Berwick, AC&F Employees and Soldiers
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In 1820 Jackson and Woodin Foundry was established in Berwick to fabricate mine cars for the nearby anthracite coal mines. Business expanded to railroad cars. Eventually fifteen companies merged to form American Car & Foundry with Jackson and Woodin being the largest component. In 1939 the American Car & Foundry competed for the right to be the first private contractor to produce military tanks for the United States. Previously the Army Arsenals, namely Rock Island Arsenal, fabricated all tanks for the Army. Foreseeing the onset of World War II it was clear larger production capacity was required. ACF Berwick competed with Baldwin Locomotive to produce a few M2A4 Light Tanks. ACF Berwick won the competition on both price and schedule. When ACF Berwick received the first purchase order for 3000 tanks they called their suppliers of hardened steel armor plate and no one could support that quantity. ACF Berwick then built their own furnaces and produced their own armor plate. By the end of World War II ACF Berwick had become the largest producer of armor plate in the US. US Ordinance Department records indicate every armored vehicle produced in the US during World War II utilized some ACF Berwick produced armor plate. From 1940 through April 17, 1944, the American Car & Foundry produced 15,224 Stuart Light Tanks for the United States Army and Marines and the Lend-Lease Program for the Allies. |
At peak production ACF Berwick was producing 40 tanks per day.
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Historic Significance The Stuart Tank is not just a significant part of the History of Berwick; it played a significant role in United States and World History.
Prior to Pearl Harbor and the US officially entering WWII, most tanks were supplied to Allied Forces as part of the Lend Lease Program. Eventually 10,000 of the 15,224 tanks produced by ACF Berwick were supplied to Allied Forces, including nearly 1700 to Russia, 1000 to China and over 6000 to British Commonwealth Forces. British Commonwealth Forces included Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, South Africa and East Africa. Additional tanks were supplied through the British to the Free French, Free Poles, Free Yugoslavs and other displaced forces.
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