The American Automobile Industry in World War Two
An American Auto Industry Heritage Tribute by David D Jackson

Overview      Lansing Michigan in World War Two   The U.S. Auto Industry at the Normandy Invasion, June 6, 1944    The U.S. Auto Industry and the B-29 Bomber   U.S. Auto Industry Army-Navy "E" Award Winners   The Complete listing of All Army-Navy "E" Award Winners   Sherman Tanks of the American Auto Industry   Tank Destroyers of the American Auto Industry    M26 Pershing Tanks of the American Auto Industry   M36 Tank Destroyers of the American Auto Industry   Serial Numbers for WWII Tanks built by the American Auto Industry   Surviving LCVP Landing Craft    WWII Landing Craft Hull Numbers   Airborne Extra-Light Jeep Photos  The American Auto Industry vs. the German V-1 in WWII   American Auto Industry-Built Anti-Aircraft Guns in WWII   VT Proximity Manufacturers of WWII   World War One Era Motor Vehicles   National Museum of Military Vehicles  
Revisions   Links

 Automobile and Body Manufacturers:  American Bantam Car Company   Briggs Manufacturing Company   Checker Car Company   Chrysler Corporation   Crosley Corporation   Ford Motor Car Company   General Motors Corporation   Graham-Paige Motors Corporation   Hudson
Motor Car Company   Murray Corporation of America   Nash-Kelvinator   Packard Motor Car Company      Studebaker    Willys-Overland Motors

General Motors Divisions:  AC Spark Plug   Aeroproducts   Allison   Brown-Lipe-Chapin   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Cleveland Diesel   Delco Appliance   Delco Products   Delco Radio   Delco-Remy   Detroit Diesel   Detroit Transmission   Electro-Motive   Fisher Body   Frigidaire   GM Proving Grounds   GM of Canada   GMC   GMI   Guide Lamp   Harrison Radiator   Hyatt Bearings   Inland   Moraine Products   New Departure   Oldsmobile   Packard Electric   Pontiac   Saginaw Malleable Iron   Saginaw Steering Gear   Southern California Division   Rochester Products   Ternstedt Manufacturing Division   United Motors Service   Vauxhall Motors

 Indiana Companies:  Bailey Products Corporation   Chrysler Kokomo Plant   Continental Steel Corporation  Converto Manufacturing    Cummins Engine Company   Diamond Chain and Manufacturing Company   Delta Electric Company   Durham Manufacturing Company   Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation   Haynes Stellite Company   Hercules Body Company   Horton Manufacturing Company   Howe Fire Apparatus   J.D. Adams Company   Kokomo Spring Company   Magnavox  
Muncie Gear Works   Pierce Governor Company   Portland Forge and Foundry   Reliance Manufacturing Company   Republic Aviation Corporation - Indiana Division   Ross Gear and Tool Company   S.F. Bowser & Co.   Sherrill Research Corporation   Tokheim Oil Tank and Pump Company   Warner Gear   Wayne Pump Company   Wayne Works

Commercial Truck and Fire Apparatus Manufacturers:  American LaFrance   Autocar  
Biederman Motors Corporation   Brockway Motor Company   Detroit General   Diamond T   Duplex Truck Company   Federal Motor Truck   Four Wheel Drive Auto Company(FWD)   International Harvester   John Bean   Mack Truck   Marmon-Herrington Company   Michigan Power Shovel Company   Oshkosh Motor Truck Corporation   Pacific Car and Foundry   "Quick-Way" Truck Shovel Company   Reo Motor Car Company  Seagrave Fire Apparatus   Sterling Motor Truck Company    Ward LaFrance Truck Corporation   White Motor Company

Aviation Companies:  Abrams Instrument Corporation   Hughes Aircraft Company   Kellett Aviation Corporation   Laister-Kauffman Aircraft Corporation   Naval Aircraft Factory   P-V Engineering Forum, Inc.    Rudolf Wurlitzer Company-DeKalb Division  Schweizer Aircraft Corporation   Sikorsky Division of United Aircraft Corporation   St. Louis Aircraft Corporation   Timm Aircraft Corporation

Other World War Two Manufacturers: 
Air King Products   Allis-Chalmers   American Car and Foundry   American Locomotive   American Stove Company   Annapolis Yacht Yard  
Andover Motors Company   B.F. Goodrich   Baker War Industries   Baldwin Locomotive Works   Blood Brothers Machine Company   Boyertown Auto Body Works   Briggs & Stratton   Caterpillar   Cheney Bigelow Wire Works   Centrifugal Fusing   Chris-Craft   Clark Equipment Company   Cleaver-Brooks Company   Cleveland Tractor Company   Continental Motors   Cushman Motor Works   Crocker-Wheeler   Dail Steel Products   Detroit Wax Paper Company   Detrola   Engineering & Research Corporation   Farrand Optical Company   Federal Telephone and Radio Corp.   Firestone Tire and Rubber Company   Fruehauf Trailer Company   Fuller Manufacturing   Galvin Manufacturing   Gemmer Manufacturing Company   General Railway Signal Company   Gibson Guitar   Gibson Refrigerator Company   Goodyear   Hall-Scott   Hanson Clutch and Machinery Company   Harley-Davidson   Harris-Seybold-Potter   Herreshoff Manufacturing Company   Higgins Industries    Highway Trailer   Hill Diesel Company   Holland Hitch Company   Homelite Company   Horace E. Dodge Boat and Plane Corporation   Huffman Manufacturing   Indian Motorcycle   Ingersoll Steel and Disk   John Deere   Johnson Automatics Manufacturing Company   Kimberly-Clark   Kohler Company   Kold-Hold Company   Landers, Frary & Clark  Lima Locomotive Works   Lundberg Screw Products   MacKenzie Muffler Company   Massey-Harris   Matthews Company   McCord Radiator & Mfg. Company   Metal Mouldings Corporation   Miller Printing Machinery Company   Morse Instrument Company   Motor Products Corporation   Motor Wheel Corporation   National Cash Resgister Company   Novo Engine Company   O'Keefe & Merritt Company   Olofsson Tool and Die Company   Oneida Ltd   Otis Elevator   Owens Yacht   Pressed Steel Car Company   Queen City Manufacturing Company   R.G. LeTourneau   R.L. Drake Company   St. Clair Rubber Company   Samson United Corporation   Shakespeare Company   Sight Feed Generator Company   Simplex Manufacturing Company   Steel Products Engineering Company   St. Louis Car Company   Twin Disc Company   Victor Adding Machine Company   Vilter Manufacturing Company   Wells-Gardner   W.L. Maxson Corporation   W.W. Boes Company   Westfield Manufacturing Company   York-Hoover Body Company   Youngstown Steel Door Company  
   

 War Production by Otis Elevator
Otis Elevator in World War Two
Yonkers, NY
1852-1976
1976-Present as a subsidiary of United Technologies

This page added 6-18-2021.

I never had any intention of publishing a page on the Otis Elevator Company of Yonkers, NY.  It had not even crossed my mind, as the company is not at all related to the American Automobile Industry.  However, as is the case with many of my pages, fate would intervene, and I would learn how many different products Otis Elevator made to help win World War Two.

On a return trip from Florida, I stopped in Calhoun, GA to take several photos of a Pressed Steel M4A1 Sherman tank at the National Guard Armory.  I was aware that next door at the American Legion there was also a 90mm anti-aircraft gun on display.  However, I was focused on the Sherman tank, not thinking the anti-aircraft gun would produce anything new for me.  How wrong I was!  On the gun was a data plate indicating that the recoil mechanism was built by the Otis Elevator Company.  It turns out that Otis produced 3,961 or 50% of the recoil mechanisms for the 90mm anti-aircraft gun during World War Two.


The data plate is difficult to read with several coats of paint on it, but Otis Elevator built this recoil mechanism for this M1A1 90mm anti-aircraft gun in 1943.  Author's photo.


It was early in the morning and the sun was just rising in Calhoun, GA.  Author's photo.


Author's photo.


Author's photo.

Upon my arrival home and things were unpacked, I did an internet search on Otis Elevator in World War Two and found the 107 page book "War Production by Otis."  Upon its arrival a week later, I was amazed by the amount of information contained in this 1947 publication.  It is one of the most comprehensive publications I have found that details a company's contribution in helping to win World War Two.  This excellent account of how Otis Elevator helped win World War Two is in the link at the top of the page.

Otis Elevator is known for its elevators and escalators, found in many buildings in the United States.  Like many companies during World War Two, Otis produced large quantities of military equipment totally unrelated to its normal peace-time product line.  Otis Elevator was prolific in both the variety and volume of products it manufactured to help win World War Two.  It stands as an excellent example of how American industry rose to the occasion, re-tooled its plants, and turned out the needed equipment to win World War Two.


The Aeronautical Division, Harrison, NJ won the Army-Navy "E" Award four times during World War Two.  The first award given on October 24, 1942.
The Yonkers Works, Yonkers, NY won the Army-Navy "E" Award five times during World War Two.  The first was giving on August 15, 1942, and last on January 6, 1945.
The Otis Buffalo Works won the Army-Navy "E" Award four times during World War Two.
Harrison Works Elevator Division, NJ won the Army-Navy "E" Award one time on July 10,1945.

Otis World War Two Products: 
Aeronautical Division, Harrison, NJ:
  This brand new building was built for the manufacture of crankcases for the Wright R-2600 radial engine.  Construction began in February 1941 with the first crankcases shipped on October 11, 1941.  Production demand for 2,500 crankcases per month required a second building erected at this location for machine tool operations.  This plant began producing parts on November 16, 1942.  The Otis Aeronautical Division began producing Wright R-3350 crankcases for the B-29 in February 1945.

Yonkers Works, Yonkers, NY:  This plant produced a variety of products for the war effort.  This included:  3,961 90mm anti-aircraft gun recoil mechanisms, 78,710 navy electrical bomb shackle release mechanisms, recoil mechanisms for 155mm cannons, recoil mechanisms for 120mm anti-aircraft guns, Navy five-inch gun ammunition racks and servers, C-46 tail landing gears, P-40 wing flap cylinder assemblies, B-26 bomb hoists,  B-26 engine hoists, and P-47 down lock cylinders.

Yonkers, NY Aluminum Foundry: The foundry produced castings for Otis-built products plus castings other companies for B-17, F6F, PBM-5, C-46, P-47, 1,486 machine tools, motors and generators, many for GE amplidynes , Sperry searchlight trunnions, Lawrance crankcases for US Navy, recoil mechanisms for 90mm anti-aircraft guns, 155 long toms and 120mm anti aircraft guns, navy five inch ammunition racks and servers, C-46 tail landing gear,  P-40 wing flap cylinder assembly, B-26 bomb hoists,  B-26 engine hoists, P-47 down lock cylinders, and 8,710 navy electrical bomb shackle release mechanisms.

Harrison Works, Harrison, NJ:  Elevator platforms and ammunition hoists for navy cruisers, parts for 27,000 welding generators, cradles for 4,000 for recoil mechanisms, assemblies for torpedo hoisting equipment, parts of mine handling elevators and mine layers, C-46 landing strut, PBM-3 and PBM-5 tail and top turrets, 87,000 shock mounts for aviation cameras and radios, 750 Morey 2-spindle No.12 vertical profilers, large number of Morey turret lathes, Lawrance Avilectric power plants for the B-17 and B-24 auxiliary generators, steam driven pumps for Liberty ships, and P-47 cowl rings.

Buffalo Works, Buffalo, NY:  Aircraft carrier aircraft elevators, turret rings for Martin aircraft, PBM beaching gear, various steel castings including 120mm anti-aircraft gun, various drop-forged parts, and 37mm gun mounts for the Dutch Royal Navy.

Otis-Fensom Elevator Company, Hamilton, ONT:  5,000 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns, twin 40mm Bofors mounts for Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Navy ships, truck-mounted 40mm Bofors single mounts, 200 40mm Bofors mobile mounts, 30,000 40mm gun barrels, 8,000 40mm Bofors electrical-hydraulic fire control mechanisms, 76mm muzzle brake for U.S. Army, 6-pounder gun mounts for the Ram tank, 40mm Bofors elevating training mounts for U.S. Navy, light-weight ammunition trailers, engine lathes, bombing teaching assemblies, 20mm mobile quad mount sub-assemblies, Lancaster and Lincoln tail wheel assemblies, Mosquito 20mm gun mounts, radar rotator assemblies, various castings

Aeronautical Division, Harrison, NJ Product Photos:


This cut-away of an R-2600 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.  The outline of the crankcase is painted in red on this example.  Assuming Otis Harrison, NJ plant came to full production of 2,500 crankcases per month in October 1942, the company built at least 90,000 R-2600 crankcase during the war.  Author's photo.


The North American B-25 had R-2600 engines.  Author's photo. 


The U.S. Navy's Curtiss SB2C was powered by the Wright R-2800 with Otis-manufactured crankcases.  Author's photo. 


The R-2600 was the power plant for the General Motors Eastern Aircraft Division's TBM Avenger torpedo aircraft.  Author's photo. 


The Douglas A-20 attack aircraft used two R-2600 engines with Otis crankcases.  This A-20 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.  Author's photo.


This R-2600 engine is on display next to the A-20.  Author's photo.


Author's photo.


This diorama shows the R-2600 installed on the A-20 with part of the engine cowling removed.  Author's photo.


The early versions of the Martin PBM were powered by R-2600 engines.  The Otis Harrison Works produced top and rear gun turrets for the PBM-3 and PBM-5 aircraft.  Author's photo.


In early 1944 Otis began tooling up to manufacture the Wright R-3300 crankcase which powered the B-29.  First delivery of the engine was in February 1945.  Author's photo.


This is only one of two B-29s still flying.  It may well have Otis-built crank cases in the R-2250 engines.  Author's photo.

Yonkers Works, Yonkers, NY Product Photos:


This 90mm anti-aircraft gun on display at the Indiana Military Museum in Vincennes, IN is equipped with an Otis recoil mechanism.  Otis built 3,961 of the 7,831 recoil mechanisms required during World War Two.  This was 50% of the total.  Author's photo.


The Otis Elevator recoil mechanism is serial number 6848 and was built in 1943.  Author's photo.


Otis produced recoil mechanisms for the 550 120mm M-1 anti-aircraft guns produced at the Fisher Body Division of General Motors Grand Rapids, MI plant.  Author's photo.


The Otis Elevator Company in Yonkers, NY also built recoil mechanisms for the 155mm "Long Tom" cannon.  Author's photo.


This five-inch, 38 caliber gun can be seen at the USS Sullivans at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park in Buffalo, NY.  The ammunition for the five inch guns was fed into the gun turret from below deck.  Otis Elevator's Yonkers' plant provided the ammunition racks and servers to keep these rapid firing weapons provided with ammunition.  Author's photo.


The Yonkers Works produced Curtiss P-40 wing flap cylinder assemblies.  Author's photo.


Both the Otis Yonkers and Harrison Works produced landing gear components for the Curtiss C-46.  This C-46 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.  Author's photo.


Yonkers produced the tail landing gear.  Author's photo.


Both the Otis Yonkers and Harrison Works produced components for the Republic P-47.  Yonkers manufactured the down lock cylinders for the landing gear.   Author's photo.

Curtiss, Eastern Aircraft, Martin, Republic, and Wright were all located on the east coast.  This made Otis Elevator Company an excellent choice for supplying components for these aeronautical companies. 

Yonkers, NY Aluminum Foundry Product Photos:


Grumman Aircraft on Long Island, NY was another east coast aircraft company for which Otis supplied parts.  The Yonkers Foundry cast parts for the Grumman F6F fighter.  Author's photo.


The Yonkers foundry cast components for the B-17 bomber.  Unlike the other parts Otis built for different aircraft, the B-17 was not built on the east coast of the United States.  It was built in Washington and California.  Author's photo.


The Yonkers foundry cast the trunnions for the Sperry searchlight.  The trunnion is the U-shaped device.  Author's photo.

Harrison Works, NJ Product Photos: 


Harrison Works produced the landing gear strut for the Curtiss C-46.  This is the strut for the starboard landing gear on the C-46 shown above.  Author's photo.


Author's photo.


This photo of the port C-46 landing gear shows the strut up inside of the landing gear doors.  Author's photo.


The Harrison Works produced cowl rings for the P-47.  These opened and closed to keep the engine at the proper operating temperature.  Author's photo.


The Harrison Works manufactured 87,000 radio shock mounts for the Army Air Force like these in the radio room of a B-17.  Author's photo.  

Otis-Fensom Elevator Company, Hamilton, ONT Product Photos:


Otis-Fensom built 40mm Bofors twin-mounts like this one for the Royal and Royal Canadian Navies.  Author's photo. 


Otis-Fensom also mounted 40mm Bofors on Ford of Canada Canadian Military Pattern trucks.  Author's photo. 
 


Author's photo. 


When the 76mm main gun began its use in combat after D-Day in Europe, it was found by the armored vehicle crews that the weapon's blast created a lot of dust that obscured the gunner's view for follow-up shots.  The original 76mm main guns did not have muzzle brakes that would help alleviate this problem.  The U.S. Army contracted with Otis-Fensom in Canada to manufacture muzzle brakes on an expedited basis for shipment to the battle zone.  The Buick-built M18 Hellcat tank destroyer was one of the weapons with the new 76mm main gun.  Author's photo. 


The M4A3 Sherman tanks equipped with the 76mm main gun also required muzzle brakes.  Author's photo. 


Author's photo. 


Otis-Fensom also built for the Canadian army mobile quad 20mm gun mounts on two wheel trailers.  Author's photo. 


De Havilland Mosquito KA 114 is one of 1,032 of this type built by De Havilland during the Second World War at its Downsview plant in Toronto, Ontario not far from the Otis-Fensom plant in Hamilton, ONT.  Otis-Fensom built 30mm gun mounts for the aircraft  Author's photo.  


Otis-Fensom built tail wheel struts for the Lancaster bomber.  Author's photo.

 

 

 

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