1939.09.05 “Three Rabbits”
by Robert S E Coram [Maroc] (1900-ca 1980s)
12.5 x 10.5 in., pen and ink on art board
Coppola Collection
Robert S. E. Coram was a British cartoonist, who signed his work Maroc. He was the son of Sydney Coram, a prominent advertising man, and attended St Dunstan’s School, Catford, London. He studied at Goldsmith’s College in the evening while working for a papermaking firm, then moved into advertisement canvassing before selling his first cartoon in 1936. From 1938 Coram was a regular contributor to Punch.
“Haven’t you heard? That’s the hero who brought back three rabbits yesterday.”
The cartoon deflates the overblown Nazi ceremony by juxtaposing the Iron Cross… a symbol of high valor… with a laughably trivial accomplishment: catching rabbits.
This cartoon directly references the Luftwaffe’s failed bombing campaign on September 1, 1939, a moment when German air power proved more theater than threat, making this cartoon a form of quiet British gloating in the earliest days of the war. Contemporary newspaper reports describe the day.
“Instead of the Luftwaffe massing its bombers … most of the aircraft stayed where they were, grounded by fog and morning mist. By midday, only 5 or 6 Gruppen had carried out their missions … only to find that the bulk of the Polish Air Force had dispersed.”
“Berlin newspapers and news bureaus … claimed Polish planes were destroyed on the ground … However, almost all Polish combat aircraft had been moved … The Luftwaffe did destroy a lot of planes on the ground … but they were mostly trainers, reconnaissance and transport aircraft … They hit Rakowice on Sept. 1, destroying 28 aircraft — almost all of them outdated airframes.”
“This became the pattern for the next few days; Luftwaffe bombers struck at airfields but destroyed relatively few … while German ground units soon began to advance … By September 5th, the Luftwaffe was running out of worthwhile targets.”
