Warbirds and Airshows
By David D Jackson

    Home   USS Theodore Roosevelt    WWII Aircraft Manufacturing Sites    2007 Airshows   2008 Airshows  Gateguards   Warbird Sightings   WWII US Air-Air Victories   Guest Photos    Indiana Warbirds   Other Items   Links
 

 

 

WWII Aircraft Manufacture   Canada Aircraft  US Aircraft   US Cross Reference  US Airships  US Engines   USA Gliders   Propellers  Plant Photos

WWII US Aircraft Engine Manufacturing Sites
This includes both reciprocating and jet engines.

Company Location Engine Quantities and Types Applications Remarks
Air Cooled Motors Syracuse, NY (178) O-805, (6,044) O-405 L-6, others  
Allison (GM) Indianapolis, IN (69,305) V-1710, V-3420, (297) J-33, (16) J-31 P-38,P-39, P-63, P-40, P-51, A-36, P-59, P-80  
Buick (GM) Flint, MI (?) R-2800    
Buick (GM) Melrose, IL (74,198) R-1830 B-24 In 1945 International Harvester (now Navistar) bought the plant for the production of 6 cylinder Diesel Engines.  It is still in production.
Chevrolet (GM) Tonawanda, NY (60,766) R-2800and R-1830 Various Returned to civilian V-8 automotive production after WW II and is still in operation.
Chrysler Chicago, IL C-W R-3350 B-29 This plant was built from the ground up with the express purpose of producing the new R-3350 for the B-29 program.
Continental Muskegon, MI (797) V-1650, (23) I -1430, (11,828) R-670, (16,977) O-170, (5,100) R-1340, (19) R-975   Continental built license built engines from Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, and Wright along with its own designed engines.
Curtiss Wright Patterson, NJ (77,554) R-3350, R-2600, R-1820, R-975, R-760    
Curtiss Wright Lockland, OH (61,940) R-3350, R-2600   Government built plant.
Dodge (Chrysler) Chicago, IL (18,349) R-3350 B-29 This plant was built from the ground up with the express purpose of producing the new R-3350 for the B-29 program.  There is a book published by Chrysler after WWII that give a very good narration on this plant and is available.
Ford Dearborn, MI (57,178) R-2800    
General Electric West Lynn, MA (40) J-33, (337) J-31, J-33 for P-80, J-31 for P-89  
General Electric Syracuse, NY (211) J-33 J-33 for P-80,  
Jacobs Pottstown, PA (5,759) R-915, (14,746) R-755 AT-17, T-50, UC-78  
Kinner Motors Glendale, CA (2,356) R-540, (802) R-440 R-740 for PT-22, PT-25 and R-440 for PT-20, PT-24  
Lycoming Williamsport, PA (12,476) R-680, (12,395) O-435, O-290, O-235, O-145 L-5 and others  
Menesco Burbank, CA (525) L-365    
Nash-Kelvinator Kenosha, WI (17,012) R-2800    
Naval Aircraft Factory Philadelphia, PA (1,385) R-975, R-760    
Packard   (54,714) V-1650 See below for more Packard engine information Returned to civilian automotive production and went out of business in 1956 when it could not get bank financing for the new model year.
Pratt-Whitney East Hartford, CT (122,302) R-2800, R-1830, R-1340, R-985   Still operating today.
Pratt-Whitney Kansas City, MO (7,815) R-2800 Various  
Ranger Farmingdale, NY (2,748), 914,746) AT-21, PT-19, PT-26  
Studebaker South Bend, IN (63,789) R-1820 B-17 Studebaker was a prime provider of powerplants for the B-17 and its advertising during the war emphasized its role in this endeavor.
Warner Detroit, MI (184) R-550, (1,704)R-500, (127) R-420 R-550 for R-4  

 

Packard Merlin Engine Usage in WWII

Most sources available are claim that Packard built over 16,000 Rolls-Royce Merlin engines during WWII, which is true but grossly misleading.  The expression "over 16,000" implies that the number built is between 16,000 and 17,000.  This totally under states by over three times the contribution to the war effort by Packard, which produced 54,714 engines, as referenced from: United States Army in World War II - Special Studies - Buying Aircraft:  Material Procurement for the Army Air Forces by Irving Brinton Holley, Jr.  This was last published by The Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, D.C. in 1989 and is the source for not only engines but aircraft produced for the US Army during WWII.

Another way to look at this is to determine how many engines were required just to meet the demands of the aircraft the Packard Rolls-Royce went into.  We have done that analysis below and determined that Packard (and Continental, as it also produced 797 V-1650 engines) needed to supply just short of 22,000 engines just to get the aircraft listed below out of the factories they were built in.  This does not take into consideration the world wide supply network that was required to keep the aircraft flying.  When an engine went out on an aircraft in WWII, unless it was considered to be minor and repairable in a short time, it was more expedient to pull the engine, return it to the repair depot, and replace it with a new or rebuilt engine.

Packard also took the V-1650 Merlin, which was essentially a hand built and hand fitted engine at Rolls-Royce in England and made it into mass produced with interchangeable parts in the US.

Manufacturer Aircraft Aircraft
Quantity
Engines
per Aircraft
Total Engines Required Comments
Canadian Car and Foundry Lancaster 430 4 1,720  
Canadian Car and Foundry Hurricane MK X 1.291 1 1,291  
Curtiss P-40F 1,082 1 1,082  
Curtiss P-40L 600 1 600  
DeHavilland-Canada Mosquito 1,133 2 1,133  
North American P-51 13,903 1 13,903  
Supermarine Spitfire MK XVI 1,054 1 1,054  
Total OEM Engines required 21,916  


 

 

WWII Aircraft Manufacture   Canada Aircraft  US Aircraft   US Cross Reference  US Airships  US Engines   USA Gliders   Propellers  Plant Photos
 

 

Home   USS Theodore Roosevelt   WWII Aircraft Manufacturing Sites    2007 Airshows   2008 Airshows   Gateguards   WWII US Aircraft Victories   Guest Photos    Indiana Warbird Photos    Other Items   Links

Copyright 2008 by "Warbirds and Airshows"
E-mail us at: 
Webmaster