Remembering Hitler's Ford City 'headache'

The best-kept secret in Chicago history may be a World War II-era factory that churned out engines for the B-29 bomber airplane underneath what is now Ford City Mall on Chicago's Southwest Side.

John Kudia, a Gage Park native, remembers being told as a child that his aunt, Mary Early, had worked at the factory. He later saw remnants of the factory, nicknamed "Hitler's Headache," when he worked as a lab technician at the Tootsie Roll factory at 7401 S. Cicero.

He was fascinated, and decided to make sure the factory got the recognition it deserves by writing a book about it, titled Kilo-Quad. The book will be available on Amazon.com starting Nov. 24.

"I said, 'Look at the history of this place. . . . People don't realize how innovative it was.