Mauldin, Bill. 1944. Up Front. New York, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Review by Michael Beach
The author severed in the US Army during WWII. In that time, he was assigned to the army periodical Stars and Stripes as a cartoonist. The focus of his cartoons was the war experience as seen through the lens of the ‘doggies’ meaning the average front line infantryman. His two consistent characters are Willie and Joe. They are referred to as doggies because of their constant dog face expression from the weariness of war. The book shares some of his more notable cartoons and the stories behind them.
Along with the experiences that inspired his drawings, Mauldin explains many of the attitudes and perceptions of the enlisted soldiers, officers, Italian and French citizens, the partisans, and German soldiers taken prisoner. Mauldin directly interacted with all of these groups. His wit is at times stinging, at times good natured. His editors seemed to always support him, but ‘the brass’ sometimes took umbrage.
My favorite comes near the end of the book. The troops he was with had advanced into the Alps. One soldier sits on a rock near a very attractive local girl. Another soldier stands nearby. The seated soldier has his head in his hands and laments, “I ast her to teach me to yodel. She taught me to yodel.” He was obviously hoping for something else.
Mauldin does a good job of explaining differences between the frontline ‘doggies’ and so many others he encountered who didn’t face the daily stress of direct warfare. He is fair, though. Not all the frontline heroes are heroes, and not all those serving behind the fighting are villains. As you might guess there are plenty of humorous anecdotes throughout. The last few pages seem more serious. He walks the reader through a time when he was ready to rotate statewide. In the interim, he spends time at a field hospital. He notes several characters from doctors, to medics, their wry humor and dedication to treating wounded soldiers over extended periods.
I found the work both entertaining and insightful. I think it fair to say the sort of experiences Bill Mauldin documents are probably not unique to the particular war he was involved in.
Review by Michael Beach
The author severed in the US Army during WWII. In that time, he was assigned to the army periodical Stars and Stripes as a cartoonist. The focus of his cartoons was the war experience as seen through the lens of the ‘doggies’ meaning the average front line infantryman. His two consistent characters are Willie and Joe. They are referred to as doggies because of their constant dog face expression from the weariness of war. The book shares some of his more notable cartoons and the stories behind them.
Along with the experiences that inspired his drawings, Mauldin explains many of the attitudes and perceptions of the enlisted soldiers, officers, Italian and French citizens, the partisans, and German soldiers taken prisoner. Mauldin directly interacted with all of these groups. His wit is at times stinging, at times good natured. His editors seemed to always support him, but ‘the brass’ sometimes took umbrage.
My favorite comes near the end of the book. The troops he was with had advanced into the Alps. One soldier sits on a rock near a very attractive local girl. Another soldier stands nearby. The seated soldier has his head in his hands and laments, “I ast her to teach me to yodel. She taught me to yodel.” He was obviously hoping for something else.
Mauldin does a good job of explaining differences between the frontline ‘doggies’ and so many others he encountered who didn’t face the daily stress of direct warfare. He is fair, though. Not all the frontline heroes are heroes, and not all those serving behind the fighting are villains. As you might guess there are plenty of humorous anecdotes throughout. The last few pages seem more serious. He walks the reader through a time when he was ready to rotate statewide. In the interim, he spends time at a field hospital. He notes several characters from doctors, to medics, their wry humor and dedication to treating wounded soldiers over extended periods.
I found the work both entertaining and insightful. I think it fair to say the sort of experiences Bill Mauldin documents are probably not unique to the particular war he was involved in.
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