Greetings everyone!
I have a commission for a scale model of a B-24 that I will be working on shortly. The customer is a big fan of the 'War at home' side of WWII and the B-24's; I have suggested that I build a diorama of a B-24 on the assembly line.
I would like to ensure as close to historical accuracy as possible and as a result have some questions I was hoping you all could help me out with.
How and at what point in the assembly process were the plane's marking painted on? I'm making an educated guess that unit specific markings like nose art would be applied after delivery to the unit.
Would you suggest any online resources for learning more about the steps in the assembly process?
I thank you all in advance and I am sure I will have more questions come up as I continue to work on the project.
You're in luck! /u/henry_fords_ghost isn't around right now, so I'm going to talk about the Willow Run Assembly Plant. Built in 1941 near Ypsilanti, Michigan, this was the prototypical "arsenal of democracy" World War II factory, and it built B-24s on a massive assembly line. Willow Run encompassed more than 3.5 million square feet, making it the largest factory under a single roof at that time. At peak production in 1943, 42,000 workers labored in two shifts at the plant, churning out so many aircraft that Willow Run was nicknamed the "bomber an hour" plant.
Rosie the Riveter (well, Rose Will Monroe, one of the inspirations for that figure) worked at the plant, and newsreels held it up as a propaganda success story across the country. Today, it's being renovated and preserved as the Yankee Air Museum.
Now, that gives you some of the background for what I see as the ideal setting for your diorama. To answer your second question, I recommend picking up a copy of A.J. Bairne's The Arsenal of Democracy and flipping to the chapter entitled "Bomber Ship 01," which goes through all the steps that were needed for the first B-24 to roll off the Willow Run assembly line. It seems to be what you're looking for.
Since you're working visually, I'd also recommend this photo gallery from the Henry Ford Museum, which has a great collection of Willow Run artifacts.