Steinway & Sons receives the contract with the War Production Board to build 405 Victory Verticals (also known as ODGI – “Olive Drab Government Issue” field piano) – the military versions of the 40-inch Pianino, with no legs, celluloid keys, and soft iron instead of copper wire around the steel bass strings. A Victory Vertical looks like a box with a shelf sticking out, and ships in a heavy-duty wooden crate, containing also a tuning kit, a maintenance manual, spare parts, and sheet music, ranging from church hymns to jazz. The Victory Verticals contract is the idea and the personal accomplishment of Steinway & Sons’ head of sales, Roman de Majewsky, who has persuaded the War Production Board to order the military pianos. Thus, the organization that has nearly destroyed Steinway & Sons as a piano manufacturing company, has become instrumental in saving it. (Another order for 800 more Victory Verticals will soon follow – see the corresponding february 1, 1944 entry. By the end of production, the total of 2000 Victory Verticals will be sold.)