| Show They hey Beat Plowshares Into Swords Swords' Workers Swords Workers In a Farm Implement Factory Are Turning Out One of Greatest Fighting Machines of the War By ELMO IO SCOTT WATSON Released by Western Newspaper Union WHEN HEN the completed history history history his his- tory of our struggle with Japan finally is written considerable considerable considerable con con- attention should be given the story of how an agricultural implement parts manufacturer manufacturer whose whose products products products prod prod- are used every day in every rural section of America Ameri Ameri- ca developed one of the most spectacular fighter vehicles of the war The company is Ingersoll Steel 8 Disc division of Warner Borg-Warner cor cor- The war weapon Its engineers engineers engineers en en- d designed signed and that one of Its factories manufactures is the Beach- Beach Buster 3 the very latest development development development de de- de- de in amphibian invasion tanks The Buster Beach made its combat combat combat com com- bat debut at Okinawa Its performance perform perform- ance met with favor from high navy and marine officers officers so so much so that space in the history books of the future might as well be reserved now so Its story may be told II To the Japs the amphibian tanks that have equipped our invasion forces the forces the L 1 VT the L 2 VT the 4 and now the Buster Beach-Buster have proved a lethal headache So while the record of the their wartime usefulness cannot be completed until final victory a sidelight on their development development development de de- de- de and manufacture is in order order order or or- der now It is a recital of which every American and particularly every farmer can be proud As early as 1933 the problem of designing an amphibian tractor capable capable capable ca ca- pable of taking relief relic deep into the mangrove swamps of the Florida Everglades was assigned to Donald Roebling a year-around year resident of Clearwater by his father Young Roebling sprang ng from a aline aline a aline line of inventors his grandfather Col Washington Roebling being the designer of the famous Brooklyn bridge And he and his father had seen with their own eyes the devastation devastation devastation devas devas- tation human misery and helplessness helpless helpless- ness that had been left lct in the wake of the 1933 Florida hurricane Roebling knew that only a vehicle that operated equally well on land and water could do the job that was needed For six years he be experimented experimented experimented at Clearwater with models He designed and tested hulls and tractor treads power plants and gear ratios And finally the first Roebling amphibian the 1 or Alligator rolled from his machine shop at Clearwater That vehicle later was demonstrated demonstrated demonstrated demon demon- to the navy of off the Virginia coast at a time when our military forces were occupied in peacetime war maneuvers British British- military Officials Of df- df- df eyed the performance of the 1 with keen interest for they were already at war Early in the fall f ll of 1941 C. C S. S S Davis president and Roy C. C Ingersoll Ingersoll Ingersoll Inger- Inger soll vice president of Warner Borg-Warner were called by the navy to Washing Washing- ton They agreed to study design and suggest improvements of the Roebling amphibian tank for even then we were close to war The result of that agreement was typically American Not a marine expert but an automotive engineer Ben A A. A was charged with responsibility in the job He began experiments and design In the Borg- Borg Warner laboratories at Rockford Ill An Ingersoll factory at Kalamazoo Kalamazoo Kalamazoo Kala- Kala mazoo Mich contracted to build 50 of the Alligators for the navy And folks along historic Rock river which winds through downtown Rockford began to stay awake nights because of that fellow Swen- Swen ness strange on goings-on While was applying automotive automotive automotive auto auto- motive principles to a sea-going sea job and as he himself himsel now admits incorporating incorporating incorporating in unorthodox designs that r A t fx I Ii i I ii j z J Y y Hitting the beach at Okinawa these United States marines are arc unloading machine guns and equipment from a Beach no marine engineer would waste time with the Ingersoll company began and completed Its first am track contract Meanwhile such agricultural necessities as heat- heat treated spring teeth for harrows cultivators cultivators cultivators cul cul- and rakes continued continued continued contin contin- in production Later Ingersoll I received a contract to m manufacture I ture the 2 on a design supplied by the navy Hundreds of were manufactured before belore the often often- accelerated contract was completed ahead of schedule Meanwhile had put to together together together to- to gether an amphibian tank that today today today to to- day as the Buster Beach-Buster is reputed to incorporate a greater amount of automotive design than any marine craft that floats It worked But before belore it was presented to the navys navy's bureau of ships watching tests in Florida was seized with an inspiration Returning hurriedly to Rockford he worked for 48 uninterrupted hours emerging with the design for fora a ramp gate which can be raised and lowered at the rear of the am track o This single feature is credIted credited credited cred cred- with saving hundreds of lives Using It our invasion forces unload men equipment ammunition or supplies while facing the enemy An entire of materiel may be yanked out in a matter of moments I The importance of this his is more fully realized when it is known that the I Buster Beach-Buster easily handles pounds of cargo or 50 men fully equipped I Danger of stalling in the face of the enemy is avoided by the tanks tank's transmission which beach automatically automatically automatically auto auto- feels for lor the shifting to the required gear ratio without attention from the driver as soon as the tracks on which it runs encounter any obstacle Numerous battle reports have come back to Kalamazoo to the men and women who make the of the prowess of their product Tough landings they have made easier Almost impossible landings like Tarawa and most recently recently recently re re- re- re Iwo Jima they have made possible Rear Adm C. C H. H Woodward Woodward Woodward Wood Wood- ward told them last March when the navy navy returned for permanent exhibit exhibit ex ex- h hibit bit the pilot Model B amphibian tank that had designed at Rockford Other facts were revealed by Admiral Admiral Admiral Ad Ad- miral Woodward Tar Tarawa wa proved the abs absolutely indispensable for successful amphibious attack that at the tha were stars of the show sliding over reefs hitting the beach with guns blazing plowing through the jungle and most amazing amazing amazing ing that the made a surprise mile sweep in a flanking movement movement movement move move- ment around the southern horn of or Leyte t J. y l s sl l d y i r Japs Jap's eye view of a Buster Beach-Buster as it roars ashore Jn in a landing attack From Iwo Jima Maj Gen Keller E. E Rockey commanding the fifth marine division wrote to his friend Roland D. D Doane Ingersoll sales manager Naturally the gate tall jobs were much more more useful but all aU of them really saved our bacon bacon ba ba- ba- ba con in the early days of the show because they were the only vehicle that could negotiate the sand hills leading from the waters water's edge to the fighting zone So the carried the beans and bullets directly from the ships to the front line units and carried the wounded on the return trip and they did this for some five or six days before belore we could get our motor motor motor mo mo- tor transportation running Such reports heartened the Ingersoll Ingersoll Ingersoll Inger Inger- soll workers But production schedules schedules schedules sched sched- ules were upped again and again In the fall faU of 1944 additional employees employees em em- were sorely needed and Ingersoll Ingersoll Ingersoll In In- officials tried a novel ment Into such typical rural Michigan communities as Paw Paw Augusta August Vicksburg Schoolcraft Decatur and Lawton 10 Lawton 10 towns all told within a mile 30 radius of Kalamazoo moved Kalamazoo moved a caravan in whose success the American people had a stake The caravan was fashioned around a newly completed Beach Accompanying it were navy veterans veterans veterans veter veter- ans including a navy nurse just home from battle duties The vets told their stories And up follow-up crews received job applications the next day from those who wanted to join Ingersoll Many were farmers who had harvested their crops The c caravan ravan idea rates as the spearhead that helped Buster Beach-Buster employment employment employment employ employ- ment rise at Ingersoll's from a peacetime to more than 1800 persons National recognition of the production production production tion record of these workers followed followed fol tol- lowed last l I March 26 when Vox Pop broadcast its regular weekly program program program pro pro- gram from Kalamazoo interviewed plant employees It came again agam on May 21 when the Navy Army E Ewas Ewas Ewas was awarded the Warner Borg-Warner factory fac fac- tory Ingersoll inaugurated another novelty novelty novelty nov nov- elty with free rides on the amphibians ans as a reward to workers for superior superior superior su su- su- su attendance records The practice interfered not at all aU with routine as all tanks are battle tested tested tested test test- ed on land and one in every 50 is tested on water before they are placed in pairs on flat cars and started started started start start- ed westward from Kalamazoo With the help of navy engineers constant tests are being conducted on the and refinements that are indicated by battle performance perform perform- ance added The headquarters of Ben h has s been moved tc to Kalamazoo and the results of his research research research re re- re- re search are proved daily on lake land and nd in swamp Co of all this activity y is R. R S S. S Bob Ingersoll son of Roy and grandson of the late S. S A A. A Ingersoll Ingersoll In In- founder of the company Hi His two uncles Harold G. G and Stephen Stepheni I i L. L Ingersoll fare are are directors of the Warner Borg-Warner organization Harold manages the Ingersoll plant at New NewCastle NewCastle NewCastle Castle Ind Stephen L L. L established the West Pullman works in 1929 t When the emergency of World War II arose four Ingersoll plants plants- at Chicago Chicago Heights New NewCastle NewCastle NewCastle Castle Ind lad and Kalamazoo Mich were in operation Those who knew him say that had S. S A A. A Ingersoll been alive to participate participate participate pate he would have found abiding satisfaction in the promptness with which all four were converted from Irom producing implements of peace to instruments of war For here truly is a company that has beaten plowshares plowshares plow plow- shares spares into swords |
