Kansas City War Contribution

Total B-25 Mitchell production was 9,498 almost 6,000 were built here in Kansas City. The wartime Kansas City, Kansas, North Armerica Aviation Co. plant was located at the Fairfax airport. Their work force topped out at 26,000.

Our hangar stands upon the former Olathe Naval Air Station. The base was officially commissioned on October 1, 1942, as the United States Naval Reserve Aviation Base, Olathe, Kansas, but its name was changed on January 1, 1943, to the United States Naval Air Station. During the two years the air station served as a primary training facility (July, 1942-September, 1944), nearly 4,550 cadets were trained and only 25 fatal accidents occurred. Cadet instruction peaked between the spring and fall of 1943, when 1,100 prospective pilots were in training at one time.

The Waco CG-4A was the most widely used U.S. troop/cargo glider of World War II; more than 12,000 CG-4As were procured. Fifteen companies manufactured CG-4s, including the Wicks Aircraft Company of Kansas City, Mo. During WWII, the Ford Winchester Avenue plant in KC built truck parts and cylinders for Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines.

In 1940 Remington Arms Co. announced in the fall that it would build an ammunition plant on 3,200 acres east of Independence. The Lake City Ordnance Plant cranked out 200 million rounds of ammunition monthly within 3 years.

The Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant (originally known as the Sunflower Ordnance Works) began operations in 1942. Its primary mission was to manufacture smokeless powder and propellants. During World War II, over 200,000,000 pounds of propellants were produced, with peak employment reaching 12,067. Records indicate that an additional 10,000 people were employed in construction jobs.

The Kansas City Structural Steel Company fabricated the steel for most of the buildings constructed in the greater Kansas City area. During World War I the company built steel railroad tank cars and the rudders for ships. During World War II the company built 407 landing craft barges for the United States Navy.

It's time to remember and recognize this effort. We think, with a B-25 based here as the centerpiece, we can pull a lot of people together and build a historical sight that will be a credit and an attraction to the Kansas City area. It may be that we need to think beyond the confines of the present CAF structure to do this. An independent non-profit organization might be required to generate the necessary contributions by focusing on Kansas City history with the B-25 in a starring but not exclusive role. We may need such an organization to gather the strength of several groups; NAA Fairfax Group, the Olathe NAS Museum, the Military Vehicle Club, the group rebuilding the WACO CG-4 here, the Lake City and Sunflower associations could all come together under a common umbrellas to preserve the history of KC's wartime efforts.