WORLD WAR II: Anti-Axis Cartoons
by Walt Reed

From the outset of America's entry into World War II with the attack at Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war on the U.S. by Hitler and Mussolini, Americans responded with an outrage and a determination to protect themselves and to defeat the aggressors. An unprepared country had to enlist the support of every segment of society to change from a civilian to military footing as quickly as possible.

Among the earliest and most persuasive voices to galvanize public support for the war efforts were the editorial cartoonists for the nation's newspapers.

Whatever the paper's political bias had been before the war, their staff artists were now free to use their brush and ink to promote the common national cause, and perhaps no group was more effective in focusing attention on the day-by day news events, with exposures of Nazi propaganda, Axis victory claims, treaties made or broken and progress or setbacks on the various fronts.

Oscar Cesare, Daniel Fitzpatrick and Rollin Kirby were all regulars who made strong and pithy pictorial statements for the editorial pages. Some particularly devastating caricatures were made by Arthur Szyk, a Polish refugee, whose highly detailed distortions made the Axis partners convincingly malevolent. Saul Steinberg, another political refugee, from Romania via Italy, Portugal, and Central America was able to escape with documents of his own forging, and he also skewered the Axis leaders.

In another group were the gag cartoonists, including Peter Arno, Charles Addams, Garrett Price, Gregory D'Alessio, Alan Dunn and Syd Hoff who lampooned the enemy. Many of the cartoonists inducted into the Armed Services were assigned to the staffs of Stars and Stripes or Yank and other service publications. They contributed to morale through their humor when there was little else to laugh about. John Groth served as a war correspondent, illustrator and cartoonist, sometimes venturing even beyond the front and was among the first to meet up with Russian troops in Germany. Private Dave Breger created a special comic strip for Yank under his pseudonym, "G.I. Joe", thereby adding that term to the national vocabulary. Gregory D'Alessio was Chairman of the Committee on War Cartoons, co-ordinating cartoonist's contributions to the war effort in addition to making his own submissions.

This exhibit is made possible thanks to his efforts and the co-operation of his wife, talented cartoonist Hilda Terry. All these endeavors and many more not represented here played an important role in boosting public morale and reinforced the national will to win the war. This exhibit serves as a distilled sampling of their talent and collective dedication.

© 2005 Walt Reed
Illustration House
NYC