“Bombs Away!!”

During WWII, the famous piano-manufacturer, Steinway & Sons, was forced to give up its tons of seasoned timber for the American war-effort. The aged lumber was to be used to manufacture rifle-stocks, and lightweight glider-aircraft for use during large-scale allied troop-landings in Europe.

Once the war in Europe started going the way of the Allies, the army approached Steinway again and asked them to start building pianos once more – despite the fact that all their best timber-stocks had already been spent on the war-effort!

Victory Verticals being tuned

The army wanted Steinway to produce a lightweight piano which could be air-dropped into Europe so that soldiers, and liberated civilians, could have a cheap but cheerful way to entertain themselves, produce music, and raise morale!

The result was the army-green Steinway & Sons “Victory Vertical” upright piano.

Victory Vertical packed for shipping

Just over 2,400 Victory Verticals were manufactured, and shipped to Europe and either flown or trucked inland and air-dropped over liberated population-centers.

The piano had to be small enough to be packed easily aboard cargo-ships, light enough to be transported by air, robust enough to survive a parachute landing, and capable of being moved around easily by two or three men, since specialist moving-equipment was unlikely to be available where these pianos would end up.

While it does sound incredible, advertising materials and publicity documents published by Steinway during WWII attest to the fact that – yes, Victory Verticals really were airdropped from bombers during the war, where they were rescued by Allied troops and liberated civilians, and put to use.

American soldiers having a singalong around a Steinway Victory Vertical

Due to the small numbers produced, few Victory Verticals exist today, and they’re an almost forgotten chapter of Steinway…and world war…history.

Want to Find out More about the Victory Vertical?

Check out the Steinway website here.