The Kennesaw State University Department of Museums, Archives and Rare Books (MARB) presents exhibitions, public programs, collections, and educational services supporting KSU’s mission and encouraging dialogue about the past and its significance today. The Museum of History and Holocaust Education, as a unit of MARB, has developed a series of online modules, including this one, for university students to explore pivotal moments from the history of World War II and the Holocaust.
This online unit focuses on the history of the Bell Bomber Plant from the creation of B-29s to the employees who worked on the project. The Bell Bomber Plant holds significance in Georgian and Southern history as it led the way in bringing economic prosperity to the South. Highlighting a diversity of sources, this unit tells the story of the Bell Bomber Plant and those who were apart of it.
Title Image: View from underneath the wing of a B-29. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
Image: Men and women finishing center wing sections in a row of massive fixtures on the factory floor, 1942-1945. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
Essential Questions
Using the primary source material and content in this online unit, respond to the three essential questions found below. In your responses, include evidence from the content in this online unit. Please refer to the directions provided by your instructor on submitting your responses to these essential questions as well as to the questions posed throughout this unit.
- What kind of employment opportunities did the Bell Bomber Plant bring, and how did these opportunities differ among various groups?
- In what ways did the Bell Bomber Plant industrialize and economically impact Cobb County?
- How did World War II act as a facilitator of change for the South and rural America?
Image: Women performing various roles in an office setting, 1942-1945. Courtesy Kennesaw State University
The State of the South
While the North had seen great economic change, industrialization, and urbanization in the early 20th Century, the South had remained rural and mainly impoverished. President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized these problems calling the South, “the nation’s number on economic problem” and became committed to developing programs to stimulate industry in the South.
Click the button below to read a newspaper clipping on the South:
As you read, consider the following questions:
- What economic problems did the South face?
- What was President Roosevelt’s position on this?
Image: Lee Betties, rural rehabilitation client, with sack of horse and mule feed on rear of his wagon, leaving general store at Woodville, Greene County, Georgia, 1939. Courtesy Library of Congress
Marietta, Georgia
Despite being thirty minutes from Atlanta, Marietta, Georgia was one of the many southern cities that had long suffered from poverty and depended largely on farming for employment. Georgia overall, however, would become integral in the war effort capitalizing on the opportunity for employment both as soldiers and as employees to wartime industries.
Image: Covered bridge near Marietta, Georgia, June, 1936. Courtesy Library of Congress
Georgia in the War
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt began many programs to build military weapons to aid in the war. In the interest of building aircraft away from the coast, inland cities, such as Atlanta, became a prime location. In Georgia, military installations were increasingly being put in all its major cities.
Image: Pearl Harbor naval base and U.S.S. Shaw ablaze after the Japanese attack, 1941. Courtesy Library of Congress
Developing the B-29 Superfortress
After many years of experience in aircraft mechanics, Lawrence Bell formed the Bell Aircraft Corporation in 1935. Bell was dedicated to developing military planes and made many contributions including the manufacture of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, an updated more efficient version of the B-17. The B-29 would eventually replace B-17s and B-24s, making its first appearance in the war in September 1942.
Image: Bill DeForest, Larry Bell, founder of Bell Aircraft, and other board members meet, 1943. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
A Revolutionary Aircraft
The manufacture and development of the B-29 was apart of a secret bomber program that aimed to improve the B-17 in various ways. At 100 feet long and with a 141 foot wingspan, the bomber was able to carry up to 120,000 pounds of cargo. The plane was equipped with four engines that held 120 horsepower each making the B-29 the best option for large scale bombings of Japan.
The B-29 was revolutionary in that it could fly higher and longer than any other aircraft. Flying up to 34,000 feet with a range of 3,250 miles, the B-29 could easily fly above enemy planes and for longer distances.
Click the button below to watch a short film on restored B-29s:
As you watch, consider the following questions:
- How were B-29s used after the war?
- How long did it take to completely restore Doc?
- What impact do the B-29 Superfortresses have on those who worked on them and flew them?
Image: Formation of two B-29 bombers in flight, 1942-1945. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
B-29s and the War Effort
Now for the first time, the bombers had a pressurized and climate-controlled crew space which combatted issues associated with flying such as sickness and cold temperatures. This made the crews more comfortable and eliminated the need for oxygen masks in crew spaces. Furthermore, the mechanics of the B-29 allowed for gunners to machine the twelve 50-caliber machine guns from these cabins rather than under a glass bubble like traditional bombers.
Part of what made B-29s vital to the war effort was the ability to directly attack Japan and their major industrial cities on a larger scale. One of the most well-known B-29 bombers was the Enola Gay which carried the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Click the button below to take a virtual tour of a B-29 Bomber:
Image: Marietta native, Major Jack Millar, poses in front of his Bell-Built B-29 named the "Georgia Peach", 1944. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
Lobbying for Cobb County
The Atlanta area was a prime spot for building aircrafts with its access to the Atlanta airport, railways, and the Dixie Highway. Many cities surrounding Atlanta competed for the opportunity to build the aircrafts. Connections in Cobb County allowed for heavy lobbying and the Rickenbacker Field in Marietta was ultimately chosen as the place in Georgia to build B-29s.
Image: A concrete arch stretches over the Dixie Highway in Waycross, 1925. Courtesy Georgia Encyclopedia
General Lucius D. Clay
General Lucius D. Clay, a native to Marietta, was one of the major lobbyists in creating the Bell Bomber Plant. He had already been working on Rickenbacker Field to be used as an overflow airport from Atlanta and had actively been working on constructing airports across the United States. Wanting to bring prosperity to Marietta, Clay used his position as general and connections to the Airport Approval Board to construct the Bell Bomber Plant in his hometown.
Image: Portrait of General Lucius D. Clay. Courtesy Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum
James V. Carmichael
James V. Carmichael was a prominent business leader and native to Cobb County. His involvement in the creation of Rickenbacker Field and his personal connection to Lawrence Bell gave him the opportunity to influence the location of the Bell Bomber Plant. These connections helped Carmichael advocate for a Bell Bomber Plant in Cobb County and aided him in gaining a position as the general manager of the plant later on.
Click the button below to watch an interview on James V. Carmicheal (watch from 8:48-16:12):
As you watch, consider the following questions:
- What made Carmichael a good leader at the Bell Bomber Plant?
- How did his connections influence the decision to build the Bell Bomber Plant in Marietta?
Image: Colonel O'Conner and James V. Carmichael go over a document at the Bell Bomber plant in Marietta, Georgia, 1942-1945. Courtesy Kennesaw State University
The Bell Bomber Plant
On March 30, 1942, construction at the Bell Bomber Plant began. Over the course of World War II, the United States funneled $73 million into the plant which was far more than the original estimated $15 million. Spanning over 4.2 million square feet, the Bell Bomber Plant was the largest facility built in the South and was made up of various buildings. Most notably, the B-1 handled assembly of B-29s and the B-2 building handled administration of the plant.
Image: Corner of the B-1 Building, 1944. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
Manufacturing B-29s
Bell Bomber workers manufactured B-29s in an assembly fashion with workers assigned to specific parts of the planes. Eventually, these individual parts were assembled into a completed vehicle through riveting, a process by which to forge metal together using rivets in joining adjacent pieces. Riveting the parts together was essential in constructing the planes and had to be done with the utmost precision.
Image: View of the B-29 assembly line, 1943. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
Building Individual Parts
Often in the manufacturing process, multiple employees would work on one section together. Construction of a single B-29 bomber included miles of wiring, hundreds of thousands of rivets, and various smaller pieces of sheet metal. Overall, the Bell Bomber Plant in Georgia built 668 B-29 bombers.
Click the button below to watch a short film on building B-29s:
As you watch, consider the following questions:
- How extensive was the work in putting B-29s together?
- How did the invention and manufacture of B-29s assist unskilled laborers?
Image: Men and women working on the tail assembly of a B-29 bomber, 1942-1945. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
Employees of the Plant
At its height, Bell Bomber employed over 28,000 people most of whom were southerners and locals to the area. Of those employed at the plant, women made up 37%, African-Americans made up 8%, and disabled individuals made up 6%. The plant provided higher wages and many opportunities for training, but the buildings were still segregated and included limited opportunities for advancement for women and people of color.
Image: Female employees inspecting the plastic noses of aircraft while two male employees confer, 1942-1945. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
Click the buttons below to hear the stories of two women who worked at Bell Bomber, Geraldine Anthony and Jessie Moss:
As you watch, consider the following questions:
- How does Geraldine describe her experiences with co-workers at Bell Bomber?
- Did working at the Bell Bomber Plant lead to new employment opportunities for Geraldine Anthony after the war?
As you watch, consider the following questions:
- How did life change for women during World War II?
- How did Jessie use her salary from working at Bell Bomber?
Image: A black man collects scrap to be shredded in Department 75, 1942-1945. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
Click the buttons below to read interviews with Ruth Asbell Ivy and Ernestine J. Slade:
After reading both interviews, consider the following questions:
- How are the experiences of Ruth and Ernestine similar?
- How are they different?
- In what ways do the experiences differ due segregation or discrimination?
Image: Men and women working at long tables on the factory floor, 1942-1945. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
Click the buttons below to read about Richard W. Croop and Thomas V. Bockman:
As you read, consider the following questions:
- What role did Richard play as an engineer at Bell Bomber?
- How did Richard know Larry Bell, and how does he describe him?
As you read, consider the following questions:
- How did Thomas transition from working at Bell Bomber to the Plantation Pipeline Company?
- How does Thomas explain race relations at Bell Bomber and in the South as he was growing up?
Image: A female Photographic Department employee reviews negatives with a light box, 1942-1945. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
Impact of the Bell Bomber Plant
Toward the end of World War II, Bell Bomber slowed down production. Soon after the Japanese surrendered, the contract for B-29s was terminated. The plant was eventually used for the Lockheed Corporation to refurbish B-29s in the 1950s. The base was renamed Dobbins Air Force Base and today is known as the Dobbins Air Reserve Base after Charles M. Dobbins, a Marietta native who died in World War II.
The Bell Bomber Plant forever transformed Marietta, Georgia and Cobb County making it one of the fastest growing areas in the United States. The plant brought people, money, investment, and industry to the once rural small town. Even today, Dobbins Air Reserve Base plays a significant role in the local economy, bringing over $160 million to Marietta per year.
Image: Bell Bomber Plant from the air, 1942-1945. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
Engage
The Bell Bomber Plant was one part of an extensive project to build B-29s and assist in the war effort. A look inside the inner-workings of the plant gives insight to the everyday job tasks as well as the people involved in the project.
Watch the documentary on the Bell Bomber Plant in Georgia. After watching, write an essay which answers the following questions:
- How did the creation of the Bell Bomber Plant change Marietta, Georgia?
- How did the Bell Bomber Plant facilitate innovation and job growth?
- What was life like for the employees who worked at the plant?
Image: The first B-29 bomber assembled entirely in Marietta emerges from the hangar, November, 1943. Courtesy Kennesaw State University Archives
Thank you for participating in our online unit, "The Bell Bomber Plant." If you would like to learn more about the many resources the Department of Museums, Archives, and Rare Books at Kennesaw State University offers, please follow the link below:
Image: Courtesy the Museum of History and Holocaust Education
This digital lesson was curated and designed by Sophia Dodd from the University of Georgia in collaboration with staff from the Museum of History and Holocaust Education at Kennesaw State University.