MANUFACTURING 3-INCH ANTI-AIRCRAFT SHELLS WORLD WAR II ORDNANCE FILM FRANKFORD ARSENAL 10414
1,270,467
Published 2020-03-22
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This black & white promotional/educational film is about making shells in populated areas of the USA. The date of the production is 1939 based on the title credits.
Credits: Produced by The Signal Corps in collaboration with the Chief of Ordnance 1939 - Manufacturing Shell For 3 inch Anti-Aircraft Guns (:07-:27). This film will show how make the shell our narrator tells us at the Frankford Arsenal factory in Philadelphia, PA. Exterior shots of the factory are shown. This was made to show that there are no hazards with building shells in populated areas (:28-1:07). Steel bars are shown whole and then being cut. Size is discussed. Men in the factory are at work. How to make the shell is explained and shown. The bar is shown before heating and then in succession based on what station, first, second, third, and fourth and final station. The forging is shown. A crank press shears them. The outer shell is seen going into the air outside for cooling (1:08-4:31). Our workers continue to make them. The rotating bands are cut. Walls of the shell are used as a test specimen (4:32-7:05). Forgings are placed into a machine to smooth since the explosives are to be loaded into this cavity. They are then sent to the shell machining shop. The shell is centered. All of the procedure is shown and explained. Process inspection follows. The shell is played with and made sure to be of use (7:06-10:47). The shell is placed into a drilling and tap machine. Watch as the process continues. More of the procedure is shown. Lots of closeups of the machines at work. Slow and thorough. The shell is almost done. Base is finished (10:48-13:16). The shell is notched next. Stamping machine is next. The process continues as it continues on its way. A band is going to be placed onto the shell. It is time to have it be ready for its finished size, this is shown. A steel disc is welded to the base of the shell (13:17-17:01). Washed in a hot bath is next for the shell. Final inspection table is next. Size and specs it should be are listed. Dimensional and weight tolerances have been given to the shell and must be abided by. Workers work on and weigh the shell casings (17:02-19:00). Men lift the casings. A protective coating grease is placed on the approved ones. Final steps performed on the shells. Shells then packed to be shipped to the assembly plant (19:01-20:24). End credit (20:25-20:31).
The Frankford Arsenal is a former United States Army ammunition plant located adjacent to the Bridesburg neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, north of the original course of Frankford Creek. The Frankford Arsenal was an entity unto itself, a virtual city within a city, and contained everything from its own police and fire departments, dining halls, motor pool, and a complete medical facility. The Arsenal was part of the U.S. Arsenal System—dedicated military establishments spread throughout the country to perform specific military missions for the Government.
From the beginning, the Frankford Arsenal was involved in the design and manufacture of munitions. As military weapons became more complex, the Center's role expanded to cover the development of a whole range of the Army's more advanced weapon systems. The Arsenal contained the world-famous Pitman-Dunn Laboratories along with a number of other R&D departments. Arsenal scientists and engineers designed and developed everything from basic materials to LASER guided ballistics, all produced entirely in-house from the concept phase to the fielding of the equipment. New portable and imbedded computer applications saw the development of the LASER rangefinder, fielded artillery computational machines (FADAC) and radar systems. During the Vietnam War, experiments in caseless ammunition, far-infrared low-light-level technologies, and advanced LASER applications were under development.
As the U.S. military-industrial complex grew, the Arsenal could no longer compete as a manufacturing entity. More and more of its programs were farmed out to industry. The Arsenal's functions were eventually transferred to the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFilm.com/
All Comments (21)
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Knowing how many of these shells were used, it's crazy how much labor goes into making just one
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Imagine all the engineering that went into designing the machines used to make those shells. With pencil, ruler and paper.
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My mother made 40mm tracer ammo. My father ran the shop floor. If it weren't for WW11 I wouldn't be here. I was a machinist for over 50 years, I can relate to this video and saw all the change that went down in the industry with CNC machining. I wound up a CNC programmer. All thanks to my father teaching me basic blueprint reading and how to read precision measuring instruments when I was a teenager. The trade did me well.
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The sheer scale of wartime production just blows my mind.
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A lot of work required for a 3” shell and yet millions were made. An incredible time.
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I worked in a small machine shop in the late '70s to mid '80s, making parts for the M60 Tank. Our biggest product was the Turret Hand Traverse Assembly. It's interesting to see much older versions of the machines we ran, even though our equipment was nothing like the high tech machines of today. I used to do some of the inspecting and adjustments for the other guys work, and I remember the random visits by Govt inspectors running tests on the finished assemblies. While our parts weren't going directly into any wars (that we knew of), the guys in this video must have felt immense pride that the pieces they were making were just a few hands away from going into guns to protect us and others around the World!
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I like how the air quench is literally just dropping them on the ground in front of a fan.
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I like the air quench: a floor fan. High tech stuff like that high speed cut off machine (power hacksaw)
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Im an engineer in a forging plant, we still use these exact same 3" upsetters every day in the same manner to make parts for the automotive industry crazy to see not much has changed!
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The same guy narrates every recording that ever came out during war times.
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Two thoughts: 1. A staggering amount of work goes into making each shell! 2. All the machines used to make them are amazing, and fascinating!
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I always make sure that I remember these men and women every Veterans Day. They are truly the heroes behind the heroes.
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"How it's made" 1939 edition
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As a machinist in the defense manufacturing industry I enjoy seeing videos like these
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The machines they made back then to manufacture these parts are what amazes me
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I love to watch this old footage. The amount of handcraft put into each single shell is incredible by todays standards. Thank you for uploading!
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My grandparents met at the Frankford arsenal during the war. Thank god for this place because I wouldn’t be here and neither would a lot of us if it weren’t for all the people that worked there during the war. I drive by there every day on my way to work and wish I could have seen it ins heyday.
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Being a machinist I find this process interesting.
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Insane amount of effort. I’d always assumed that she’ll casings were just stamped out of sheet metal. An eye opener.
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I was a material handler at a similar factory in the 80's. The shell has to be correct to survive the launch, and become at its terminus. You wouldn't want the crew harmed firing the gun by a premature explosion. Shoddy workmanship is treated as sabotage, with a heavy penalty in this industry.
