. According to the book, whenKnudsen called on his colleagues at Chrysler, Continental Motors andA.O. Smith for tanks, engines and the welding of heavy steel plates, they responded to his urgent request without hesitation.