Defense

Defense, manufactured by Genco in January 1942, is a single-player, flipperless electro-mechanical (EM) pinball machine with a military, naval, and patriotic World War II theme — fitting for its release just weeks after the U.S. entered the war. Some references list this game as 'Defence.'

As a flipperless machine, gameplay relies on skillful plunging and the layout of targets and bumpers rather than flipper-controlled shots, consistent with pinball design conventions before the flipper's introduction later in the decade. The backglass measures 22 by 20 inches and features bold, patriotic imagery typical of wartime-themed machines.

Little is documented about the machine's designer or specific ruleset, but its wartime theme and flipperless design make it a notable artifact of early-1940s pinball, produced during a period when many manufacturers shifted toward patriotic and military subject matter.