The Mighty Eighth Air Force, World War II, by Ben Kidder
www.YellowAirplane.com

Warren Benjamin Kidder,
Author of the Mighty Eighth Air Force WWII.

The Mighty Eighth Air Force WW2 Page 2

Warren Benjamin Kidder,
Autor de la Poderosa Octava Fuerza Area de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

 

The Story of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Action over Europe and the men who built and flew the B-24 Bombers in World War 2

La historia de la Octava Fuerza Area poderoso en accin en Europa y los hombres que construyeron e hicieron volar los bombarderos B-24 en la 2 Guerra Mundial

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The Mighty Eighth Air Force
World War II


by Warren Benjamin Kidder

Sequel to "Willow Run the Colossus of Industry"
about the construction of the B-24 Liberator

 

B-24 Liberator Bombers

Warren Benjamin Kidder (Ben) Author of Willow Run, Alaska, The Mighty Eighth Air Force

  Warren Benjamin Kidder, Author of Willow Run, the Colossus of Industry, Alaska, and The Mighty Eighth Air Force, World War II 

Photo Scanned by C. Jeff Dyrek

 

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  Click Here's Warren Benjamin Kidders, Willow Run The Colossus of Industry  Click Here's the Movie Script for Willow Run

About Warren Benjamin Kidder, (Ben)

Ben was moved from his childhood home so the government could build the Willow Run Factory for the production of the badly needed B-24 Liberator Bombers.  Here they built the largest factory ever built.

Ben said that he could still remember hitchhiking eleven miles, in the rain, shine, or freezing cold to get to school; on one these hitchhiking trips, he was picked up by Henry Ford, which he became and remained friends for the rest of Mr. Fords life.

Ben served in the U.S. Naval Reserve Academy as a Midshipman and later became a ships engineer starting out as a Lieutenant.  This is where he saw the terrible combat action in WW2 in New Guinea against the Japanese.  Ben also served in the Merchant Marines and in the U.S. Army Chemical Corp.  Ben served in three branches of the military in both WW2 and Korea.

After WW2 Ben received a degree in Clinical Psychology from the Denver University.

Next Ben moved back to Michigan where he became Director of Production Engineering in the same Willow Run B-24 Liberator plant that claimed his childhood home.  But now the B-24's were no longer produced so Ben's job was to design the factories production lines and test all of the fixtures, personally, for the production of the C-119 Flying Boxcar and the C-123 Prowler cargo aircraft. 

After the Korean War, Ben started his own company where he invented the detectors for operating the traffic signals, counters, and parking gates used for traffic control and holds their patents in the U.S. and Canada.  He also invented the speed traps that were used before radar and would compute a cars speed as it moved over the traps.

Later, Ben moved to Alaska where he lived in remote Eskimo Villages building water treatment systems.  Today, there are still no roads to these villages due to their extreme isolation.

After this completion, Ben became one of the head superintendents on building the 798 mile long Trans Alaskan Pipeline. 

Decades later Ben wrote the history of "Willow Run, Colossus of Industry" which was featured on the history channel, then he wrote the book "Alaska" an autobiography about his experiences in New Stuyahok and Manakotak, which included his trip from the Arctic Circle to Panama and back to the Arctic Circle all in his own station wagon.  Still a robust thinker, Ben wrote the script for the Willow Run, B-24's in Action.  As the webmaster, I have read this script and it is action packed from start to finish with a very unique beginning, a surprise ending, filled with fact filled action and all wrapped up in a beautiful love story.  And, now, his current book, "The Mighty Eighth Air Force, World War II", which was dedicated to his late brother Donald Edward Kidder.

On October 8th, 2001, Ben Kidder was honored by accepting (posthumously) Charles E. Sorensen's acceptance into the "Automotive Hall of Fame" for his design and building of the Willow Run Factory.  This late acceptance came about due to the writing of an article about Charles Sorensen on the Bushnell, Illinois website YellowAirplane.com, run by a disabled veteran. 



A letter from the 8th Air Force to Warren Benjamin Kidder

F.C. "Hap" Chandler
President, 8th Air Force Historical Society.

Mr. Warren B. Kidder
Dear Ben:

Thank you for taking the time to visit our matchless Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum. It was a pleasure to work with you regarding the history and "Time Line" of the Mighty Eighth during World War II.  Your book, "Willow Run"  Colossus of American Industry is a classic and much needed addition to the history of the Mighty Eighth's activities during World War II.  It has been very helpful to our year long study of the accomplishments of the wartime 8th as, without the production of large numbers of B-24 bombers, the air war against the Third Reich would have been impossible.

Your devoted friend,

F. C. Chandler
President Second Air Division Association 1999-2000
Trustee, The Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum
Founding President Georgia Chapter 8th Air Force Historical Society.
85 Combat Missions.

  Click Here to see the Script Release for  
  "Willow Run The Eighth Air Force WW2 Movie"
 

Order Willow Run, the Book. 
To Order 
Your Personal Autographed Copy Contact

KFT Publishers,
3617 Christine Dr.
Lansing, MI. 48911

For Information Contact
Email: kidderfr@ATT.net Phone 517- 394-2849

 Here's another Book Review about a B-24 Pilot in WW2, Jessie Pettey.

An Article by the webmaster

  Click Here's Warren Benjamin Kidders New Book, The Mighty Eighth Air Force Click Here's the Movie Script for Willow Run


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