Workforce & Industrial Growth (1930s–1945)

How Consolidated Built One of the Largest Aviation Workforces in the World

During the buildup to World War II and throughout the conflict, Consolidated Aircraft experienced one of the most dramatic industrial expansions in American history. What began as a modest manufacturing operation grew—almost overnight—into a vast wartime enterprise employing more than 40,000 workers in San Diego alone, with thousands more in Fort Worth and auxiliary facilities across the country.

This explosive growth transformed not only the company, but the entire economic and social landscape of San Diego and the surrounding region.

Building a City Around an Industry

When Consolidated moved to San Diego in 1935, the city was still relatively small. Within a few years, aviation manufacturing became its defining industry. Entire neighborhoods, commercial districts, and transportation systems expanded to accommodate:

• tens of thousands of new workers

• the families who followed them

• businesses supporting factory employees

• wartime housing complexes

• new schools, roads, and civic infrastructure

To many locals, “going to Consolidated” became synonymous with working in modern industry.

A Workforce on an Unprecedented Scale

As war approached, Consolidated’s production needs soared. The B-24 Liberator alone required tens of thousands of parts and hundreds of thousands of labor hours per aircraft.

San Diego’s Consolidated facilities grew the workforce to:

• machinists

• riveters

• engineers

• draftsmen

• assembly technicians

• inspectors

• administrative staff

• flight-test crews

• logistics and supply teams

• support workers in food service, transit, housing, and more

By 1943–1944, Consolidated was one of the largest employers in California and among the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world.

Training an Industrial Army

Most new workers had never built aircraft before. Consolidated created massive training programs to ensure quality and safety:

• technical schools for machining, welding, electrical, and hydraulic systems

• standardized assembly-line instruction

• quality-control certification courses

• engineering apprenticeship tracks

• rapid-upskill “wartime production” classes tailored for new hires

The company worked with the federal government to streamline these programs, helping transform ordinary citizens into highly skilled war-industry professionals.

Day and Night Production — 24/7 Output

Consolidated ran:

• day shifts

• swing shifts

• graveyard shifts

Aircraft rolled out of the plants around the clock. The war did not pause, and neither could production.

Shift changes became a defining part of San Diego’s daily rhythm, with thousands of workers pouring in and out of the factories in waves.

Economic Impact on San Diego

Consolidated’s growth:

• doubled San Diego’s population during the early war years

• generated thousands of secondary jobs in construction, transportation, and commerce

• accelerated the city’s transformation into a long-term aerospace hub

• laid the foundation for later defense contractors, missile programs, and space technology industries

The impact was so profound that San Diego’s identity as a military–aerospace city can be traced directly to these wartime years.

Human Moments from the Factory Floor

Workers—many far from home—formed tight-knit communities. Family recollections and historical accounts describe:

• workers carpooling before dawn to beat the shift change

• children waiting at the gates for parents finishing late-night shifts

• music drifting across the factory floor during break periods

• families marking time not by clocks, but by production quotas and shipping deadlines

These stories capture the human side of a massive industrial effort—ordinary people producing extraordinary machines.

A Workforce That Helped Win the War

The success of the B-24 Liberator program was not merely a triumph of engineering. It was the result of tens of thousands of Americans—men and women—who stepped into roles they had never imagined, mastered new skills, and worked tirelessly to support the Allied war effort.

Consolidated’s workforce became part of the nation’s collective strength.

Their contribution endures in every Liberator that flew, every mission supported, and every life saved because of the aircraft they built.