Assembly Line Methods Collection

With careful Douglas training, women do... Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif. 1942. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
With careful Douglas training, women do accurate electrical assembly and installation work, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif

Women are trained as engine mechanics in thorough Douglas training... Long Beach, Calif. 1942. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
Women are trained as engine mechanics in thorough Douglas training methods, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif

American mothers and sisters, like these women at the Douglas Aircraft... Long Beach, Calif
American mothers and sisters, like these women at the Douglas Aircraft Company, give important help in producing dependable planes for their men at the front, Long Beach, Calif

The careful hands of women are trained in... Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif. 1942
The careful hands of women are trained in precise aircraft engine installation duties at Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif

A girl riveting machine operator at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant... Long Beach, Calif
A girl riveting machine operator at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant joins sections of wing ribs to reinforce the inner wing assemblies of B-17F heavy bombers, Long Beach, Calif

Working with the electric wiring at Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif. 1942. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
Working with the electric wiring at Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif

Women at work on C-47 Douglas cargo transport, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif. 1942
Women at work on C-47 Douglas cargo transport, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif

Women workers install fixtures and assemblies... Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif. 1942
Women workers install fixtures and assemblies to a tail fuselage section of a B-17F bomber at the Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif

Women are trained to do precise and... Douglas Aircraft Company plants, Long Beach, Calif. 1942
Women are trained to do precise and vital engine installation detail in Douglas Aircraft Company plants, Long Beach, Calif

Woman machinist, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif. 1942. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
Woman machinist, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif

An A-20 bomber being riveted by a woman... Douglas Aircraft Company plant at Long Beach, Calif
An A-20 bomber being riveted by a woman worker at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant at Long Beach, Calif

Men and women make efficient operating teams... Douglas Aircraft plant, Long Beach, Calif. 1942
Men and women make efficient operating teams on riveting and other jobs at the Douglas Aircraft plant, Long Beach, Calif. Most important of the many types of aircraft made at this plant are the B-17F

Women workers install fixtures and assem... Douglas Aircraft Company plant, Long Beach, Calif
Women workers install fixtures and assemblies to a tail fuselage section of a B-17 bomber at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant, Long Beach, Calif

Switch boxes on the firewalls of B-25 bombers... North American Aviation, Inglewood, Calif. 1942
Switch boxes on the firewalls of B-25 bombers are assembled by women workers at North American [Aviation, Inc.]s Inglewood, Calif. plant

Part of the cowling for one of the motors for a B-25... North American Aviation, Inglewood, CA
Part of the cowling for one of the motors for a B-25 bomber is assembled in the engine department of North American Aviation, Inc.s Inglewood, Calif. plant

In North Americans modern machine shop... North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, Calif. 1942
In North Americans modern machine shop, another aircraft part is finished on a huge turret lathe, North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, Calif

Metal parts are placed on masonite by... North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, Calif. 1942. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
Metal parts are placed on masonite by this woman employee before they slide under the multi-ton hydropress, North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, Calif

An employee in the drill-press section of North Americans huge machine... Inglewood, Calif
An employee in the drill-press section of North Americans huge machine shop runs mounting holes in a large dural casting, Inglewood, Calif

On North Americans outdoor assembly line... North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, Calif
On North Americans outdoor assembly line, a painter cleans the tail section of a P-51 fighter prior to spraying the olive-drab camouflage of the U.S. Army, North American Aviation, Inc

Cowling and control rods are added to motors for... North American Inc. Inglewood, Calif. 1942
Cowling and control rods are added to motors for North American B-25 bombers as they move down the assembly line, North American, Inc. Inglewood, Calif

Sheet metal parts are numbered with this pneu... North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, CA, 1942
Sheet metal parts are numbered with this pneumatic numbering machine in North Americans sheet metal department, North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, Calif

Two women employees of North American Aviation, Incorporated, assembling a section of a... 1942
Two women employees of North American Aviation, Incorporated, assembling a section of a wing for a P-51 fighter plane

Employees on the "Sunshine"assembly line at North Americans plant... Inglewood, Calif. 1942
Employees on the " Sunshine" assembly line at North Americans plant put the finishing touches on another B-25 bomber, Inglewood, Calif

View of the B-25 final assembly line at North American Aviations Inglewood, California, plant

North American B-25 bomber is prepared... North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, Calif. 1942
North American B-25 bomber is prepared for painting on the outside assembly line, North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, Calif

Two women workers are shown capping and inspecting tubing... Vultees Nashville... Tennessee, 1943
Two women workers are shown capping and inspecting tubing which goes into the manufacture of the " Vengeance" (A-31) dive bomber made at Vultees Nashville division, Tennessee

Another North American B-25 bomber rolls off the final assembly line to join other ships... 1942
Another North American B-25 bomber rolls off the final assembly line to join other ships on the outdoor assembly line, North

Assembling B-25 bombers at North American Aviation, Kansas City, Kansas, 1942. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
Assembling B-25 bombers at North American Aviation, Kansas City, Kansas

New B-25 bombers lined up for final inspection... North American Aviation, Inc. Calif. 1942. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
New B-25 bombers lined up for final inspection and tests at the flying field of an aircraft plant, North American Aviation, Inc. Calif. It performs at the 25, 000-foot ceiling

B-25 bomber planes at the North American Aviation, Incorporated... Kansas City, Kansas, 1942. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
B-25 bomber planes at the North American Aviation, Incorporated being hauled along an outdoor assembly line with an " International" tractor, Kansas City, Kansas

Punching rivet holes in a frame member for a B-25 bomber... North American Aviation, Inc. CA, 1942
Punching rivet holes in a frame member for a B-25 bomber, the plant of North American Aviation, Inc. Calif

B-25 bombers on the outdoor assembly line at North American Aviation... Kansas City, Kansas, 1942
B-25 bombers on the outdoor assembly line at North American Aviation, Incorporated, almost ready for their first test flight, Kansas City, Kansas

This woman worker at the Vultee-Nashville is shown making... Nashville, Tenn. 1943. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
This woman worker at the Vultee-Nashville is shown making final adjustments in the wheel well of an inner wing before the installation of the landing gear, Nashville, Tenn

Riveting team working on the cockpit shell of a... Douglas Aircraft Co. Long Beach, Calif. 1942
Riveting team working on the cockpit shell of a B-25 [i.e. C-47] bomber at the plant of North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood [i.e. Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach], Calif

Making wiring assemblies at a junction box... North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, CA, 1942
Making wiring assemblies at a junction box on the fire wall for the right engine of a B-25 bomber, North American Aviation, Inc. [Inglewood], Calif

Huge drop hammers work day and night form... North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, Calif. 1942
Huge drop hammers work day and night forming sheet metal parts for United Nations bombers and fighters at the North American Aviation, Inc. plant, Inglewood, Calif

A wing brace assembly for a B-25 bomber is prepared... North American Aviation, Inc. Calif. 1942
A wing brace assembly for a B-25 bomber is prepared for the assembly line of an aircraft plant, North American Aviation, Inc. Calif

Part of the cowling for one of the motors... North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, Calif. 1942
Part of the cowling for one of the motors for a B-25 bomber is assembled in the engine department of North American Aviation, Inc.s Inglewood, Calif. plant

Operating a hand drill at the North American Aviation, Inc. a woman is in the control... 1942. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
Operating a hand drill at the North American Aviation, Inc. [a] woman is in the control surface department assembling a section of the leading edge for the horizontal stabilizer of a plane

A nose wheel and landing gear assembly for a B-25... North American Aviation, Inc. Calif. 1942
A nose wheel and landing gear assembly for a B-25 bomber under construction in a western aircraft plant, North American Aviation, Inc. Calif. A front section of the plane shows in the background

Bomb bay gasoline tanks for long flights... North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, Calif. 1942
Bomb bay gasoline tanks for long flights of B-25 bombers await assembly in the plant of North American Aviation, Inc. Inglewood, Calif

Employees at North American Aviation, Incorporated, assembling... Inglewood, Calif. 1942. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
Employees at North American Aviation, Incorporated, assembling the cowling on Allison motors for the P-51 fighter planes, Inglewood, Calif

Riveter at work at the Douglas Aircraft Corporation plant in Long Beach, Calif. 1942. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
Riveter at work at the Douglas Aircraft Corporation plant in Long Beach, Calif

Women become skilled shop technicians... Douglas Aircraft Company plant, Long Beach, Calif. 1942
Women become skilled shop technicians after careful training in the school at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant, Long Beach, Calif

A young woman employee of North American Aviation, Incorporated... Inglewood, Calif. 1942. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
A young woman employee of North American Aviation, Incorporated, working over the landing gear mechanism of a P-51 fighter plane, Inglewood, Calif. The mechanism resembles a small cannon

Woman working on an airplane motor at North American Aviation, Inc. plant in Calif. 1942. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
Woman working on an airplane motor at North American Aviation, Inc. plant in Calif

Assembly, Automobile industry, Assembly-line methods, 1923

Inspecting catsup, Condiments, Food industry, Assembly-line methods, 1910

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With careful Douglas training, women do their part in the assembly line methods at the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. In 1942, during World War II, these American mothers and sisters stepped up to become engine mechanics and machine operators. Their careful hands were trained to rivet machines and work with electric wiring, ensuring precision in every task they undertook. The dedication of these women workers can be seen as they install fixtures and assemblies on C-47 Douglas cargo transports, and are not just trained for simple tasks; they are taught to do precise and efficient work that matches the standards set by their male counterparts. One captivating image shows a woman machinist at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant in Long Beach. Her expertise is evident as she works diligently on an A-20 bomber, skillfully riveting it together. This demonstrates how men and women make efficient operating teams when given equal opportunities. Through thorough training provided by Douglas Aircraft Company plants, these women prove that gender does not limit one's ability to contribute effectively on an assembly line. Their commitment to excellence showcases their determination to support the war effort. Photographer Alfred T Palmer beautifully captures this significant moment in history when American women played a vital role in manufacturing aircrafts during wartime.