Local
War Industry
The
US economy entered total war in mid-1943. American industry
supplied the machinery needed to fight the war and contributed
substantially to the arming of its allies. By the war's end,
America produced approximately: 5,600 merchant ships, 79,000
landing craft, 100,000 tanks and armored vehicles, 300,000
airplanes, 2.4 million military trucks, 2.6 million machine
guns, 3.3 million rifles, 20.8 million helmets, and 41 billion
rounds of ammunition.
The
military built a close relationship with industry by contracting
with thousands of manufacturers. The US government offered
incentives and tax breaks that underwrote many of the expenses
of plant re-tooling and expansion. Many Outagamie County manufacturers
made products for the war effort. The military contracted
or sub-contracted with the following local companies: |
 Back
Eagle Manufacturing Company employees hold their fingers
in the shape of a "V" as a sign of victory, August
23, 1943
OCHS # P84.23.1.1
|
- American
Plywood Company of New London made flat and curved plywood for
motorized assault boats called "storm boats."
- Appleton
Pattern Works made patterns for diesel engines. A California company
assembled the engines for the Navy.
- Appleton
Wire Works supplied the military with gas filter screens, shell
casings, fuse caps for artillery shells, and tank treads.
- Appleton
Woolen Mills made overcoats for soldiers.
- Eagle Manufacturing
of Appleton outfitted trucks made by the Four Wheel Drive Company
of Clintonville. Eagle transformed the standard military cargo
hauler into snow-plows, oil rig trucks, and Coast Guard vehicles.
- Fox River
Paper Corporation of Appleton supplied blue print paper to the
Navy.
- Fox Valley
Canning of Hortonville sent canned produce to soldiers.
- Gilbert
Paper Company of Appleton made paper for military maps.
- Golden State
Company of Appleton made ice cream mix for soldiers. It also made
dehydrated skim milk products for Lend-Lease countries.
- Killoren
Electric Company of Appleton installed an electric system at the
Army's technical training school in Madison.
- Kurz and
Root Company of Appleton made electric starters for B-29 "Superfortress"
bombers.
- Miller Electric
Company of Appleton made welding machines for shipyards and defense
plants.
- Riverside
Paper Corporation supplied the Army and Navy with lined paper.
- Thilmany
Pulp and Paper Company of Kaukauna made a variety of specialty
papers for military use, including waterproof papers, insulation
papers, and anti-tarnish special wraps. The mill also made liners
for can goods, paint, and dehydrated foods.
- Valley Iron
Works of Appleton made a "purge pump" which separated
uranium for use in atomic bombs.
- Western
Condensing Company of Appleton helped make penicillin. It processed
cheese whey into lactose. Scientists used lactose as a source
of food for penicillin mold.
- Zwicker
Knitting Mill of Appleton made gloves for the Army.
The military
also contracted with: Appleton Coated Paper Company, Appleton Machine
Company, Appleton Wood Products Company, Fox River Tractor Company,
Fox River Valley Knitting Company, Fuhremann Canning Company, Interlake
Paper and Pulp Company, and Marathon Paper Company.
Back |
|
