Hi there. I have been lurking at this forum for a while and thought I should start contributing. I'm a 39 year old male from the great state of Michigan. I have a BA in history from Western Michigan University and currently work at a historic theatre. My particular interest concerning WW2 is tanks and armored vehicles. My father has spent his entire career at the former continental motors factory in Muskegon MI which was built during the war to produce Sherman tank engines. This is what initially got me interested in tanks. My Grandfather served in Patton's Third Army, which also got me interested in WW2 history as a child. My hobby is collecting 1/72 scale models of tanks, I currently have around 100 of them. My fiance very graciously tolerates my tank obsession, I could not ask for a better partner. My screen name is a reference to John Goodman's character in the film "The Big Lebowski", which has nothing to do with WW2, but is a damn funny film. Thank you all and expect to see me posting here at the forum!
Welcome aboard, 'Walter'......as you might expect, there is considerable interest on here about WW2 armour : feel free to browse around and resurrect any older threads you'd like to add to !
Hello Walter, welcome to the forum. I'm from the great, but often chilly, State of MI as well. I lived on the other side of the state, in Ann Arbor, MI. I think you will find this a great forum, with a lot of knowledgeable members. Just for you info, there are also tank specific forums, like World of Tanks.com and others I'm sure. So, I think you will find a lot of oppertunity, to discuss your area of interest.
Welcome Walter, ....I am always interested in Michigan factories that produced for WWII, don't hold back with info related to that....from time to time the wife and I go back to her family roots in Holland and Zeeland areas. However, the most successful tulips in my yard here in New Mexico are metal.
It's been a while since i was inside the Muskegon Factory but I know a bit about it. My father still works there, 45 years with the company. Originally it was Continental motors. They built it for producing their version of the Wright Radial engine that powered the M4 and M4A1 sherman. After the war they produced the AV1790 and AVDS1790 engines that powered the M-46, 47,48 and M-69 tanks. They were purchased by Teledyne corp in the sixties, then sold to General Dynamics in 90's who in turn sold the plant to L-3 corporation this past decade. They still produce the AVDS 1790 there for use in the M88 tank retriever and for Israel and other foreign operators of the M-48/M-60 family of vehicles. Interesting side note, I-96 which runs from Muskegon to Detroit is the shortest interstate in the country. It was specifically built as part of the national defense plan so engines could be easily shipped from Muskegon to the tank factories in Detroit.
