Last edit Dec 4, 2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–9 Buddle. “War hit Central Nebraska…” The Independent, Grand Island, NE, 11-24-1999.

–9 Explore Nebraska History. “Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant.” NE State His. Society.

–9 Reinhardt, Claudia and Bill Ganzel. “Building Bombs & Planes.” Farming in the 1940s.

Narrative Information

Buddle: “….War-related deaths occurred at Grand Island and Hastings. Both civilian and military personnel made the supreme sacrifice on Nebraska soil. The tragic deaths were the result of ammunition explosions and aircraft accidents. Central Nebraska residents were made painfully aware that war had come to their state.

“Shortly after the United States entered World War II, it was evident Nebraska would play a vital role in the war effort. Nebraska’s geographical location, far from both coasts, made it an ideal area to establish ammunition plants and aircraft training fields. Grand Island and Hastings residents found themselves in the grasp of the war effort shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The site for the Cornhusker Ordnance Plant (COP) west of Grand Island was officially approved in late 1941….

“Grand Island’s Cornhusker Ordnance Plant…had an excellent safety record until May 26, 1945. About 1 p.m. on that fateful day, the main pour building on Load Line IV exploded, killing nine people and injuring one. The June 8, 1945 copy of the “Coplanter,” the plant’s newspaper, listed the names, ages, and addresses of the victims. Workers with Grand Island addresses were: Lola Britten, 28; Betty Ledford, 19; Mart Burke, 59; Earl W. Brown, 64, and Fred Abraham, 41. Other workers with Central Nebraska addresses were: James Moon, 54, Taylor; Albert Otto Schultz, 26, Wood River; Ambrose Welch, 49, Greeley, and George Wilkens, 56, Cushing. The plant newspaper reported the bodies of Fred Abraham and Ambrose Welch had not been recovered. Grand Island’s Ruth Metro, 44, was injured in the blast and was treated at the area hospital. She suffered from shock, a concussion, a fractured rib and minor bruises. Metro was released from the hospital on May 30.

“A tribute to the deceased appeared on the front page of the plant newspaper. The memoriam was signed by F.H. Phillips, commanding officer, and Myer Avedovech, general manager. Their message said, in part: “That they may not have died in vain; that they may not have given their lives needlessly, let us resolve to carry on this work which is so important a part of our national effort. Let us all resolve to carry on this work to its ultimate conclusion, until that time comes when no longer need the fighting lines look to the production lines to provide them with the ammunition and weapons needed for the preservation of our country.”

“There was no mention of the cause of the explosion in the plant’s newspaper or in any of the subsequent issues. In fact, the issues quickly returned to the normal fare of articles. Picnics, production records, attendance awards and the success of bond drives appeared to receive the most coverage. Perhaps that was a calculated method of keeping morale and patriotism at a high level and, at the same time, not giving the enemy any propaganda fuel.” (Buddle, Gene. “War hit Central Nebraska hard at home, too.” The Independent, Grand Island, NE, 11-24-1999.)

Explore Nebraska History. “Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant.” NSHS:

“Commonly known as the Cornhusker Ordnance Plant, the facility opened in 1942 and covered nearly 20 square miles. During World War II it produced artillery shells and various bombs weighing up to 2,000 pounds apiece. An explosion on May 26, 1945, killed nine people, leveled a building, and was felt in nearby towns of Cairo and Wood River. The cause was unknown. The plant ceased operations the day after Japan’s surrender, but was reactivated during the Korean and Vietnam wars.”

Reinhardt and Ganzel: “Throughout rural America during World War II, factories sprang up. In Nebraska, there were ordnance plants building bombs near Mead, Sidney, Hastings and Grand Island….

“Grand Island’s Cornhusker Ordnance Plant.

“During the war the Army alone built over 60 ammunition plants. The other branches of the service had theirs, as well. The Cornhusker plant was one of the last one built by the Army during World War II. Construction just west of Grand Island began in March 1942 and was completed in six months.

“Building bombs and artillery shells – known as “ordnance” – was a good job. The plant paid 70- to 80-cents an hour, about the same as factory workers around the nation but well above what laborers on the farm and in small towns made. Merchants in Grand Island had been paying their workers around 30-cents an hour. At its peak, the plant employed 4,229 people. Many commuted from farms and rural towns up to 60 miles away. There were three shifts each weekday and shifts on the weekends. A normal workweek was 48 hours long, and many worked overtime….

“There were also dangers at the plant. TNT, the main explosive agent, was mixed in huge, hot vats and poured into the casings. The ingredients were toxic if workers were exposed to high levels. And obviously, when you’re building bombs, there’s the risk of explosions.

“There was only one major accident at the Grand Island plant. Mildred Hopkins worked at the plane and knew one of the nine people who were killed when an explosion leveled the main building of line four that poured TNT into shell casings.^[1] It happened on a Saturday in May 1945, and the official cause was never determined. Newspapers speculated that lightning from a passing thunderstorm might have set off the explosion….” (Reinhardt and Ganzel. “Building Bombs & Planes.” Farming in the 1940s. Wessels Living History Farm – York, Nebraska (website).)

Newspaper

May 27, AP: “Grand Island, Neb. (AP). Seven persons are known to have been killed, two more are missing and one was injured here Saturday when a loading line at the Cornhusker ordnance plant exploded in the midst of an electrical storm, Maj. Fred H. Phillips, commanding officer, announced Saturday night. Major Phillips said the following persons were killed or died of injuries suffered in the explosion:

Lola Britten, 28, Lawrence, whose husband is stationed at the Grand Island army air field.

Betty Medford, 19, Grand Island.

Mart Burke, 59, Grand Island.

James Moon, 54, Taylor, Neb.

Earl W. Brown, 64, Grand Island.

Albert Otto Schultz, 26, Wood River, Neb.

George Wilkens, 36, Cushing, Neb.

“Names of the two missing persons are being withheld until it can be established what happened to them, Phillips said. Ruth Metro of Grand Island, who was injured, was taken to a local hospital where her condition was reported critical.

“A guard has been thrown about the entire reservation and no one will be allowed to enter the plant grounds except on official business, Jajor Phillips said.

“Whether the electrical storm was responsible for the blast was not learned immediately, but a board of investigating officers from Chicago, St. Louis and Washington has arrived and is conducting an investigation.

“The blast occurred during the lunch hour and plant officials said that had it occurred any other time they feared the casualty list might have run to 40 or 50 – the number of people ordinarily at work in the building.

“The two-story building, completed only last week and reportedly containing many improvements in the loading of bombs, was demolished. The two-story height, unusual in an ordnance plant, was necessary because the explosive was poured from the upper story to the bombs below, plant officials said.

“Concussion of the blast was felt as much as ten miles away and was clearly felt in downtown Grand Island, eight miles east of the plant.

“No other property at the plant was damaged, probably because the loading units and other installations are spaced almost a mile apart in the plant area, which is five miles long and four wide. The plant is eight miles west of Grand Island.

“The other three loading lines were shut down following the blast. Plant officials said employees, who usually would have worked until midnight were released immediately and that operations would be resumed Monday morning. Operations Sunday had not been planned, the officials said.

“The blast, which occurred about 1:30 p.m. (c.w.t.), was the first reported at the plant since it went into operation in October, 1942.” (Associated Press. “Seven dead, one injured and two missing in blast.” Sunday Journal and Star, Lincoln, NE. 5-27-19455, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Seven dead, one injured and two missing in blast.” Sunday Journal and Star, Lincoln, NE. 5-27-19455, pp. 1 and 5. Accessed 12-4-2023 at:

https://newspaperarchive.com/lincoln-nebraska-state-journal-may-27-1945-p-1/

Buddle, Gene. “War hit Central Nebraska hard at home, too.” The Independent, Grand Island, NE, 11-24-1999. Accessed 4-25-2013 at: http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/p/e/a/Gary-L-Pearson/FILE/0005page.html

Explore Nebraska History. “Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant.” Nebraska State Historical Society. Accessed 12-4-2023 at: https://mynehistory.com/items/show/562

Reinhardt, Claudia and Bill Ganzel. “Building Bombs & Planes.” Farming in the 1940s. Wessels Living History Farm – York, Nebraska (website). Accessed 4-25-2013 at: http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe40s/life_10.html

[1] The website contains a link to her recorded remarks.

1945 — May 26, Cornhusker Ordnance Plant pour building explosion, Grand Island, NE–9