{"product_id":"original-u-s-wwii-home-front-keep-em-flying-bonds-buy-bombers-aviation-patriotic-pinback-button-lot-13-pieces","title":"Original U.S. WWII Home Front \"Keep 'Em Flying!\" \u0026 \"Bonds Buy Bombers\" Aviation Patriotic Pinback Button Lot – 13 Pieces","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item. Only One Lot Available. This is an attractive collection of 13 American WWII home-front patriotic pinback buttons featuring U.S. military aircraft and two popular wartime aviation slogans: \"\u003cb\u003eKEEP 'EM FLYING!\u003c\/b\u003e\" and \"\u003cb\u003eBONDS BUY BOMBERS.\u003c\/b\u003e\" These colorful buttons represent the widespread civilian campaigns encouraging support for American military aviation, aircraft production, and the purchase of War Bonds during the Second World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe collection consists of eight \"\u003cb\u003eKEEP 'EM FLYING!\u003c\/b\u003e\" buttons and five \"\u003cb\u003eBONDS BUY BOMBERS\u003c\/b\u003e\" buttons, with multiple aircraft illustrations represented across the group. Each button has a circular, cream-colored face with blue printed lettering and aircraft artwork. The \"Keep 'Em Flying!\" designs feature military airplanes flying among stylized clouds, while the \"Bonds Buy Bombers\" buttons depict American bombers against descending red bomb silhouettes arranged in a V-shaped formation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf particular interest is the variety of aircraft represented. The \"Keep 'Em Flying!\" series includes illustrations of single-engine, radial-powered military aircraft with American national insignia, along with two examples showing a streamlined aircraft with long, straight wings and a prominent glazed cockpit. The single-engine illustrations include aircraft with characteristics associated with the \u003cb\u003eRepublic P-47 Thunderbolt\u003c\/b\u003e and other contemporary American military aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \"Bonds Buy Bombers\" series includes front, side, and three-quarter illustrations of American military bombers. Several display recognizable features of twin-engine medium bombers, including designs broadly suggestive of the \u003cb\u003eNorth American B-25 Mitchell\u003c\/b\u003e, while another depicts a larger multi-engine bomber with characteristics associated with American heavy bombing aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe buttons retain their original-style metal pinback construction, with attachment pins extending from the reverse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition is good overall, with expected age toning, scattered spotting, surface marks, and minor edge wear. Several buttons exhibit more noticeable yellowing and discoloration, particularly around their outer edges. The printed blue and red designs remain well defined and legible throughout, preserving the attractive wartime graphics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHistorical Context\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring WWII, American military aviation became a major focus of home-front publicity as the United States expanded its aircraft industry to meet the demands of a global war. Aircraft production required enormous quantities of aluminum, steel, rubber, and other materials, together with a rapidly growing civilian workforce. Public campaigns encouraged Americans to support this effort through industrial employment, conservation, and the purchase of War Bonds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe slogan \"Keep 'Em Flying!\" became closely associated with the U.S. Army Air Forces and the broader campaign to sustain American air power. It appeared on recruiting material, posters, advertisements, and patriotic merchandise, promoting the production and maintenance of military aircraft. The message was particularly relevant during the rapid expansion of American aviation, when new aircraft factories and assembly lines were supplying fighters, bombers, transports, and training aircraft to forces operating throughout the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeveral aircraft types represented in this collection are closely associated with this period of American aviation. Among the most recognizable fighter designs is the \u003cb\u003eRepublic P-47 Thunderbolt\u003c\/b\u003e, a powerful single-engine fighter introduced into combat in 1943. Powered by the Pratt \u0026amp; Whitney R-2800 radial engine, the P-47 became particularly important in the European Theater, initially serving as a bomber escort before earning an extensive reputation for ground-attack operations. The collection also includes illustrations suggestive of the \u003cb\u003eDouglas SBD Dauntless\u003c\/b\u003e, a two-seat naval dive bomber that played a decisive role at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Two particularly distinctive illustrations depict long-winged, propellerless aircraft resembling the \u003cb\u003eWaco CG-4A\u003c\/b\u003e military glider, used to transport airborne troops and equipment during major Allied operations beginning with the invasion of Sicily in 1943. These identifications are based on the aircraft silhouettes, which retain some of the simplified characteristics of wartime commercial illustrations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \"Bonds Buy Bombers\" campaign addressed the financial requirements of wartime aviation. On May 1, 1941, the U.S. Treasury introduced Series E Defense Savings Bonds, which became widely known as War Bonds following America's entry into the conflict. The program allowed civilians to lend money to the federal government while accumulating personal savings. Bonds were promoted through nationwide drives, workplace payroll deductions, schools, banks, and volunteer committees. Smaller-denomination War Savings Stamps made participation accessible to children and Americans with limited incomes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBombers provided an effective subject for these campaigns because their considerable production costs made the financial demands of aerial warfare easy to communicate. One of the most celebrated American medium bombers was the \u003cb\u003eNorth American B-25 Mitchell\u003c\/b\u003e, which entered service in 1941 and gained national attention during the Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942. Sixteen B-25B aircraft launched from USS Hornet to attack targets in Japan, providing an important morale boost during the opening months of America's participation in the Pacific War. The B-25 subsequently served in every major combat theater, carrying out medium-altitude bombing, low-level attacks, and strikes against enemy shipping.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOther American bombers also became familiar symbols of the country's growing air power. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator formed the backbone of American heavy bombing operations, particularly during the strategic air offensive against Germany. Twin-engine aircraft, including the Martin B-26 Marauder and Douglas A-20 Havoc, performed important medium- and light-bombing missions against transportation networks, airfields, and other military targets. The bomber illustrations in this collection appear to draw upon several of these aircraft families, although the simplified designs do not establish every individual model conclusively.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall patriotic pinback buttons were among the many promotional articles circulated during the war. Their inexpensive construction made them suitable for distribution at public events, community fundraisers, bond drives, and other patriotic activities. Worn on civilian clothing, they provided a visible expression of support for the military and the national war effort. The aviation slogans used on these buttons reflect the close relationship between American industrial production, civilian financial participation, and the expansion of the U.S. Army Air Forces during WWII.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46018166947909,"sku":"ONJR26SEM085","price":195.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ONJR26SEM085__01.jpg?v=1792087063","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-wwii-home-front-keep-em-flying-bonds-buy-bombers-aviation-patriotic-pinback-button-lot-13-pieces","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}