BIRTHPLACE OF A WAR MACHINE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 October 1943, Page 4

BIRTHPLACE OF A WAR MACHINE

On distant battlefields, in sub-zero weather, and in the blazing heat of tropical sun, our armies wheel into battle. Taking weather and fighting conditions in their smooth stride, United Nations warriors rust their lives and their missions to the vehicles built by Ford craftsmen. Back of this mechanised warfare of the battle zones, the engineering brains and foresight of the Empire Ford organisation also wage an all-out war to give Empire fighting machines increased strength, striking power and allround fighting ability. Alongside the full-throated roar of current production at the giant Ford plant at Windsor, Canada, skilled engineers work swiftly and surely in “Pilot Bay.” Here full-size pilot models of tomorrow’s military vehicles are individually built, studied and tested. Critical Ford test drivers take the pilot models through pounding, punishing trials on a “battlefield” testing ground. Powerful X-rays probe deep into metals and vitals of these “secret weapons,” looking for flaws and weaknesses. Nothing is left to chance by Canadian Ford workers, nor by workers in the New Zealand Ford Factory, where vehicle production for the armed forces has gone on continuously since the day war was declared. In addition to motorised war equipment, the New Zealand Ford Factory manufactures a wide range of munitions for the front line forces of the United Nations. Production is now on a very big and constantly-increasing scale, and will continue to grow until final Victory is won. —P.B.A.