Quote:
Originally Posted by Llarry
The grand champion is the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, with 18,482 built.
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And here are the rest of the top ten:
2) Douglas C-47 & DC-3 -- 16,079
3) Bell UH-1 Huey -- 16,000+
4) Republic P-47 Thunderbolt -- 15,660
5) North American P-51 Mustang -- 15,586
6) North American T-6 Texan & Harvard -- 15,495
7) Waco CG-4 (assault glider) -- 13,903+
8) Curtiss P-40 Warhawk -- 13,738
9) Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress -- 12,731
10) Vought F4U Corsair -- 12,571
The theme is consistent: Except for the Huey, all this amazing production happened in World War II. The American aviation industry (with a significant assist from Canada as the two economies were intertwined to an extent) shifted into high gear and the output was phenomenal. I would say never to be seen again. But World War II was an incredible effort by the entire nation. I used to think that the Greatest Generation of that era was made up of the (almost exclusively) men who fought the battles. But it was the mobilization of the whole nation, including women who had never worked before but worked in aircraft factories, etc., for a couple of years and contributed mightily to that prodigious output. Little kids collected scrap metal to contribute to the war effort. There was a national speed limit of 25 miles per hour on the roads to save gas and tires. Many more examples could be cited. I am amazed by what the whole nation did.
I doubt that we could do it again.