<P> On an episode of the Travel Channel series Made in America that profiled Deere & Company, host John Ratzenberger stated that the company never repossessed any equipment from American farmers during the Great Depression . </P> <P> During World War II, the great - grandson of John Deere, Charles Deere Wiman, was president of the company, but he accepted a commission as a colonel in the U.S. Army . A replacement was hired and before returning to work at the company in late 1944, Wiman directed the farm machinery and equipment division of the War Production Board . In addition to farm machinery, John Deere manufactured military tractors, and transmissions for the M3 tank . They also made aircraft parts, ammunition, and mobile laundry units to support the war effort . </P> <P> In 1947, John Deere introduced its first self - propelled combine, the model 55 . It was soon followed by the smaller models 40 and 45, the larger model 95, and an even larger model 105 was introduced in the 1960s . In the mid-1950s, Deere introduced attachable corn heads, allowing crop producers to cut, shell, and clean corn in one smooth operation . </P> <P> In 1956, Deere & Company bought - out the German tractor manufacturer, Heinrich Lanz AG (see Lanz Bulldog). </P>

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