Northwest Airlines' Modification Center in World War II

JOHANNES R. ALLERT

Northwest Airlines’MODIFICATION CENTER in World War II ith the end of World War II came the revelation that the city of St. Paul had played a crucial part in achieving victory. Dur- Wing wartime, residents had grown accustomed to the constant din emanating from Northwest Airlines’ Modification Center at Holman Field, across the Mississippi River from downtown; however, the level of secrecy involved in the work there prohibited employees from discuss- ing any details. Not until September 1945 did the news emerge that the “Mod Center” was responsible for al- tering aircraft for a variety of duties, including photo- reconnaissance, fuel ment to a collaborative modification Modified B- 24 bomber departing Holman transport, anti-shipping and, most program enabled manufacturers field; St. Paul skyline in background. important, high- altitude bombing to maintain high production levels utilizing new radar technology.1 without stopping to tailor aircraft for tionship whereby military authorities In his fireside chat of Decem- specific missions or theaters of com- enlisted, rather than commandeered, ber 29, 1940— one year before the bat. Nationwide, modification cen- the support of commercial aviation. Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor— ters were credited with customizing Roosevelt reconsidered and, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt 50 percent of the aircraft produced events unfolded, this proved a suc- addressed the urgent need to sup- in America. During its three- year ex- cessful decision.3 port Britain against Axis aggression. istence (1942–45), Northwest’s plant Although the concept was American industry— specifically, at Holman Field hired more than simple, execution was problematic Detroit’s efficient assembly- line auto 5,000 workers from across the Upper as it required military and civilian manufacturers— should become the Midwest and modified one- third of professionals, albeit sharing a com- “arsenal of democracy,” converting the aircraft produced at Willow Run. mon vision, to coordinate and run from making luxury goods to produc- At this critical moment in Ameri- operations. For the duration of the ing defense material. In early 1941 can history, the federal government, war, Holman Field was designated new factories, such as Ford’s Wil- military, industry, and commerce a U.S. Army Air Corps installation; low Run plant near Ypsilanti, were successfully collaborated to defeat however, Northwest’s station man- quickly built to produce aircraft. totalitarianism.2 ager maintained control of daily While the feats of industry in support The modification concept was operations and was responsible for of the war effort are well known, less championed by Edgar Staley Gor- the site’s maintenance and security. is said of the role played by commer- rell, a military veteran and president cial airlines. Civil aviation’s commit- of the Air Transport Association (a

trade organization), and supported Currently employed at a major medi- Facing: Celebrating victory, Northwest by Army Air Force Gen. Harold Ar- cal device ﬁrm in the Twin Cities, Mr. Airlines’ station manager E. B. Curry and nold. When discussions favoring a Allert graduated from Minnesota State University— Mankato with a B.S. in Army Air Force representative Maj. A. B. government takeover of the airline sociology and Norwich University, Horner pose, pretending to pull the last industry arose, the two met privately Vermont, with an M.A. in military B- 24 bomber out of the Modiﬁcation with President Roosevelt and strenu- history. Center hangar, August 1945. ously urged him to preserve the rela-

Winter 2013–14 325 His military counterpart, the Army This new challenge required sig- no guarantees that workers would Air Force representative, played a nificant expansion and additional remain— especially, employers dual role, simultaneously ensuring employees.5 thought, women whose significant that production levels were met and others returned from the war. Lucra- serving as an advocate for the center. tive offers of war work elsewhere, Due to constant wartime demands efore the U.S. entered the war, routinely advertised in local news- and rapidly evolving aircraft develop- Northwest Airlines employed papers, lured away both men and ment, modifications were occasion- B881 workers nationwide; by women. When workers left, compa- ally performed outside of existing September 1942, that figure had in- nies were forced to repeat the hiring, written regulations. These deviations creased to 3,600 with numbers pro- orientation, and training process. required the AAF representative’s jected to reach 10,000. Northwest’s Fortunately, they received support consent and explanations to higher president, Croil Hunter, saw future from a variety of federal agen- authorities.4 In addition, the com- benefit in the new tie between civil cies that assisted with recruiting, mand hierarchy relied upon the inge- and military aviation: “The tremen- screening, and training applicants— nuity of labor to identify shop- floor dous extent to which the airlines are particularly female ones.8 problems and propose solutions; operating military contracts will be a As a result, women such as Hazel incentive prizes— awarded by North- factor of prime importance in the de- Larson from Hillsboro, North Da- west with government’s consent— velopment of post- war aviation.” But kota, and Millie Bowers of Bell Creek encouraged creativity. Ultimately, the commercial airlines were also taking (Goodhue County) left rural life to war effort benefited from this three- a risk: they were liable for any dam- take employment with Northwest way collaboration. age to planes at their facilities.6 in the big city. The company also In January 1942, shortly after Labor shortages resulting from readily hired men like Anton (Tony) the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the draft compounded industry’s Kortenkamp from Des Moines, a Gorrell circulated a memo through- challenge in supporting the war ef- newly trained sheet- metal worker out the airline industry. Emphasizing fort. Necessity required tapping whose medical condition exempted the need for cooperation, his memo resources previously overlooked, him from the draft, and Harry Chin, discussed wartime control, industry coordination, and requests from the military. Besides ferrying men and equipment to the front, these APPLICANTS WERE EVALUATED AND, BASED ON requests included a call for bids to APTITUDE, PLACED IN A JOB SUCH AS RIVETING, modify aircraft. Before the month was over, Northwest Airlines was SEWING, OR METAL OR ELECTRICAL WORK. awarded a contract utilizing its existing maintenance facility at Holman Field, which was then designated yet companies were slow to hire a recent immigrant with rudimen- Modification Center 12. In the bleak unskilled labor, especially women, tary English- language skills who was winter of 1942, the collaborative partly due to the multitude of recon- working in a restaurant. Northwest concept bore early fruit when crews figurations required and labor regu- sent him to its mechanics school in at Holman successfully modified lations involved: separate restrooms, Minneapolis, then put him to work. twenty B- 25 Mitchell bombers for special representation, smaller- sized To prevent being mistaken as Japa- use by Britain’s Royal Air Force coveralls, lower workbenches, and nese, Chin wore a lapel pin with large against Hitler’s Afrika Korps. In re- gender-specific sick- leave rules were letters stating, “I am Chinese.” North- turn, Northwest was awarded further among the considerations. Unions west also reached out to individuals contracts for various modifications of exacerbated the problem by initially like Ezra Oberg, a former teacher the U.S. Army Air Force’s utilitarian refusing to enroll women.7 left blind at the height of his career. heavy bomber, the B-24 Liberator. And then, once hired, there were Along with five other legally blind

326 Minnesota History Women eventually held 40 percent of the Mod Center’s jobs. These workers are most likely at an off- site training program.

he Modification Center experi- enced growing pains in 1943, Ta year of transition and expansion. To handle an increased work- load, the facility needed two new hangars; until they were completed, crews were forced to work outside regardless of weather conditions. During construction, Northwest req- uisitioned the Air National Guard’s men, he worked the night shift at profile drawing of the bomber came hangar on the west side of the field, the center’s reclamation department, in handy when working outside and vacant since the squadron deployed sorting discarded parts for reuse the away from the shops and hangars. overseas in 1941. The large new following day.9 Rules and regulations, however, did hangars, each able to hold thirteen Applicants were evaluated and, not prevent some from engaging in B- 24s, stood near the Mississippi based on aptitude, placed in a job sophomoric behavior at the expense River and were collectively called such as riveting, sewing, or metal others. As Millie Bowers Johnson Riverside. Between them was a nar- or electrical work. Orientation and recalled, “Occasionally a newly hired row, two- story building where work- training lasted approximately eight woman was sent to the Parts Depart- ers maintained machine guns on the weeks, after which each employee ment to fetch a ‘relief tube’ only to lower level while professional chefs was scheduled to work a rotation discover what a relief tube was actu- provided food in the employees’ caf- of two- week shifts: 8:00 a.m. to ally for.”10 eteria upstairs.11 4:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., and 12:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. For security reasons, all employees were issued an identification badge. Those working in the shop areas received a pair of coveralls— white for men and blue- gray for women—with Northwest Airlines emblazoned on the back. A pocket- sized manual spelled out rules pertaining to safety (particularly fire safety), security, ap- propriate behavior, and attendance. Also included were several helpful tables listing all bolts, rivets, nuts, washers, screws, cotter pins, zippers, fasteners, grommets, tubing, and clamps of various sizes and shapes used on B- 24 Liberators. A detailed

Practicing on a mock-up of a rear fuselage

Winter 2013–14 327 Working outside, 1943, before the new Riverside hangars were completed

temporarily overwhelmed the center with projects marked “urgent,” while lulls in campaigns intermittently left some departments at the facility dor- mant. Contrary to company policy against loafing, Harry Chin and coworkers occasionally retreated to the interior of a bomber parked on the field to play cards while waiting for work to pick up.13 The military hierarchy inter- preted these problems as leadership deficiencies. This perception led to a series of replacements of AAF representatives who failed to meet expectations, earning the center the inglorious reputation of “Coffin Corner.” Matters improved with the arrival of the center’s seventh (and Rapid expansion, compounded by followed by the smell of cordite. The last) Army Air Force representative the complexities of aviation technol- plane had been towed to the gun pit in March 1943: Capt. A. B. Horner, ogy and pressures to meet shifting to test its .50 caliber machine guns. whose experience at other modifica- demands and deadlines, occasionally He was not harmed, but haste could tion centers honed his skills and his resulted in miscommunication that cause injury. Hazel Larson slipped reputation as a man of demandingly caused surprises and mishaps. Some- and fell from the catwalk of a B- 24 high standards. His efforts were times, for example, aircrews landing while hurrying to inspect its wiring. strengthened with the arrival of his civilian counterpart, E. B. Curry, a St. Paul native recalled from Northwest’s Ohio facility in 1944 to serve as sta- EMPLOYEE INPUT HELPED THE MOD CENTER tion manager at Holman Field. He RUN MORE SMOOTHLY AND MEET ITS was assisted by George H. Pietsch, the airline’s safety specialist; to- PRODUCTION AND SAFETY GOALS. gether, they focused on reducing accidents and streamlining processes.14 Employee input, too, helped the at Holman for a scheduled stopover Landing hard on the asphalt below, Mod Center run more smoothly and returned the following morning she reported to the first- aid station meet its production and safety goals. dismayed to find their ship disassem- where she was given an ice pack for The center offered workers various bled, in the process of modification. her injured knee and some aspirin incentives to devise cost-saving mea- Sheet- metal worker Kortenkamp for the pain before being sent back sures. Employee innovations ranged remembered that crews once moved to work.12 from a process improvement sug- an aircraft when he was working in- In addition, the nature of warfare gested by Carl Larson, a blind worker side. Suddenly, the sound of roaring challenged the company’s schedul- who developed a better way to sort guns echoed throughout the fuselage, ing. Preparations for air offensives parts, to a movable platform with a

328 Minnesota History Joseph De Beer and Benny Ystenes (left to right) demonstrating Carl Larson’s sorting method, Production for Victory show, Minneapolis detachable ladder, designed by Al Stendke and sketched on a piece of wallpaper. The platform allowed mechanics to work around engines with greater ease and efﬁciency. For their efforts, Larson received a suggestion pin (he chose that over a $5 war bond) and Stendke, a $300 war bond.15 Labor contributed to the war effort in numerous other ways, as well. purchasing $2,125 worth of war launched in June 1943 to inform Workers played a vital part in reduc- bonds.16 workers of the latest center news, ing accidents; for example, blind To encourage employee bond- clubs, and social events as well as to employees educated others about ing and teamwork, the Mod Center reiterate the dual emphasis on pro- preventative measures to ensure eye sponsored a variety of social activi- duction and safety. A $25 war bond safety. And staff participated in pro- ties including horseback riding, dra- was awarded to the worker who won grams such as blood-donation and matics, bowling, basketball, men’s the naming contest. All work was war- bond drives. When the center and women’s softball (no co- ed done by volunteers, and the early achieved goals, it celebrated with teams), and even a choir complete issues, with typewritten stories and public recognition, sometimes fea- with robes in airline colors bearing hand- drawn illustrations and head- turing pomp and pageantry. On one the company logo. With manage- lines, looked amateurish. In the ﬁrst occasion, Hollywood actress Ingrid ment’s consent, In- Formation, an issue, an enthusiastic employee cel- Bergman presented William Alwin, employee newsletter independent ebrated the arrival of women in the a stock clerk, with a wristwatch for of the weekly corporate one, was workplace with a poem, “Slacks.”

There are lines that have a meaning That an artist’s eye can see But the lines at Northwest Airlines Have a special charm for me.

There are slacks that show the waistline There are slacks that show the thigh But the slacks at Northwest Airlines They’re the ones that catch the eye.

There’s the portly dame with broad hips With the Mae West smile that wins But the gal who graces our ships Is the Northwest Airlines bim.

Al Stendke’s mobile platform

Winter 2013–14 329 They are buxom, thin, or slender crews to locate and accurately strike Having everything complete targets during inclement weather. As they pose in their slack splendor A December 31, 1943, memo from With a grace that can’t be beat. Capt. Horner, circulated to all in the center, stressed both the importance So all praises to our slack girls of the project and the secrecy sur- To the Northwest Airlines dame rounding it.19 We’ll carry them within our hearts By mid- 1944 the center had And in our Hall of Fame.17 established an efficient system for handling the Liberator bombers ar- In 1944, however, the newsletter riving from Willow Run. First, they improved substantially when man- were checked in and any equipment agement hired Mrs. Ida Hunt, a mu- classified as top secret was immedi- sician turned writer, to replace the ately removed and securely stored. previous editor who had deployed While awaiting modification, aircraft overseas. In addition to a new name, were temporarily sealed, or “pickled,” Field and Hangar, the publication to prevent corrosion. Each ship was received a complete overhaul, result- towed to the Riverside hangars and ing in typeset copy, an organized lay- weighed to determine its center of out, high- quality photographs, and gravity. While alterations progressed, a breakdown of news and events by instruments were checked to certify St. Paul Pioneer Press, September 16, department.18 functionality. Afterwards, aircraft 1945, revealing the center’s “theoretical” were moved to an outside platform bomber test runs where a process known as “swinging s the war progressed, processes the compass” ensured that all three or debris to prevent damage to cables were streamlined, dividing compasses on board worked cor- and equipment. Discarded parts Amodifications into three catego- rectly. Next, planes were sent to the were collected, inspected, and sorted ries. The first involved engineering gun pit where the .50 caliber guns in the reclamation department. Final changes addressing a specific techni- were bore sighted. Then the aircraft steps involved a test hop by civilian cal order, such as adding a special were towed across the field to Build- pilots to evaluate the instruments, part. The second category pertained ing 109 (the Air National Guard particularly the autopilot, manufac- to theater modifications enabling hangar) for preflight inspections of tured locally by Honeywell. The test aircraft to perform better in certain all movable components. Aircraft flight also enabled the bombardier climates. Last were modifications were swept clean of any loose parts and navigator to secretly test the that required significant alterations to the airframe for a specific role, including weather recording, fuel supply, photo reconnaissance, and Northwest’s greatest contribution to the war effort: the installation of the H2X radar system. This new technology was developed by the Brit- ish and refined and mass produced in the United States. Its ground- mapping capability enabled bomber

Installing an early version of H2X radar

330 Minnesota History B- 24 bomber crew returning from a test run

H2X— using St. Paul’s iconic First National Bank Building as an aim- ing point. Any problems encountered during flight were addressed upon return and, once they were resolved, the plane was reloaded and signed over to the Army Air Force for action.20 Departing aircraft often con- tained notes from employees or car- ried names staff had invented. For example, one B-24 Liberator was nicknamed School Daze to honor the 1,378 students from a technical school in Detroit who had raised $250,000 to purchase it in the national “Buy a Bomber” campaign. Mod Center staff not only designed its nose art but also took turns au- tographing the fuselage. An airman serving in England told his sister working at the center that School Daze was assigned to his squadron and that the crews appreciated the way it handled. Occasionally, employees who had left for the war found themselves crewing or pulling maintenance on aircraft they had modified in St. Paul.21 ith the collapse of Germany August 16 Horner (now a major) By 1944 the pendulum of victory in the spring of 1945 and vic- sent a memo to Northwest’s manage- was clearly swinging in the Allies’ Wtory close at hand, officials ment, ordering an immediate halt to favor, and so the curtain of secrecy at urged employees to remain focused all projects. Aircraft were placed in the Mod Center was partially raised. in their efforts to defeat Japan. Pro- temporary storage to await “fly away With the government’s consent, jections dated June 1, 1945, revealed instructions.”23 Northwest sponsored an open house an ambitious program for Northwest Employees arriving for work in the summer of 1944 and again in to complete 988 modifications by the next morning were met at the 1945, limiting the event to workers year’s end for the final Allied as- front gate. Most were immediately and their families. Here, civilians sault on the Japanese empire. In released, but some were retained to could see firsthand the vital work in early August, however, world events assist with closing down the center. which their family members were changed dramatically when Presi- Among them was Harry Chin, who engaged. Each event drew substan- dent Harry S. Truman ordered that had the distinction of modifying the tial crowds— 30,000 and 20,000, atomic bombs be dropped on Hi- center’s last bomber. No sooner was respectively— and reinforced citizens’ roshima and Nagasaki, effectively that work completed than the air- ties to the war effort.22 nullifying modification plans. On craft was flown to a collection facility

Winter 2013–14 331 and, eventually, scrapped. By Sep- tember 1945 the Modiﬁcation Center that once employed 5,000 workers had closed, leaving civic ofﬁcials to debate the future of the Riverside hangars, labeled a “Million Dollar White Elephant” by the press.24 The hangars stand today as vague re- minders of the war effort. Currently owned by 3M Corporation, they are as securely guarded in peacetime as they once were in war.

uring the center’s three- year ex- istence, employees were credited Dwith modifying 3,286 aircraft deployed to every theater of the war and performing missions involving weather and photo reconnaissance, supply, anti- shipping and, most no- tably, bombing, utilizing the H2X radar.25 In the process, Northwest’s employees provided cost- saving ideas that reduced technological and labor expenses by $292,400. Moreover, workers received repeated praise from the Army Air Force for their try, and labor culminated in a robust flying missions over Europe; the vital work installing the H2X radar and successful Allied air campaign. other was a Holocaust survivor. The that enabled aircrews to pinpoint a Putting the war behind them, three men often reflected upon their target area, thereby reducing mis- Mod Center employees transitioned experiences, and Tony’s son, Daniel, sions and saving lives.26 to a peacetime economy and faded appreciated the historic thread that Gorrell’s plan of putting airline into history. With few exceptions, connected them. He was pleased that resources to use in wartime provided they are now difficult to track. There his father and coworkers at North- the vital measure that allowed the was an attempt to form a post war west’s Modification Center played a Allies to offset and, eventually, sur- Mod Club, limited to men who had small yet significant part in liberat- pass Axis airpower. His vision was held the position of foreman and ing countries from totalitarianism validated by Gen. James Doolittle above, but no evidence has been and hastening peace.29 a at a 1946 gathering at the Institute found to document it.28 of Aeronautical Science: “We found Nevertheless, some stories sur- that the tempo of production could vived. In the twilight years of his life, Notes be kept at a much higher rate if the Tony Kortenkamp, the sheet- metal necessary service changes were made worker from Des Moines, became The author gives special thanks to the staff at the Minnesota Historical Society, NWA in modification centers away from friends with two others at his assisted History Centre, and Norwich University Ar- production plants than if they were living center who had witnessed the chives for their kind and generous assistance. 27 attempted in the factory itself.” The war from very different perspec- 1. A. B. Horner, “Center Closes with Bril- synergy between government, indus- tives. One served as a B- 24 pilot, liant Record,” Field and Hangar, Sept.

332 Minnesota History 1945, 4. All center newsletters are archived nesota’s Greatest Generation Oral History 20. Dave Kenney, Minnesota Goes to at the NWA History Centre, Bloomington, Project, MHS, http://stories.mnhs.org War: The Home Front during World War II MN. One example of secrecy: radar tests /stories/mgg/story.do?id=142; Daniel (St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society involved targeting (but not firing at) a Kortenkamp, “Preparing B- 24 Liberators Press, 2005), 144; St. Paul Pioneer Press, downtown building; St. Paul Pioneer Press, for Combat,” http://people.mnhs.org/mgg Sept. 16, 1945, S2; “B- 24s Tailored to Fight,” Sept. 16, 1945, S2. /story.cfm and search for Kortenkamp; Field and Hangar, June 1945, 4–10. 2. For a transcript and audio file of Roo- “Harry Chin Visits the NWAHC,” Reflec- 21. Field and Hangar: “Modites Sign sevelt’s speech, see www.americanrhetoric tions (NWA History Centre newsletter), Liberator ‘School Daze,’” Feb. 1945, 8; .com/speeches/fdrarsenalofdemocracy.html. Fall 2011, 5, www.nwahistory.org/news “Remember ‘School Daze’?” and “Lt. Otten, Virginia Toole, The Modification of Army letter/11_fall_newsletter.pdf. The lapel pins Former Modite, Flies B- 24 Modified at Aircraft in the United States, 1939–45, Army were produced by community organiza- Center,” both Aug. 1945, 11, Air Forces Historical Studies no. 62 (Max- tions, not the government or employers. 22. Field and Hangar: “Family Day at well Air Force Base, AL: Air Historical Of- “Son of NWA Blind Worker Writes Thanks,” Mod Center Thrills 30,000,” Aug.–Sept. fice, 1947), 1–2; Horner, “Center Closes,” 1. Field and Hangar, Aug.–Sept. 1944, 8. At 1944, 1; “20,000 At Family Day Celebra- 3. Reginald M. Cleveland, Air Transport least 15 blind men eventually worked at the tion,” July 1945, 1. at War (New York: Harper & Bros., 1946), Mod Center; St. Paul Dispatch, Aug. 29, 23. Tentative Modification Planning 1–2. The Air Transport Association is now 1945, 10. Schedule, June 1, 1945, and Horner to Gen- Airlines for America. 10. Bowers Johnson interview; Northwest eral Manager, memo (“Modification Assign- 4. Field and Hangar, Sept. 1945: “War St. Paul Modification Center Employee Hand- ment”), both in Schneider papers. Saboteurs Are Thwarted By Internal Secu- book, Harley R. Schneider Papers, MHS. 24. “Harry Chin Visits the NWAHC,” 5; rity Guards,” 12, and A. B. Horner, “Horner 11. “History of Northwest Airlines Modi- St. Paul Pioneer Press, Sept. 9, 1945, 1A. Reviews Problems, Achievements,” 5–7. fication Center,” NW records; “Café Served 25. “Center Closes With Brilliant Re- 5. Cleveland, Air Transport, 80–82; “His- 3 Million Meals,” Field and Hangar, Sept. cord,” 1, 4–7, provides a breakdown of total tory of Northwest Airlines Modification 1945, 3. modifications: 165 B-25 Mitchell Medium Center,” Program Presentation of the Army— 12. Horner, “Horner Reviews Problems, bombers; 1,633 B- 24 Liberator Heavy Navy “E” Production Award, Nov. 24, 1944, Achievements,” Field and Hangar, Sept. bombers; 120 Camera Ships (F- 7A and F7B Northwest Airlines Corporate Records, Min- 1945, 2; Kortenkamp, “Preparing B- 24 Lib- Liberator); 34 aerial tankers (C- 87); 46 nesota Historical Society (hereinafter NW erators for Combat.” Decades later, Larson weather reconnaissance planes (B-24 Lib- records and MHS). Northwest had a second Allert’s physician noticed the damage and erator); 1,119 radar ships (B-24 Liberator modification center in Vandalia, Ohio. asked how it occurred. “Oh, that happened with H2X radar); 155 low-altitude bombers 6. “Northwest Airlines’ War Growth Tre- when I fell out of an airplane,” she replied, (unspecified); 13 anti- submarine aircraft mendous,” Seattle Post- Intelligencer, Sept. leaving the doctor speechless. Larson Allert (PBJ1 Mitchell); and 1 B- 24 Liberator mod- 20, 1942, clippings scrapbook, NW records; interview. ified for the Australian Air Force. “B24s Tailored to Fight,” Field and Hangar, 13. Horner, “Center Closes with 26. Total savings in 2013 dollars: June 1945, 5. Brilliant Record,” 7; “Harry Chin Visits $3,681,075. Average Cost of Airplanes Au- 7. Byron Fairchild and Jonathan Gross- the NWAHC,” 5. thorized, By Principal Model: Fiscal Years man, The Army and Industrial Manpower 14. Horner, “Horner Reviews Problems, 1939–1945, Army Air Forces Statistical Di- (Washington, D.C.: Office of Military His- Achievements,” 2; George H. Pietsch, gest, World War II, www.usaaf.net/digest tory, 1959), 169–74. “The Trail to Safety,” Dec. 1943, E. B. Curry /t82.htm. Quoting Brig. Leon Johnson on 8. Fairchild and Grossman, Army and clippings scrapbook, NW records; “Safety his August 1945 visit to the Mod Center, Industrial Manpower, 169–74. Daily ads by Program Plays Big Role,” Field and Hangar, Maj. Horner wrote, “If it hadn’t been for the War Manpower Commission promised Sept. 1945, 7. H2X, the war in Europe would probably still free transportation and training for individ- 15. “Suggestions Bring Savings of be going on”; “AAF Representative Says,” 2. uals willing to relocate to the West Coast; $292,400,” Field and Hangar, Sept. 1945, 27. Cleveland, Air Transport, 282–83. see, for example, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 12. In 2013 dollars, the bonds would be 28. Harold Rosendahl, “Mod Club,” May 1, 1944, 18. approximately $63 and $3,863. memo, Sept. 17, 1945, Schneider papers. In Substantial documentation in the War 16. Vernon Olson and Joe De Beer, “Pro- 1995 Bruce Kitt, NWA History Centre, con- History Committee Collected Research Ma- tect Your Vision! Blind Workers Make ducted approximately 50 recorded inter- terials, State Archives, MHS, reveals a pro- Safety Plea,” Field and Hangar, Aug.–Sept. views with former Mod Center employees. digious effort to recruit and train women. 1944, 8; “Bergman Thrills MP Fans,” News For the MHS exhibit Minnesota’s Greatest The Office of War Information and the War Letter (produced weekly for employees Generation (opened in 2009), staff inter- Manpower Commission launched a vigor- by Northwest’s publicity department), viewed others, including Martha Kufner ous radio campaign urging applications. A Nov. 1944, 1, copy in Schneider papers. Schmaltz, Millie Bowers Johnson, and Dan- 1942 OWI pamphlet, War Jobs for Women, 17. “Employee Sign Up Sheet for Sports iel Kortenkamp (worker Tony’s son). 23, promised training and pay equal to and Activities,” In- Formation, Aug. 1943, 29. Kortenkamp, “Preparing B- 24 Liber- men’s through the Vocational Training for 10; Les Code, “Slacks,” In- Formation, June ators for Combat.” War Production Workers program. It listed 1943, 5. wiring, riveting, inspection, and sewing fab- 18. Dwight K. Loring, “Portrait of an Ed- ric as suitable jobs (p. 27). By 1943 OWI re- itor,” Field and Hangar, June–July 1944, 4. ported that the aircraft industry’s labor 19. A. B. Horner, “The AAF Representa- The photos on p. 325, 327, and 332 are force was 70 to 80 percent female. tive Says,” Field and Hangar, June 1945, 2; courtesy the NWA History Centre, Bloom- 9. Hazel Mary Jane Larson Allert, inter- A. B. Horner to NWA Employees at Modifi- ington, MN. All others are in the Northwest view by author, July 1995, notes in author’s cation Center, memo, Dec. 31, 1943, box 11, Airlines Corporate Records, MHS. possession; Millie Bowers Johnson, inter- War History Committee Collected Research view by Ben Petry and Andy Wilhide, Min- Materials.

Winter 2013–14 333

Copyright of Minnesota History is the property of the Minnesota Historical Society, and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or users or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder’s express written permission: contact us.

Individuals may print or download articles for personal use.

To request permission for educational or commercial use, contact us. Include the author’s name and article title in the body of your message. But first--

If you think you may need permission, here are some guidelines:

Students and researchers • You do not need permission to quote or paraphrase portions of an article, as long as your work falls within the fair use provision of copyright law. Using information from an article to develop an argument is fair use. Quoting brief pieces of text in an unpublished paper or thesis is fair use. Even quoting in a work to be published can be fair use, depending on the amount quoted. Read about fair use here: http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html • You should, however, always credit the article as a source for your work.

Teachers • You do not need permission to incorporate parts of an article into a lesson. • You do need permission to assign an article, either by downloading multiple copies or by sending students to the online pdf. There is a small per-copy use fee for assigned reading. Contact us for more information.

About Illustrations • Minnesota History credits the sources for illustrations at the end of each article. Minnesota History itself does not hold copyright on images and therefore cannot grant permission to reproduce them. • For information on using illustrations owned by the Minnesota Historical Society, see MHS Library FAQ.