Antwerp has the unfortunate distinction of being the most heavily bombed Belgian city in the nightmare known as World War II. The city was bombarded by both German and Allied airpower. The German Luftwaffe dropped an untold tonnage of bombs resulting in over 6,000 civilian casualties.
Allied planes followed with heavy bombing through the war trying to disrupt the German war economy. Both Germany and the Allies recognized the strategic importance of Antwerp. The port was vital to the support of both sides for shipping and naval operations. In a little- known chapter of Antwerp’s tragic experience, are the roles of a Hollywood icon and some of the captains of America’s industrial might. Consider…
Clark Gable (1901-1960) was an American actor often referred to as The King of Hollywood—- and for good reason. For three decades as a leading man, Gable appeared in more than 60 motion pictures: Mutiny on The Bounty (1935), It Happened One Night (1936), and Gone with The Wind (1939) were just a few of his award-winning credits.
After the death of his wife Carole Lombard (1942)—-and perhaps as part of his grieving process—Gable (at age 41) joined the United States Army Air Force. It was expected that he would be part of a public relations program designed to make movies for recruiting purposes. Clark Gable had other
ideas. He rose in the ranks to captain as an aerial gunner. In May of 1943, he set out on a mission to bomb the Ford and General Motors assembly plants outside of Antwerp. His squadron’s mission raises a few larger questions: Why would the American Air Force target American industries? Why were these icons of America’s industrial might in German-occupied Belgium at the height of World War II?
Any number of American companies had business dealings with Germany before AND during the war —-including, but especially, Ford and General Motors. The giant automaker Ford was well established in both Germany and Belgium and continued production even while the U.S.A declared war with the Axis Powers. This put Ford in a delicate position as it had operations on both sides of the conflict.
The tension between a private, stock-holders company and the United States government became palpable. Soon, it became obvious to America that Germany had “nationalized” (read: taken by force) the Ford plant. Equally important was the ignominious fact that the Germans was using forced prisoner of war labor to repurpose the manufacturing facility to support the Axis war effort. These facts alone put the Antwerp Ford plant in the cross hairs of Gable’s flight.
The case for bombing the Antwerp General Motors facility differed slightly. In 1938—just 18 months before the war began— a senior executive for General Motors received the Grand Cross of the German Eagle Award for the company’s distinguished service to the Reich. As late as 1939 and into 1940 General Motors senior management defended their German investment strategy as “highly profitable” and continuing production for the Nazi government was merely “ sound business practice.”
At one-point, General Motors Brandenburg’s Opel facility had produced bombers ,trucks ,jeeps, tanks, and land mines while Chief executive Alfred P. Sloan remained on the board. Sloan told shareholders that General Motors was “too big” and too immune” to be impeded by “petty international squabbles.”
By late 1941 public and governmental pressure became too intense to ignore. The Secretary of State Cordell Hull urged the FBI to investigate Ford and General Motors activities in Germany and Nazi occupied Belgium. It was not long into the war that Ford and General Motors rose to the occasion to create what President Roosevelt called the Arsenal of Democracy.
Morphing from automobile manufacturers to war implement suppliers, both companies leveraged their expertise in mass production to become the primary producers of armaments for the Allied war effort. Ford for example, transformed its production of cars to
aircraft in record time and at their production apex, was able to manufacture one B-24 bomber per hour. The company
Comments
20 responses to “Why Did Hollywood’s King Bomb Antwerp?”
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Seems like Gable thought he was auditioning for a role in an action movie, but instead he bombed Antwerp’s industrial scene. Quite the plot twist, eh? 🎬💣
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Just lovely that Hollywood’s so-called royalty thought they’d sprinkle a bit of pixie dust on Antwerp—because nothing says “strategic bombing” like targeting your own mates! 🍿💣
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Seems like Clark Gable thought he could do a bit of “method acting” by bombing his own countrymen’s factories – classy move, mate! 🎬💣 Who knew Hollywood’s leading man had a knack for aerial bombardment instead of just romance?
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Seems like Gable’s idea of “bombing” was a tad more literal than his film roles—who knew Hollywood had such a knack for dramatic irony? 🎬💣 But hey, at least he gave Antwerp a real reason to complain about the film industry! 😂
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Seems like the “King of Hollywood” thought bombing factories would be a blockbuster hit—who knew war was just another Hollywood script gone awry? 🎬💥 Guess he was aiming for a different kind of audience, eh?
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Seems like Gable thought bombing Antwerp was just another day at the office, right? 🤷♂️ Who knew Hollywood’s finest had a side gig in aerial bombardment—talk about a plot twist! 🎬💣
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Seems like Hollywood’s finest decided to drop a few bombs in Antwerp instead of box office hits—who knew Gable was moonlighting as a bomb-throwing industrialist? 🎬💣 Talk about taking method acting to a whole new level!
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Isn’t it just delightful how Hollywood’s leading man decided to dabble in aerial real estate? Next time someone mentions “bombing,” let’s hope they’re just talking about a movie premiere, eh? 🎬💥
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So, the King of Hollywood thought bombing a city full of American industry was a grand idea? Brilliant, mate! Next, he’ll be signing up to make a film about the Titanic’s sinking just for kicks. 🎬💣
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So, the King of Hollywood thought he’d play air mail delivery with some bombs over Antwerp? Guess even the stars can’t resist a bit of misguided tourism during wartime! 🎬💣
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Seems like the King of Hollywood decided to play a little game of ‘who can bomb their own products first.’ 🎬💣 I suppose even in war, PR stunts come with a side of irony—who knew that Hollywood had a knack for bad timing? 😂
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Seems like Hollywood’s “King” fancied himself a bit of a bombing hero, eh? 😂 I suppose when you’re that good-looking, you think you can just drop in and fix everything – even if it’s a little town in Belgium! 🤷♂️
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Can’t say I’m surprised Gable flew over to Antwerp; nothing screams “Hollywood hero” like dropping bombs on American factories while wearing a charming grin. Guess he figured it was just a dramatic plot twist for the war effort, eh? 🎬💣
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Seems like Gable thought bombing a German-occupied car factory in Belgium was a right jolly way to deal with his wife’s death—who knew Hollywood could double as a war strategy? 🎬💣 Next time, let’s stick to the silver screen, eh?
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Seems like Gable thought he could just take a little detour from the silver screen to the skies, eh? Bombing your own countrymen’s factories—talk about a method actor! 🎬✈️
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Seems like the King of Hollywood thought he could take a break from the silver screen and play general for a day—who knew bombarding your own countrymen’s factories was all the rage in wartime? 😂 Just another day in the life of a star, right?
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Seems like Hollywood’s finest had a knack for picking targets, eh? Next time, maybe Gable should stick to the silver screen instead of turning Antwerp into a bomb site—talk about a misguided sequel! 💣🎬
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Just what we needed, a Hollywood star playing target practice with our beloved Antwerp’s factories—because nothing says “I care” like a bit of aerial bombing! 🎬✈️ Maybe next time, Gable could’ve just sent a postcard instead. 😏
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Seems like Gable thought he was auditioning for a war flick instead of actually bombing a couple of dodgy factories. I guess even in his heyday, Hollywood had a knack for blowing things out of proportion! 🎬💣
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Fancy that, Hollywood’s big cheese trying to take out a couple of factories in Antwerp—who knew Gable was moonlighting as a bomb dropper? 🎬💣 Just goes to show, even back then, business was about as clear as a Belgian beer on a foggy day! 🍺
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