Charles Sorensen was Henry Ford’s right-hand man for 40 years. His nickname, “Cast Iron Charlie,” stems from his metallurgical skills. His many talents also included engineering and production expertise. As America went to war for the second time during the Henry Ford era, Sorensen found himself in charge of military contracts, including the production of the B-24 bomber. The B-24 was made up of more than 488,000 parts. By war’s end, the bombers were produced at a rate of one per hour. Sorensen also oversaw construction of the U.S. Army’s 1/4-ton truck, also known as the military jeep.
Sorensen, in his book My Forty Years With Ford, describes why and how he left Henry Ford’s side at the height of WWII. Barry has written articles about how Sorensen became the man who brought the civilian Jeep to the world. You can read one of those here.
Other Sorensen Related Material
We are careful about recommending videos these days, given how many are AI-generated. This one does list sources and gives Sorensen credit for his work.
Another Willow Run video