LIFE and Times: Rolls-Royce Merlin Aircraft Engine Production

This second photo collection unearthed by PPG volunteer Richard Mayer is an impressive reminder that the Packard Motor Car Company assisted in the manufacture of aircraft engines during the 1940s. Including nearly two hundred images, these photographs depict the manufacture of the Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engines. Mayer discovered “a couple exterior shots of the new buildings that Packard built at the plant site,” which were specifically designed for use in facilitating the engines’ construction.

Documentary photographer Bernard Hoffman took these images in 1941. Notably, Hoffman became the first American photographer to capture the aftermath of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945. After leaving LIFE Magazine in 1951, Hoffman developed Bernard Hoffman Laboratories to focus on making improvements to professional photographic technology.

These images remind us that Packard not only made people’s lives easier through high-quality luxury vehicles. It also helped to create well-functioning, reliable aircrafts to aid in the war effort. During the 1940s, this was a high calling indeed. We’re grateful to Google Arts & Culture for preserving the company’s involvement in its efforts to keep American airmen safe.