| Nash-Kelvinator ranked 27th among United States corporations in the value of World War II production contracts. As part of the “Arsenal of Democracy,” the company shifted its factories to make a large variety of military components and aeronautic assemblies. The company expanded its facilities to produce the Hamilton Standard propellers to become the largest manufacturer of this type of propeller with more than 158,000 units made with an additional over 85,000 spare blades, assembling nearly 17,000 Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 18-cylinder, air-cooled aircraft engine, making the newly introduced Sikorsky R-6 helicopters, and becoming 1 of the largest suppliers of binoculars in the world with over 200,000 delivered to the United States Army. Starting in late 1944, the company began to work on new car designs and by 1945 it completed its new proving grounds in Wisconsin. This advertisement, “Reading Between The Lines Of Your Blessed Letter…” is 1 of a series that connects American production to personal experiences of GIs fighting the war. Each advertisement reflected on how important it was to keep producing weapons for American fighting men. These personal stories ran in LIFE Magazine and many other publications. This advertisement appeared in the June 14, 1943, issue. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2139.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.81 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 4633 x 5849 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Office of War Information |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | March 20, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | |
| Country | United States |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-44-PA-1616 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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