The ad above was published in Life magazine in 1943. It's genuine, one of a series of six that the Cannon Towel Co. placed on the inside back cover of Life during 1943 and 1944.
We subscribed to the magazine at the time, and even as a child of nine and ten, I enjoyed reading Life and looking at the pictures. I must have seen the ad, but I don't remember. Here's a link to another of the ads. Ebay has more. The picture above is the most "graphic" of the ads I've seen.
I read what I could of the description, and the picture shows Pacific Islander boys demonstrating to the GIs how to bathe safely in crocodile-infested waters using nets to keep the crocs out. There you have it. Cannon towels - "Durable for the duration".
Thanks to Lapin for the picture.
