August 1942. "George Woolslayer celebrated the visit of the soldier and sailor with a party at his home. Friends, relatives and fellow workers made up the list of guests. No ordinary party, this one will be remembered by the Woolslayers for years to come. Festivities started at 8 p.m. and lasted well into the next morning. Proudly seated on Sergeant French L. Vineyard's knee is Woolslayer's 8-year-old daughter, Georgia Ann, who stayed up long past her bedtime to take part in the fun. Allegheny-Ludlum Steel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." View full size. Medium format negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information.

August 1942. "A poster comes to life. Another democratic institution, beer and pretzels. Chief radioman Evans, at extreme left, reaches for a slice of the ham which Mrs. Woolslayer is serving. Sergeant Vineyard is wearing the paper hat. Allegheny Steel, Pittsburgh." One in a series of dozens of photos taken of the three men in a WW2 poster after they decided to get together. View full size. Medium format negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information.

May 1942. Parris Island, South Carolina. "Marine lieutenant glider pilot in training at Page Field." A smilier version of the airman seen here. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size.

May 1942. Parris Island, South Carolina. "Marine lieutenant glider pilot in training at Page Field." View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency: Alfred Palmer.

October 1942. Kansas City, Kansas. "B-25 bomber plane at North American Aviation being hauled along an outdoor assembly line." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information.

February 1942. "Casting a billet from an electric furnace, Chase Brass and Copper Co., Euclid, Ohio. Modern electric furnaces speeding the production of brass and other copper alloys for national defense. Here the molten metal is poured or cast from the tilted furnace into a mold to form a billet. The billet later is worked into rods, tubes, wires or special shapes for a variety of uses." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information.

June 1942. "M-3 tanks in action. Fort Knox, Kentucky." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information.

December 1941. "Treads for Army halftracks, made of rubber firmly bonded to steel members, are cured under heat and pressure in molds which are first sprayed with a lubricant. Goodrich tire plant, Akron, Ohio." View full size. 4x5 nitrate negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information.

February 1942. "Synthetic rubber (Ameripol). Worker standing on blowdown tank, ready to tap polymerizer tank at the Akron, Ohio, synthetic rubber plant of the B.F. Goodrich Co." View full size. 4x5 nitrate negative by Alfred Palmer.

June 1942. Crane operator at Tennessee Valley Authority's Douglas Dam. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the OWI. View full size.

October 1942. Long Beach, California. "Women are trained to do precise and vital engine installation detail in Douglas Aircraft Co. plants." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information.

December 1941. White Motor Company, Cleveland. "Halftrac scout cars ready for the Army except for the addition of certain pieces of Army equipment. The cars as they stand in the yard of a Midwest manufacturer are ready for combat duty." View full size. 4x5 negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information.

December 1941. "The ordnance department must satisfy itself that every halftrac scout car turned over to it by a Midwest manufacturer is fit for Army duty. The department's own inspector gives it a thorough going over from bumper to bumper. White Motor Company, Cleveland, Ohio." View full size. 4x5 nitrate negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information.

December 1941. B.F. Goodrich factory at Akron. "Treads for Army halftracks, fresh from the curing press of a large Ohio tire plant. Grooves are buffed on the ends of the track section." View full size. 4x5 nitrate negative by Alfred Palmer.

Another selection from the LOC archives of Alfred Palmer's strikingly composed large-format black-and-white transparencies shot in December 1941 at factories in Akron and Cleveland. White Motor Company, Cleveland, Ohio. "Halftrac scout cars. Putting precision-made pistons assemblies into precision-made cylinders is a job that fits this former auto worker. The engine will be the power plant of an Army halftrac scout car. The Midwest plant that is turning it out has trained American automotive workers for every job on the line." View full size. 4x5 nitrate negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information.