Now were these sets military or just civilian?
On June 12, 1943, the War Production Board (WPB) published Order E-6 limiting production of all hand service tools to manufacturers with Defense Priority A-10 or higher. On September 3, 1943, the WPB published Order L-216 prohibiting sales of many types of hand service tools (including wrenches) on the commercial market. These successively harsher actions came at the same time as the most intense steel drives, where the WPB would go from town to town rounding up old tools to re-smelt. All these measures were taken to conserve steel for war efforts. If your set was made in early 1945, I would say the chances of them being civilian market were almost nil. If they were late 1945, they could be civilian market, and perhaps Wright had not yet lined up their plating subcontracts or sold them as economy line tools.
According to the Civilian Production Agency War Supply Contracts Lists, a book published by the WPB in 1946 listing all wartime contracts in excess of $50,000 in value, Wright had four contracts with the USAAF from 1941 to 1944 worth a total of $1,669,000. They also had a contract with the Ordnance Dept from 1943 to 1944 worth $148,000.
The most common Ordnance Dept mechanic's kit had fourteen (14) 1/2-drive sockets. They did purchase other sets for other applications. What are the socket sizes? I will check some Ordnance Dept Supply Catalogs I have tomorrow for other set configurations.
I am not a USAAF collector so I can't help you there.
Op fantastic set good job!
