Oerlikon 20mm WW II ammo board

[72 usmc]

I missed this at a local antique store. It is from the West Bend, Wi kettle factory that switched over to ammo production during WW II. The West Bend Company was known in the state of WI for years for its fine kettle ware. This hung in the office till the factory closed and is shown in the 75th anniversary book of the factory. It was sold for $250. I was a day late and more than a few dollars short.

The West Bend Company was a West Bend, Wisconsin company from 1911 to 2001. The West Bend Company manufactured aluminum cookware and electrical appliances, but also made two-stroke cycle engines including outboard boat motors. Art Ingels used a surplus West Bend engine to power the first kart.[citation needed] Clayton Jacobson II used a West Bend 2-stroke motor to power the first stand-up Jet Ski. The engine division of West Bend was sold to Chrysler, then to Brunswick, and finally to USMotor.

The Zero killer
http://www.guns.com/2013/04/17/the-oerl ... ze-killer/

[72 usmc]

more photos: HEADSTAMP is: WB 1944

[indy1919a4]

That is one hell on a unique item, May I ask how it sold??? & when.... Beautiful item..

[72 usmc]

The guy who purchased it is a local collector of West Bend marked advertizing pieces and walked into the antique shop one day prior to my visit and bought it as marked $250. He did not have all the cash so it was on a 3 day sort of layaway and still in the shop so I was at least able to take a few pictures of it. While nice, the most I could come up with is $100 so it was way beyond what I was willing to pay. This board has two screw hole marks and a slight ghost image of a complete cartridge that was screwed on at the two holes you see. It is missing. The one in the Plant Annv. book had no holes and no cartridge above it like the one at the antique shop; so I am thinking there are at least two known boards. I would venture to say not more than 10 or so were made for the big shots at the company. But that is pure speculation. This was purchased from a local former retired guy that worked at the West Bend plant during the 1950s-1980s last week, and it sold in one day. This was photographed by me on Thu last week. It sold on 14 March 2018. Anything marked with the local small towns name and store/factory sell fast. Likewise old town post card views of the town sell ASAP. If it was a Menomonee Falls, WI piece I would have really been bummed.

[gabe]

Man, that is an exceptional piece right there! It always amazes me the different type of factories that switched over to help out with the war effort.