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ORIGINAL 1943 COCA-COLA WWII AIRCRAFT RECOGNITION BOOKLET
KNOW YOUR WAR PLANES
Published by The Coca-Cola Company during World War II and illustrated with striking aviation artwork by noted artist William Heaslip.
This colorful wartime aircraft identification guide was produced to help readers recognize Allied and Axis military aircraft by their silhouettes, wing shapes, engines, fuselage designs and other identifying characteristics.
The booklet includes American and foreign military aircraft from the major combatant nations of World War II, combining practical aircraft-recognition information with beautiful full-color aviation artwork.
Aircraft shown include famous WWII types such as the:
Curtiss P-40 WarhawkBell P-39 AiracobraB-17 Flying FortressB-24 LiberatorP-38 LightningP-47 ThunderboltF4U Corsair
along with numerous British, German, Italian, Russian and Japanese aircraft.
One particularly striking full-page Coca-Cola advertisement depicts American airmen sharing Coca-Cola with a Chinese military serviceman beneath an aircraft, accompanied by the wartime message:
“Around the world, Coca-Cola brings refreshment to Americans, helps make them new friends.”
The booklet combines several highly collectible areas in one original WWII artifact:
World War II aviationAircraft recognition and spottingU.S. Army Air ForcesAllied and Axis aircraftCoca-Cola wartime advertisingHome Front materialWilliam Heaslip aviation artwork
Published in 1943 while the war was still being fought, this is genuine period material rather than a later retrospective publication.
A highly visual piece of original WWII aviation and Coca-Cola advertising history.
