LEGACY
The Lake Michigan region has a rich history of protecting our nation. From the courageous Iron Brigade that inspired our logo (see below) to the manufacturing force that produced the arsenal of democracy, the states of Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio have been essential to America’s national security.
THE IRON BRIGADE
The five-sided symbol of the Iron Brigade was our inspiration for the Midwest Defense Forum’s logo. We seek to honor the troops’ heroism and skill first observed in their surprise defeat of Stonewall Jackson’s charge at Second Battle of Bull Run. Less than three weeks later, they fought so fearlessly in the Battle of South Mountain that Gen. George McLellan remarked that “they must be made of iron.”
These men of iron constitution hailed from the then Western states of Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, rugged states which by necessity had instilled a disposition of grit and fortitude into their populations. An all-volunteer force, the men fought heroically on the hallowed battlefields of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. Placing cause above self, by war’s end they held the grim honor of suffering among the highest casualty rates out of any Union bridgade.
ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY
Henry Ford’s son Edsel is one of the overlooked heroes of World War II. As President Roosevelt looked to Detroit to bolster the allies fight against Hitler through Midwest manufacturing prowess, Edsel Ford often overrode his father’s wishes to made 390,000 tanks and trucks, 27,000 tank and aircraft engines, more than 8,000 four-engine bombers and hundreds of thousands of jeeps. The photo above captures Ford’s Willow Run plant’s mass production of military aircraft.
Edsel’s story may have been altogether forgotten if not for A.J. Baime’s book, The Arsenal of Democracy. Just as Ford retooled his plants to support the Army Air Corps and the British military, so too did General Motors which became the biggest producer of war munitions and materiel to support the war effort. American industry converted from a civilian to a wartime production force almost overnight. In the end, the Lake Michigan states produced 40 billion bullets, 6.5 million rifles, 2.3 million trucks, 299,293 airplanes, 88,410 jeeps, 5,777 merchant ships and 61,556 naval ships between 1940-45.
American industry did indeed convert from a civilian to wartime production force almost overnight. In the end, the Lake Michigan states produced 40 billion bullets, 6.5 million rifles, 2.3 million trucks, 299,293 airplanes, 88,410 jeeps, 5,777 merchant ships and 61,556 naval ships between 1940-45.
Today’s arsenal of democracy requires the AI and tech-enabled strategies captured in the INNOVATIONS section of this website. As the Lake Michigan states now deploy their advanced manufacturing capabilities to rebuild the defense industrial base, it’s worth remembering that its historical precedent is one of America’s finest hours.