1944.02.16 "Staying with Him" by Paul R Carmack

1944.02.16 “Staying with Him”
by Paul R Carmack (1895-1977)
11.3 x 15 in., crayon and ink on board
Coppola Collection

Paul Carmack was a staff cartoonist for the Christian Science Monitor.

This is not Hitler-the-man, not German national identity, rather this is the ideological enemy itself, Naziism. And Naziism is under physical restraint, which is a strong and reassuring claim in February 1944.

Italy is the place where Naziism is in the grasp of the Allied forces, where there is direct contact with Nazi-controlled Europe.

Following the Anzio landings on January 22, the beachhead was holding but stalled. The grip is not the same as the defeat, and the attempt to keep Europe is still a real threat.

Italy gives the Allies their first solid grip on Nazi Europe. It may be slow and painful, but now that we’re holding on, Naziism can’t shake us off. This is a message of reassurance to Americans in mid-February 1944, when Anzio looked bloody, static, and uncertain.