ACT - Redstone Arsenal, AL
In 1941, due to escalating global tensions,
Congress approved funds in April 1941 for the Army to construct another chemical
manufacturing and storage facility to supplement the production of the Chemical
Warfare Service's only chemical manufacturing plant at Edgewood Arsenal. The
site selected became known as Huntsville Arsenal. Recognizing the tremendous
economy of locating an Ordnance shell loading/assembly plant close to Huntsville
Arsenal, the Chief of Ordnance decided to build a facility adjacent to the
Chemical Warfare Service's installation. Initially known as Redstone Ordnance
Plant, the plant was re-designated Redstone Arsenal in February 1943.
The decade of the 1940s was extremely important to the history of Redstone
Arsenal. It was not only the time when the arsenal complex was physically
founded but also marked the beginning of the arsenal's modern mission and it's
many significant accomplishments.
For example, the period dating from January 1950 to August 1962 was a time of
outstanding success for the U.S. Army's rocket and missile programs. It was also
the period during which the Army made its most notable contributions to the
nation's space effort. The pursuit of excellence that characterized Redstone
Arsenal during World War II continued throughout the 1950s and 1960s. It remains
the hallmark of today's Redstone Arsenal and will surely continue on into the
future.
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Last update: 28 October 2002