US Army

Sgt. Bill Mauldin.

NY Times Service.

Bill Mauldin, New York Times 'photo, 1945. Mauldin served initially in the US Army's 45th Infantry Division, where he began to draw cartoons embodying that cynical, humorous take on wartime soldierly life that seems common to the troops of many nations. In view of his talents in this direction, he was transferred officially to "Stars and Stripes" newspaper from February, 1944, although he had been contributing to the paper for some considerable time before that. Most famous for his creation "Willie and Joe", a pair of down-to-earth G.I. friends, Mauldin never shied away from portraying a humourous take on war in all its grime, dirt and destruction - even as he viewed it primarily through his own side. The G.I.s, and Allied soldiers in general, loved Mauldin; some officers (notably Patton) were less fond of him, viewing his work as damaging to morale and productive of insubordination. Neither "top brass" in the States nor Eisenhower agreed; they thought that Mauldin's humour helped the soldiers to take a more positive view of their situation, even when it was pretty grim. Bill Mauldin went on to enjoy a great career as a cartoonist after the war, winning tow Pulitzer Prizes in the process. He died in 2003. Best regards, JR.