Like most other musical manufacturers during World War II, Steinway & Sons was effectively prohibited from making instruments. Its production facilities were retooled to produce troop transport gliders and coffins. However, Steinway petitioned for and was awarded a government contract to design and build pianos that could be delivered to troops overseas. These pianos were ruggedized both to withstand the harsh environments that troops might encounter near front lines and to endure being airdropped in crates. Deliveries of the pianos, available in olive, blue, and gray, began in 1942.
