FM-2 firing blanks on War Bond drive ...

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7821

... or are they blanks?

A prize for anyone who can accurately locate where this photo was taken. It may surprise you.

Steve Rice · **Joined:** Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:23 pm **Posts:** 22

Hmm? Where have I seen that water fountain before?

marine air · **Posted:** Wed Jul 08, 2020 9:59 pm

Detroit downtown airport?

Pogmusic · **Posted:** Thu Jul 09, 2020 6:40 am

Blanks? Unless they are using blank adapters or blank barrels that I don't see, they are live. Look at the people, they aren't looking at the aircraft, they are looking down range. Could it be at Chicago Lakefront or some other airport along a waterbody?

mike furline · **Joined:** Wed May 05, 2004 3:45 pm **Posts:** 2635

Guard tower and tall walls, a prison?

Jim MacDonald · **Posted:** Thu Jul 09, 2020 8:56 am

The minuteman flag signifies that over 90% of the workmen place 10% of their wages into war bonds & the banner on the building says "Let's finish the job!. I'm thinking an aircraft factory, considering the plane is an FM-2 probably a GM factory. The back wall does give it a prison look, but there are semaphores by the wall & everybody on the wall look to be sailors & I don't see any civilians. So now, it appears I'm talking myself out of the factory. Interesting.

Portsmouth Naval Prison?

Mac

Dan Jones · **Posted:** Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:20 am

I'd love to see this happen now. Imagine the hysteria...

AG pilot · **Joined:** Sat Sep 24, 2011 9:13 am **Posts:** 553

It does look very Navy oriented. I also might see a Marine Corps flag next to the Minuteman flag.

I am going with a Frigidaire factory where they possibly made the M2's mounted in the Wildcat, and the Oerlikon cannons that seem to be pedestal mounted near the right wing.

Second guess is Patuxent River NAS.

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11324

AG pilot wrote:

I am going with a Frigidaire factory where they made the M2's mounted in the Wildca

Kelsey-Hayes also built M2s. They built wheels for GM and others.

menards · **Joined:** Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:46 pm **Posts:** 543

It looks like New York City to me. I know they had a Wildcat on display in Columbus Circle during the war.

Clifford Bossie · **Posted:** Fri Jul 10, 2020 11:17 am

I am pretty sure it is Navy Pier in Chicago:

AG pilot · **Joined:** Sat Sep 24, 2011 9:13 am **Posts:** 553

Looks like it!

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7821

Grand Prize Winner!!

Clifford

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11324

That makes great sense. The two Lake Michigan carriers were based at Navy Pier as I recall.

Clifford Bossie · **Posted:** Fri Jul 10, 2020 4:01 pm

bdk wrote:

That makes great sense. The two Lake Michigan carriers were based at Navy Pier as I recall.

They did indeed. This was the first photo I found in a quick search:

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FM-2 firing blanks on War Bond drive ...

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