The Time that the US Army Deployed Pianos to the Battlefield
When you think of going to war, what are some of the essentials that come to mind? I’m sure that most people would suggest items like guns, bullets, food, uniforms, tanks, maybe horses. During World War II, the US Army added another item to the list: pianos.
From Instruments to Caskets
You’ve probably heard of the Steinway & Sons piano company. The company was founded in 1853 by German-American piano builder Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, who later changed his name to Henry E. Steinway. The company opened a factory in New York and a second factory in Hamburg, Germany.
During World War II, the US government put restrictions on iron, copper, brass, and other raw materials used to make musical instruments. As a result, Steinway shut down the production of pianos and switched to making parts for military gliders. They also received a contract from the National Casket Company to make caskets.
The Government Comes Calling
In late 1941, Steinway received a request from the US government’s War Production Board to design and build a heavy-duty, military-grade piano. The president of the company, Theodore E. Steinway, had four sons in the military and was glad to accept the request.
A former Steinway factory manager and current vice president, Paul H. Bilhuber was put in charge of the project. The request highlighted that the instruments had to be strong enough to survive on the battlefield, including being dropped from a plane. By June 1942, the prototypes were ready. They became known as Victory Verticals.
Here is a quote from the Steinway website showing the work that went into making a battlefield piano.
The instruments were thoroughly “tropicalized” — treated with special anti-termite and -insect solution and sealed with water-resistant glue to withstand dampness. With handles under the keybed and in the back, the 455-pound pianos could be carried by four soldiers. Inside each transporting crate was a set of tuning tools, instructions, spare parts, and sheet music consisting of light classics, Protestant hymns, sing-along tunes, and boogie-woogie numbers.
Planning documents show the extent to which Steinway officials had to make due with nontraditional materials. Keys were made with coverings of white celluloid (ivory would have peeled off in tropical climates), and soft iron was used instead of copper for windings on the bass strings (copper being restricted). While each Army piano was painted with “three coats of olive drab lacquer, slightly dulled,” other colors were used for the Navy, Marines, Army Air Corps, and Coast Guard. (There was also discussion of a custom folding chair, though it’s unclear if it was ever produced.)
By the end of the war, Steinway had built 5,000 of these specially designed-pianos. However, not all of them went to the military. According to Richard K. Lieberman, author of Steinway and Sons, “Roughly half were sold to the United States armed forces, and the balance were bought by approved essential users: ‘religious organizations, educational institutions, hotels and other places of public gatherings.’”
Raising Spirits
The Victory Verticals had been designed with one goal in mind: to raise the spirits of the men on the front lines. It succeeded spectacularly. In May of 1943, Private Kenneth Kranes wrote the following to his mother in New York:
Two nights past we received welcome entertainment when a jeep pulling a small wagon came to camp. The wagon contained a light system and a Steinway pianna [sic]. Mom, you would laugh if you were to have seen it, because the Steinway is not at all like Uncle Jake’s. It is smaller and painted olive green, just like the jeep. We all got a kick out of it and sure had fun after meals when we gathered around the pianna to sing.
Unfortunately, the private was killed by German fire the following week.
Besides being sent to front-line units, these pianos were also used in USO shows as they entertained the troops in all theaters of war. They were used by performers including “Bob Hope to violinist Isaac Stern”.
Why this Story is Cool
When you think of war, you don’t always think of the importance of the morale of the troops involved. But that is one of the most important factors when it comes to fighting. A military force with high morale is going to fight harder and stronger than a demoralized force. One of the easiest ways to raise morale is to give people the music that they enjoy. Since many knew how to play the piano, it seems like a no-brainer to deploy pianos to the front.
That being said, in my mind, this is how the conversation went:
“We need to send musical instruments to the troops to raise their morale, Lloyd.”
“Sounds like a winner, Floyd. What should we send?”
“How about trumpets? I know the boys in uniform like a good bugle call.”
“I don’t know. Most of the metals is going towards tanks and ships. Besides they may get flattened in transport.”
“Good point. What about we send a bunch of harmonicas?”
“That’s going to take a bunch of metal. We should make large instruments that can be enjoyed by many troops at a time. That should save material.”
“How about a bunch of tubas or, if you want to save money, how about some cellos?”
“How many people are going to know how to play either one of those? Maybe we would look into hardened pianos. Everyone knows how to play a piano.”
“That’s it, Floyd. We should have them build so that can be dropped from a plane, or pulled by a tank. If we have them armored, soldiers can use them as defensive positions. If we make them water tight, sailors in the Pacific can use them as flotation devices if their ship getts sunk…”
BUZZZZZ
“Yes, Colonel?”
“Linda, call psych again. Captain Kliff needs another rest.”
I think the funniest part of this whole story is the mental image of pianos being dropped by parachutes from bombers.
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