Today in Marietta History: Bell Bomber Goes to 54-Hour Work Week
Marietta's Bell Bomber plant, now Lockheed Martin, began production in 1943. When the war ended in 1945, production at the Bell Bomber plant ended along with it.
Builing the Bell B-29
1944. Mr. and Mrs. William Cauthen, both of whom were only 4'5" tall, work together on a Bell Aircraft B-29.
Georgia Archives
Photos (1)
Photos
September 7, 1944
Marietta's Bell Bomber plant announced it was going to a 54-hour work week to meet the wartime needs for B-29s.
Two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the War Department approved the newly designed B-29 bomber for production. Produced by Buffalo-based Bell Aircraft, the four-engine B-29 would be the most advanced long-range bomber in the world.
When the government gave word that it wished to build the new aircraft somewhere in the Atlanta area, Cobb County sprang into action. Numerous influential citizens began lobbying for Bell Aircraft to use the land adjacent to Rickenbacker Field. The deal was quickly closed.
Production began in 1943. When the war ended in 1945, production at the Bell Bomber plant ended along with it. The enormous hangars were used for storage until 1951, when Lockheed-Georgia (later Lockheed Martin) reopened the plant to produce military aircraft for the conflict in Korea.
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