Bill Mauldin - WWII Cartoon - Bloody Ridge, Sicily, Italy - 1943
Artist: Bill Mauldin (All)
5 Comments - 7,805 Views - 1 Like
Additional Images:
45th Division News - September 1, 1943 - Bloody Ridge
Bill Mauldin - Bloody Ridge - Printed - October 17, 1943
Artwork Details
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DescriptionBill Maudlin drew this piece within a month of arriving into the Mediterranean Theater. Mauldin had already witnessed some of the horrors of war at the beach landings, but the battle of Hill 335 -- better known as "Bloody Ridge" -- was the bloodiest, and scarred Mauldin for life. Soldiers from the 45th Division struggled to take the mountain, pulling and cajoling supply-carrying donkeys upward, as the Germans fired at them from already entrenched nearby positions. The terrain was so rugged that many of the donkeys collapsed and died in mid-journey. The Allied Forces eventually took the mountain, but at great cost, which caused Mauldin to question what he was doing with a pen instead of a gun. At far as I can tell, this is Mauldin's earliest-surviving reportage or field drawing during WWII.Mauldin sketched furiously during this battle, trying to capture the action. This ink drawing, simply titled "Bloody Ridge", is one of the pieces from that period. There is no caption, nor does it need one. Stateside, the piece appeared in the Daily Oklahoman, which did note the odd lack of a funny caption. The piece initially appeared in the September 1, 1943 issue of Mauldin's division's publication, the 45th Division News. The drawing was accompanied by a long article, outlining what was going on at the time. There is a good description of Bloody Ridge. The drawing also appeared, along with cartoons by Mauldin from the 45th Division News, in Mauldin's self-published "Sicily Sketch Book", of which he printed two runs, totaling 17,000 copies. He printed the book for two reasons: the 45th Division News had run up a hefty printing bill while in Sicily, and Mauldin's first child had been born stateside. He sold enough copies to cover the printing bill and send $2000.00 home to his wife. He also made himself something of a household name among the "dogfaces" in the Army. It would be a little less than a year before Mauldin would hit his mature style, trading in his pen for a brush. But you can already see how he's starting to achieve mass in the figures in forms, giving them substance and weight. Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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Kevin Warzecha 
Member Since 2006
Posted on 2/3/2013
Magnificent. Incredibly alive and in the moment!
Alex Johnson
Member Since 2006
Forum Moderator
Posted on 1/11/2014
Amazing work. One can't say enough about Mauldin's eye and ability to execute what he saw. Thanks for sharing. BTW, have you ever seen Nick Cardy's drawings from WWII from Nick Cardy, Artist at War. Lots of images on Google.
Rob Stolzer
Member Since 2004
Posted on 1/11/2014
Alex Johnson wrote:
Amazing work. One can't say enough about Mauldin's eye and ability to execute what he saw. Thanks for sharing. BTW, have you ever seen Nick Cardy's drawings from WWII from Nick Cardy, Artist at War. Lots of images on Google.Thanks Alex. I'll have to look for Nick's book.
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