WWII US Air Corps Series Postcard Talk

Curteich U.S. Air Corp Series 3 and 9
by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com

As an educational tool old, vintage postcards can be a fun way to learn history.  Using the two postcards associated with this blogpost, my goal is to demonstrate what I learned using the internet in one afternoon about the World War II time period.

Keep 'Em Flying Slogan
U.S. Air Corps Series published by Curteich.
It was common for postcard publishers to introduce a set or series around a particular theme. The U.S. Air Corps Series of postcards. Keep 'Em Flying slogan was adopted by two bases in Illinois.

Curteich US Air Corps Series 9

Keep 'Em Flying: Vindicator
The Vindicator was the first carrier-based dive bomber in WWII.  Although considered obsolete before the beginning of the war it did see action, suffering heavy losses at Midway.

Keep 'Em Flying: Bomber (link: North American B-25 Mitchell)
Teich used a code system for dating the year of manufacture. For example, the code 2B, means the postcard was printed in 1942.  Ed Madigan was stationed at Chanute Field near Rantoul, Illinois.  He was in the U.S. Army Air Force, which previously had been called the U.S. Army Air Corps, and which later became the U.S. Air Force. 

Curteich US Air Corps Series 3

Chanute Field, where Madigan was stationed in the Technical School Squadron, was used for technical training. Technical staff was very important to the war effort, as the ratio of ground staff to flying staff was about 7 to 1.  Octave Chanute, for whom this base was named, was a railway engineer and aviation pioneer who was an advisor to the Wright brothers.

Ed wrote this postcard to Mr. Gayle Nelson who may want more of the same for a collection.  I am uncertain about the relationship between Ed and Gayle, whether he was a friend or relative.  The Vindicator postcard is also written to Gayle and signed by Mom--but she refers to Edward, not Ed.  This is something a mother would do.  And if not Ed's mother, why would she be in Rantoul, Illinois? Interesting to speculate upon.


US Army Air Corps Series 9

US Air Corps Series 3

Postcards, Publishers, Paper and Printing
The Vindicator and Bomber postcards were published during the time period called the Linen Era, which began in 1935 and went until about 1950.  During this time the picture side of postcards were generally printed on paper that had a linen fabric look.  Although this linen look is often attributed to a high rag (cotton) content in the paper, I could not document that this is so. Thinking logically, paper since the mid-nineteenth century had been manufactured from wood pulp which was more cost effective, and adding rag pulp to wood pulp isn't a necessary factor in creating a linen fabric look and feel. 

Curt Teich, the publisher of the two postcards shown here, was an innovator in the manufacture of postcards.  Before he could introduce his linen-look postcard Teich had to come up with a way for heatset inks to dry faster, and his creativity made a significant difference in the printing industry.  He named the offset printing process he used Art Colortone, which at least at first involved stones he collected from Lake Michigan.

Curt Teich Postcard Archives

Chicago Postcard Museum

Recommended Site: Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York City

United States Postcard Clubs

Curt Otto Teich came to the United States from Germany, where his family was in the printing business and he trained as a printer.  As Germany dominated the postcard publishing market until the onset of World War I, Teich had the advantage of training in the location where this type of correspondence stationery was successful. But what made the difference for him was that he joined the technical with an exceptionally creative mind.  He traveled across country taking scenic photographs, taking orders along the way. He put his mind to the task of coming up with something unique and different.  Today there are collections and collectors who focus upon linen era postcards and also those published specifically by Curt Teich.