1944.02.20 “A.E.F.”
by Louis T Jamme (1913- 1949)
10.75 x 14.5 in.
Coppola Collection
Louis Jamme was a cartoonist for the New Yorker , The Saturday Evening Post, Esquire, and Colliers. He attended the California School of Arts and Crafts in Oakland from 1928 to 1931.
The American Expeditionary Force was the U.S. armed forces that were sent to fight in Europe during World War 1. It was the first time in the history of America that the U.S. sent troops abroad to help defend other countries. The AEF was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of Gen. John J. Pershing.
The AEF appeared later in WW2, as the US and British armies combined forces to take the war onto German territory. General Eisenhower was notified on December 10, 1943 that he had been appointed Commander of SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force), and this was announced jointly by the US and Britain on Christmas Eve. The former joint organization, COSSAC, formally changed its name to SHAEF on January 15, 1944. SHAEF was not officially activated, however, until February 13, 1944.
It’s a lovely and haunting image of the shadow of the AEF being cast across the plans of Nazi Germany.
