Warren's tank plant: the Arsenal of Democracy
Warren's Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant was the first U.S. factory built to mass-produce tanks and remains tied to Army vehicle work.
During World War II, metro Detroit’s auto plants and suppliers became a big part of the “Arsenal of Democracy.” One of the clearest examples was built in Warren.
In August 1940, the Army awarded Chrysler the contract to build and operate what the Army calls the first U.S. factory created to mass-produce tanks. The first tank came off the line a little more than eight months later. The plant was first called the Detroit Ordnance Plant and became the Detroit Tank Arsenal in May 1941.
The wartime totals explain why the place mattered. Army history records 22,234 new tanks and 2,825 refurbished armored vehicles during World War II. The federal Historic American Engineering Record says the plant accounted for one-quarter of the country’s wartime tank production. That is the useful scale of the story; it does not need extra legends about test demonstrations or bombproof walls to sound impressive.
Tank production continued after the war, but it did not continue forever. The Army’s installation history says the plant closed in 1996. Today’s Detroit Arsenal is an active Army installation in Warren, not a tank factory frozen in time. It hosts TACOM and other organizations that work on the research, acquisition, support, and life-cycle management of military ground vehicles.
The Army also identifies Detroit Arsenal as Michigan’s only active-duty U.S. military installation. That does not mean Michigan lacks National Guard facilities; it is a narrower distinction about active-duty installations.
Sources
Last reviewed against the listed sources: July 14, 2026.