Up Front

by Bill Mauldin

"The real war," said Walt Whitman, "will never get in the books." During World War II, the truest glimpse most Americans got of the "real war" came through the flashing black lines of twenty-two-year-old infantry sergeant Bill Mauldin. Week after week, Mauldin defied army censors, German artillery, and Patton's pledge to "throw his ass in jail" to deliver his wildly popular cartoon, "Up Front," to the pages of Stars and Stripes. "Up Front" featured the wise-cracking Willie and Joe, whose stooped shoulders, mud-soaked uniforms, and pidgin of army slang and slum dialect bore eloquent witness to the world of combat and the men who lived—and died—in it.

This taut, lushly illustrated biography—the first of two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Bill Mauldin—is illustrated with more than ninety classic Mauldin cartoons and rare photographs. It traces the improbable career and tumultuous private life of a charismatic genius who rose to fame on his motto: "If it's big, hit it."

Genres: History, World War II, War, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Humor, Comics

228 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

William Henry "Bill" Mauldin was a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist from the United States. He was most famous for his World War II cartoons depicting American soldiers, as represented by the archetypal characters Willie and Joe. These cartoons were broadly published and distributed in the American army abroad and in the United States.

Reviews

[Joe Krakovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't need to be a history buff to understand the cartoons in this WWII classic, but sometimes it helps. One example is the two Americans hiding behind the bush as a German walks by with a bottle of booze. The one American says, "Don't startle 'I'm, Joe. It's almost full." In another cartoon a heartbroken soldier in a cavalry unit is about to shoot his broken down jeep with his pistol 'to put it out of it's misery' as if it were his trusty horse. If one understands the versatility of that little motor vehicle that was used in so many ways such as hauling mail and chow to the front and the wounded back one could see the attachment the American soldier had for the jeep in WWII. But not to worry, the author explains the story behind each of his cartoons which sometimes even makes it funnier.

One must understand the reason behind these little moral boosting jabs at not only the lowly infantryman,(who is always portrayed as dirty, hungry, and tired) but also the high ranking officers as well (who are always clean, well fed, and apparently far from danger). Bill Mauldin saw these men first hand, and heard their stories. He was not glamorizing war but in a way showing them how important they were for the cause they all believed in. Sharing their chow in muddy foxholes, he knew what their life was like and what their grips were. To Bill they were the unsung heroes who were vital to winning the war. They didn't receive the glamor of some others such as the pilots with their 'crushed' caps (from earphones, and thus signifying their veteran status). This is exemplified in the cartoon where the dirty, old, low ranking infantryman is greeted by the clean, teenage-looking bomber pilot officer who exclaims, "Uncle Willie!" Bill Mauldin did for the American combat infantryman what Dilbert's creator did for the lowly office worker hunkering down inside his cubicle.

At times he even made fun of the typical German soldier. In one scene a captured German infantryman is standing at attention as the American officer is interrogating him. Joe says to Willie, "Tell them prisoners to ack sloppier in front of th' lootenant. He might start getting ideas."

Bill Mauldin said that a real infantryman who has seen combat is a pacifist at heart. And he should know.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

For many Americans, Bill Mauldin’s cartoons are among the iconic images of the Second World War. His depiction of the two tired “doggies,” Willie and Joe, using their wry sense of humor to cope with life in the United States Army, embodied the experiences of thousands of American soldiers trudging through the fighting in Europe. This book, which originally was published while the war was still ongoing, offers a selection of Mauldin’s cartoons, which serve as the basis for the artist’s ruminations about the war and the men along whom he served.

This Mauldin does in a single rambling text that covers numerous aspects of his wartime experience. Much of this appears as an extended commentary on the cartoons he features, which offer a springboard into the thoughts he was trying to express in them. What comes across most clearly is his affection for the men on the front lines, whom he describes with enormous sympathy for the burdens they shouldered. Though he is more critical of the “brass hats,” the “garritroopers,” and the rear echelon personnel who were all too ready to share in the glory of war without the sacrifice, even then he avoids blanket stereotyping by noting the “good eggs” among their number.

It is clear from reading Mauldin’s book that it was written for the civilians at home who would have had little understanding of what their husbands, brothers, and sons were going through at the front. Yet it still rewards reading today for the glimpse it offers into the life of the G.I. In this sense it’s social history of the best kind: raw, immediate, and offered with more than just a touch of the lighter side of the experience of service. With combined with Mauldin’s legendary cartoons, this remains a wonderful read that anyone interested in the Second World War will enjoy.

[SheriC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating collection of Bill Mauldin’s cartoons, drawn while serving as an infantryman, then later as part of the press corps for the US Army in Europe during WWII. The cartoons are accompanied by the personal stories and recollections behind their inspiration and creation. These cartoons wouldn’t have made much sense to me, otherwise, having never served in the military or had family who served during WWII. He tells his stories with humor and empathy, but does not pull punches in describing the infantryman’s experience on the front lines of the war – fear and hunger and exhaustion and foxholes and trench foot and screaming meemie bombs and butterfly bombs and potato mashers. But he also speaks of courage and camaraderie and duty and brotherhood, the sort of commitment that keeps the men together and fighting their common enemy. And in this book, the common enemy is the German soldier, and Mauldin is explicit in describing the GI’s point of view.

Full review with quotes and examples of the cartoons on my Booklikes blog.

Hardcover edition, loaned to me by my father, who served during Korea. I read this for The 16 Tasks of the Festive Season: Square 3 November 11th. Book themes for Veterans Day/Armistice Day: Read a book involving veterans of any war, books about WWI or WWII (fiction or non-fiction). –OR– Read a book with poppies on the cover.

[Володимир Демченко · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Up Front» — книжка, в якій війна показана через втомлені очі двох простих піхотинців, Віллі і Джо. Під час Другої світової художник Білл Маулдін пройшов разом з піхотою Італію та Південь Франції і зобразив її такою як побачив: бородатою, брудною і смертельно зайобаною. Просто болото, голод, цигарки і сарказм як єдина розкіш яка лишилася у тебе від особистості. І ще — оця неймовірна гідність у дрібницях! Маулдін закоханий в піхоту по самі свої художні вінця.

Мені ця книжка зайшла не як артефакт з історії Другої світової, а тому що я таких Віллі і Джо сам бачив десятки і десятки. Тому впевнено можу сказати, що книга ця про щось універсально людське.

Особливо раджу ветеранам

[Arthur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by a US Army soldier and illustrator, and generally aimed for an audience of infantrymen. This is a firsthand account of the drudgery the American soldiers felt in Italy (and a tiny bit in France) during the second world war.

The author writes in a conversational style as if he is speaking straight to you, in a matter of fact manner. There are no chapters, the book is woven in a way where the author discusses a particular subject and has an illustration he made related to it present on the same page. In truth the illustration was made first (and featured in Stars and Stripes) and the author essentially gives the reader a backstory for how each of comic was inspired. This is done in a manner that doesn't draw attention to this occurring.

It's a nice snapshot into the mindsets of American (some small mentions of British, Canadian and German as well) troops at the front- the ironies they faced, the things that bothered them, the things they couldn't help but chuckle at, etc. It was a pleasant read.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novel. Written by a comic artist who went to war, we get his version of the war, from a soldiers point of view and also from the point of view of a comedian. His stories were so... readable. I couldn't put it down. I'm not the type to read a war story but he made it entertaining and interesting. I have recommended this book to everyone I know. It's a great, great novel.

[Thomas Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up Front, Bill Mauldin (1921-2003), 1945, reissued 1968, 228 pages, Dewey 940.549

Mauldin drew cartoons of men able to fight a ruthless war against ruthless enemies, and still grin at themselves. p. 5. Nobody who has seen this war can be cute about it while it's going on. p. 7. They need people telling about them so that they will be taken back into their civilian lives and given a chance to be themselves again. p. 8. So far there are only a few hundred thousand (out of 8 million) American soldiers who have lived through misery, suffering, and death for endless 168-hour weeks. Their only ambition will be to forget the war. pp. 10-11, 16. They simply need bosses who will give them a little time to adjust their minds and their hands, and women who are faithful to them, and friends and families who stay by them until they are the same guys who left years ago. p. 11. No normal man who has smelled and associated with death wants to see any more of it. The surest way to become a pacifist is to join the infantry. p. 14. Because they are fundamentally democratic the insignia on the shoulders of their officers sometimes look a hell of a lot like chips. p. 16. The mail is by far the most important reading matter that reaches soldiers overseas. p. 23. It's very hard to compose a letter that will pass the censors when you are tired and scared and disgusted with everything that's happening. p. 24. Like many others, I've been able to follow my kid's progress from the day he was born until now he is able to walk and talk a little, and although I have never seen him I know him very well. pp. 24-25, 215.

I'm sure Europe never got this muddy during peacetime. p. 35. I tried shaving Willie, but he didn't look right. p. 40. I wish I could've written this book during my first six months overseas, when everything was new and vivid. Now, war is routine. pp. 40-41. Look at an infantryman's eyes and you can tell how much war he has seen. p. 42. If he looks with dull, uncomprehending eyes at the fresh-faced kid who is talking about the joys of battle and killing Germans, then he comes from the same infantry as Willie and Joe. p. 43. The never-ending monotony of years of bad weather and wet clothes and no mail, sends as many men to the psych wards as does battle fatigue. p. 47. You can't have friends killed without hating the men who did it. p. 50. Gregor Duncan, one of the finest artists I've known, was killed at Anzio making sketches for Stars and Stripes. p 57.

In American towns during training, the size of the military-police force was determined by how much the locals tried to gyp us. We are swindled everywhere. p. 73.

I told the aide the drawings would be finished in a couple of days. It actually took fifteen minutes, but you can't afford to let people know you can work fast. p. 81.

The army sent only enough new clothing for the men in the foxholes. Because of rear-echelon pilfering, thousands of men at the front shivered in the mud and rain while guys at the rear wore combat clothes in warm offices. p. 137.

He stayed on that muddy embankment six days and nights in freezing rain, with his eyes open for German patrols, until his pneumonia got so bad his buddies were afraid he would die or his coughing would tip off the Germans to his position, so they made him come to the aid station. p. 218.

"Were you at the front?" "No. I was 300 yards behind it."

For a view from the combattants who had the worst of WWII--the Soviets--see /The Unwomanly Face of War/ by Svetlana Alexeivich: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've got a first edition of this book owned by my Grandfather, dated 1945. Due to his age he was not in the military during World War II. But his next door neighbor was ten or so years younger than he and had been a U.S. Army infantry sergeant in the European Theater from the invasion of North Africa until the war ended. So it was him I associated with Mauldin's drawings.

When I was a kid the book fascinated me, mostly because it reprinted the cartoons Mauldin had drawn for Stars and Stripes, the Army's official news publication distributed to its soldiers in the field.

The drawings were for and about the front-line soldiers, usually wry depictions of the war as they experienced it. Consequently some of the cartoons seemed like in-jokes - I could see where the humor was headed but it still went over my head. But something about Mauldin's depictions of the "dogfaces" captivated me - and reminded me of my Grandfather's neighbor. I knew he had been involved in serious front-line combat in several campaigns. He had a million stories about the war, but they were usually incidental to the fighting itself, and usually funny. And he told them with the same kind of resigned, wise-ass humor that characterized many of Mauldin's drawings.

I didn't actually read the body text until I was a teenager. It is interesting reading about the soldier's attitudes and experiences, but Mauldin's real talent was in the drawings.

[Ensiform · Rating 4 out of 5]

The famous WWII cartoonist’s book about the life of a “dogface.” Written in 1944 when Mauldin was still a sergeant stationed in France, and liberally decorated with his cartoons, it’s an eye-opening look at how front-line soldiers feel, think and act. Mauldin’s a terrific reporter as well as a cartoonist; this is a valuable time capsule of the “Greatest Generation.” The last few pages in particular, in which Mauldin witnesses two medics assisting a boy who’s been grievously wounded, are stirring and moving. It’s a quick read, told in simple style, but disarmingly wise.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a semi-humorous work about the war.

The cartoons are indeed funny, sometimes with an edge, but the text of the work is about the army life in World War II. Ranges all over. How the men in the army didn't hate the Germans until they got there, and never got passion the Europeans did -- though there were some who did (he cites an exiled German), and some who just loved the fighting (whose peacetime occupations were swamp hunter and mafia bodyguard). Dugouts and barns (especially the hay). How to tell how a town was taken. Mules used for transportation of supplies. The problems with the front. Drinking, and why handing out a ration would be much better. Interactions with civilians, down to the guy pacing in front of the medic's station just like in a maternity ward. Scrounging. Officer/men interactions, and non-coms. And much more.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute gem, and written by a cartoonist

[Miles Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent little book written by the premier American cartoonist of WW2, Sgt. Bill Mauldin. It's a combination of selections from his famous "Willie & Joe" cartoon strip, and text commentary about both the strips and his experiences as a working cartoonist during the later period of the war, after he had stopped being an infantryman and become a full-time cartoonist for the 45th Infantry Division newspaper and later, "Stars & Stripes." It's an easy read (took me two days), yet makes a strong and vivid impression. Mauldin was a competent writer who understood what life was like for what we'd call "grunts" today, and he wasn't shy about communicating ugly and unromantic truths, at a time when America preferred to think of its soldiery as knights in shining armor.

Willie and Joe were Mauldin's everyman creations, meant to represent all U.S. infantrymen everywhere. And they did. They were dirty, disgusting, tired, profane, cynical, sarcastic, miserable, guys who looked 20 years older than they were, and just wanted to make it out of the meatgrinder alive. Their comic strips are not only marvelous snapshots of the mentality of the G.I.'s during the war, but also, at times, incredibly subversive. There is a great deal of sarcasm and bitterness toward officers, the military police, civilians, foreigners, the Air Force, generals, stupid Army policies, you name it. It's actually a testament to the principles of democracy that a lot of these strips were even printed, and I'd bet any amount of money most of them haven't dated. Take a "dogface" from 1944 and a "grunt" from 2018 and aside from the equipment, I doubt much has changed. Which is why Mauldin is as relevant today as he was then.

[Eric Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a tour de force!

This book reads like telegrams from the front lines of World War Two. The author, a twice-Pulitzer-Prizer winner and twenty-three years old, creates stunning woodcut-like cartoons about the average American soldier's experience in combat in Europe.

Details matter; subjects can seem odd (socks as a prized gift), and the look is disheveled, unwashed, unshaven, haggard young men having the worst time of their life.

The cartoons were published in Stars and Stripes, the army's newspaper and the GIs loved them, the brass less so. They show the truth about what the war was really like: long stretches of boredom interspersed with episodes of terror.

My copy, which I found used, was published in 1945, before the war was over. It is on thin newsprint-like paper, which makes it seem even more urgent and timely.

The writing style is first-person, intimate, confessional, amusing, and intended for soldiers. It is unique, in my experience, where the subject, illustrations (incredible), and writing mesh into one flawless document recording the agony of war from up close.

Beyond recommended.

[Dallas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up for $1 at a community sale without even knowing why. Surprise...one of the most enjoyable books I have read in quite a while.

Bill Mauldin picked a couple hundred of his favorite cartoons from his years at "Stars & Stripes" during WWII, then wrote a bit about how each was conceived, though usually he just wrote down what he actually saw at the front in Italy and France. He often got into trouble with the Army brass over his unflattering depictions of officers (Patton hated the cartoons...Eisenhower reportedly had to intervene on Mauldin's behalf), but the soldiers loved him.

An essential companion/precursor to "Catch-22", "M.A.S.H", etc.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book--my copy is from 1945 and says 3rd printing before publication--and Mauldin, a cartoonist for Stars and Stripes during WWII--and only 22 years old when he went over, has always piqued my curiosity but I had never gone through it cover to cover. My dad was in France during WWII. He was an engineer, which means he may not have suffered ALL the privations the infantry and front line soldiers did but even so, I know it was not a picnic for him. And he never really wanted to talk about the grittier aspects. Mauldin's basic text and the cartoons bring the war home in a way that a more academic book does not.

[Steve Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m pretty sure I read this around 46 years ago when I was a teenager in Hawaii. My dad was publisher of the Honolulu Star Bulletin, and he took me to a talk by Bill Mauldin. I got to meet him, shake his hand, and get his autograph. He was still boyish in his fifties.

The book is well written, funny, poignant. Mauldin, along with Ernie Pyle, got into the foxholes with the American soldier. They both told America about him and his sacrifice. Mauldin did it with pictures, but shows here he had the ability to do it with words.

This is a great book.

[P.J. Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a cartoonist, I know how hard it is to draw a good cartoon. Bill Mauldin drew these gems while following an army in the thick of World War II. An amazing feat! His Willie and Joe are classic stereotypes. He presents their plight as it was, muddy, grimy, unglamorous. His own living conditions were probably not much better.

[Steve Rufle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my Dad's book. A WWII Vet who passed who passed 10 years ago this coming April. While he never spoke about his experiences, maybe he did go through some of what Bill Mauldin wrote and drew about. This was an excellent quick read, in "doggies" view of the war. Thanks Bill and Dad.

[Lion · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He loves to go on patrol, all alone, with a rifle, a Luger pistol, a knife, plenty of ammunition, and half a dozen grenades hung to his belt by their safety rings, so he can pluck them and throw them like ripe tomatoes. The fact that hanging grenades by their rings is not a good way to live to a respectable old age doesn't bother him at all."

This was the first book I read because it was suggested by someone I follow on Goodreads, after adding lots of people who liked books I like; and it was a neat find. The sentences from back then are calming to read. It must be something about their brains being less flippy, and/or the writer just having been through a very humbling experience, not to mention several years of what amounts to mandatory mental calmness practice.

The Americans didn't have their logistical fairness in order. Important gear didn't reach the people up front, who actually did the fighting and needed it the most, because the people who were closer to the supply lines took it. The good shoes were worn by the truck drivers and the clerks further back, while the guys who fought and were in danger of getting trench foot had to make due with older, lower quality gear. And then the rear echelon people would bang up their shoes with rocks and tear their uniforms to look cool to get the local women. By contrast, the book mentions that German soldiers would volunteer for more dangerous assignments, because the people up front got better food. When captured they would complain about the rations they were getting, because they couldn't believe American soldiers would eat this badly. This can be sensed in the much used term 'dogface' for infantry soldiers, which has a strong connotation of not being very well treated. The American Army seems to have been a place where everybody exploited their status to get perks, and everything unpleasant flowed downwards to the people who had the least ability to status wrangle. Stuff like officers putting tents over their latrines while enlisted men have to get wet, and any nice dwelling immediately being put off limits to the people who liberated it for use by the high brass, would get you pretty mad if you are the guy actually risking your life. Units seem to have been 'forgotten' in very bad situations, with little supply or replacement, because of a general hierarchical uncaringness with whoever drew the bad luck of getting stuck out there. That it tended to be the same units doing very dangerous activity, because that just happened to be the most convenient for planners, was a sense I already got from reading Band of Brothers.

There's just something messed up about sneaking up to some 20-year-olds foxhole with nobody else around and rolling a grenade in there so he gets all torn up. It has something uncannily personal and unneccesary about it, unlike fighting in a line with 100 other guys shooting at 100 enemies.

[Henry Luecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was lucky to find a first edition in poor but readable shape. Very poignant depiction of war from the time period. Stark detail of every day life captured here, details that may not be found in memoirs postwar. I personally appreciated (presumably at the time of writing) the nearly inconsequential anecdotes and commentary of ordinary things and technical explanations of the day to day lives of common soldiers. I found the commentary regarding the liberated French vs. Italians particularly and surprising believable based on my modern day personal experiences.

[MisterFweem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review is here:

https://misterfweem.blogspot.com/2018...

[Bert van der Vaart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique view into WWII from the cartoonist for the Stars and Stripes. Mauldin joined the war effort in 1940 at the age of 19 and stayed with the enlisted men for the entire European campaign. His identification with the "dogfaces"--the ordinary enlisted men--was thus authentic. Mauldin's cartoons examine virtually all aspects of military service, especially on the front. He made a key distinction between officers who understood that their men needed respect and the feeling that they fought for their men's living conditions in what was often horrendous conditions--and against pompous officers who effectively "used" their men towards career enhancement, or tried to.

One example was his description of of officers and men at the rear for the US ate warm food while the men "up front" had to do with lousy K rations--Mauldin contrasted this with the far better food German soldiers in Italy had when the US military overran the German positions, and how German officers at the rear apparently had more ordinary food.

Some of the cartoons need explanation as to the context, and Mauldin's writing is effective and useful in this respect. Overall, the book is a useful reminder of what it took from men at the front to win WWII, and the difficulty of expressing this to the politicians and family relatives "back home."

[Bonnie_blu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Countless books have been written about WWII, but almost all of them concern its history, battles, leading individuals, and equipment. The small percentage that delve into the experiences of the soldiers, sailors, and airmen usually concern the horrors of the war and the effects on military personnel.

Mauldin takes a different approach: an approach that reveals another aspect of how the foot soldier saw the war. He was on the front lines with the infantry in Africa, Italy, and France. He created two characters, Willie and Joe, to show how the common foot soldier viewed the front lines, officers, military police, and military regulations. His editorial cartoons were done with a sense of respect for the troops and with a sense of humor. The cartoons are interlaced with Mauldin's experiences in the war, most of which provided fodder for the cartoons.

Mauldin's tale has great cartoons and fascinating story telling.

[Haydon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Up Front is a phenomenal book about a man in the WW2 fighting but also writing comics about it too. Bill Mauldin makes the book funny and interesting to read. Bill talks about World War 2 and what is happening and how difficult the war is, but he also tells how the men entertain themselves and how they have fun every now and then. Bill Mauldin also fought in the war he wasn’t just a person that draws cartoons that is why his cartoons are so well written because he was in the war.
This is one of the best books I have ever read, if you like to read funny books but also like to learn a little about history then this is the book for you! Bill Mauldin is a great writer and also a great comic writer. Up Front is a great book that I could not put down, I wish the book would never end.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mauldin was an actual soldier. He was soldier journalist. He did it with class and style, he did it with more art than words. His cartoons are the famous soldiers you think of when you think of World War II cartoon soldiers, he's the guy behind the pencil. Pyle surpasses him in prose, but though Pyle was loved by the soldiers there is just no replacement for an actual soldier sharing in the hell with you and relating it back to the papers. This is an excellent book about and by Bill Mauldin and his experiences.

[Jane Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got my paper back Bantam Book in 1953. I covered it with contact plastic which is now sticky and yellow. The pages are yellow and fragile but it is 260 pages of great stuff. The name and the area of the war may change but somethings do not change for a GI. Bill Mauldin sat in his foxhole or where ever and made us all laugh.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books. Bill Mauldin was a cartoonist with the 45th Division News and later Stars and Stripes. But the book is more than background of his Willie and Joe cartoons but a real observation of men in a desperate situation including terrifying combat but also the sheer drudgery and pettiness of the army. Outstanding book.

[Curtiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous and poignant cartoons and annecdotes based upon Bill Mauldin's experiences as a correspondent for "Stars and Stripes" magazine, while serving with the fighting infantry on the Italian Front and in Southern France.

[Mandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, honest and simply written. Bill Maudlin's respect for those he fought with is portrayed in his own unforgettable way.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of cartoons capturing the drudgery, gallows humor, and absurdity of the typical GI.