Otto Hillig

MachinistChicago, IL

Manhattan Project VeteranProject Worker/Staff

Listen to Otto Hillig’s Oral History on Voices of the Manhattan Project

Otto Hillig was a Danish machinist who helped work on various projects in the early days of the Manhattan Project. Nicknamed the “Great Dane” by Enrico Fermi, Hillig proved valuable in multiple capacities while working on Chicago Piles 1 and 2. Hillig served as a carbon dioxide moderator during several experiments on Chicago Pile 2. He had a friendly relationship with both Fermi and Walter Zinn, oftentimes playing jokes on them.

Related Profiles

W. C. Crye

Y-12 Plant

W. C. Crye worked for the Tennessee Eastman Corporation at the Y-12 Plant.

Royal H. Mohr

Tinian Island

Royal H. Mohr served as a staff sergeant in the 393rd Bombardment Squadron.

Marion Hay

Y-12 Plant

Marion Hay worked for the Tennessee Eastman Corporation at the Y-12 Plant.

Abel DeHaan

Oak Ridge, TN

Abel DeHaan was a civilian chemist that worked at the Y-12 Complex in Oak Ridge, TN. DeHaan was hired for the Manhattan Project by Glenn Seaborg while in his last year of a B.