The base model 3-speed New World / World / Racer bikes went through several iterations of forks. The base model fork initially had a sloping crown and came on the fillet brazed New Worlds. They bend fairly easily but care has to be taken when using the frame/fork arm tool on them because the blade tubes deform fairly easily. The crown is the easiest way to identify this fork - it's semi-flat and slopes gently down toward the outside edges. The blades are an oval profile.
The pre-war style sloping crown New World fork:
Schwinn was one of the bike companies that was not selected for extended wartime production, but in an appeal was granted the ability to complete bikes from leftover stocks of parts during the war. Contrary to popular notions, Schwinn produced a fair number of bikes from the remaining stocks during the war, including New World bikes (many under the B.F. Goodrich badge). It was early in the war that electro-forge welding came into use for the New World and the base model fork changed to a type with torpedo-shaped round tubular blades. These resemble the post-war forks but are a little wider and somewhat more crudely built. These also bend fairly easily, but the blades are somewhat more forgiving to straighten because they are round and do not deform when worked with the frame/fork arm as easily as the pre-war type fork.
War era wide torpedo tube fork:
After the war, the torpedo tube/blade type fork was refined further. It was narrowed a bit and had small indentations added for wheel clearance. These are similar to the war era forks in that they do get bent, but they can be straightened fairly easily with the frame/fork arm and some care. There are limits to how far you can re-bend, but it's a fairly heavy, workable steel fork. The 1948 New World would have this design as stock.
Post-war type torpedo tube fork with indentations:
Early in the 1950s, the fork was revised once again, with the indentations for wheel clearance made larger and running most of the way down the tubular blades. The handle otherwise like the late 1940s era forks. Early in the 1950s, the "New World" transitioned to being just the "World" model, and then the name was phased out entirely.
The "Racer" effectively became the base model later in the 50s. The Racer eventually received the flat ashtabula blade fork that Schwinn became famous for. They are heavy and have more flex side-to-side, though are fairly strong fore/aft and not overly hard to repair. They usually bend at the steerer tube, and one popular repair was to use a modified bumper jack (sometimes sold as the "Little Brute" straightener) type tool to push out the bend.
Originally the New World/Superior/Paramount line up were aimed at adult riders, with the vision being people using them for recreation or transportation was was done in Britain or Europe. It did not catch on as well as was hoped and eventually the marketing was more youth-oriented by the 1950s.