Before World War II, the U.S. aircraft industry was focused mainly on civilian airlines, with few manufacturers specializing in military airplanes. In the fall of 1940, the War Department decided that anticipated military aircraft demand required new defense plants rather than simply expanding existing facilities, as home front industry and strategic aerial bombing became increasingly important to defeating an enemy’s ability to wage war. Although Texas had participated in pilot training, it had not yet played a large-scale role in aircraft manufacturing. As the nation emerged from the Great Depression and moved closer to war, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce successfully urged Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation to build a new plant here, and groundbreaking took place on April 18, 1941. The Austin Company of Cleveland, Ohio, completed Plant No. 4 in less than a year, and the first B-24 Liberator bomber left the assembly line on April 17, 1942, one hundred days ahead of schedule. More than 3,000 heavy bombers were produced here, wartime employment peaked at 32,000, B-24 airframes were converted into C-87 cargo transports called Liberator Express, and later in the war a limited number of B-32 Dominator heavy bombers were built. Wartime mobilization contributed importantly to Allied victory in World War II, and this industry also reshaped the local economy by bringing new employers and workers to Fort Worth and adding a modern industrial dimension to its Texas frontier reputation.