"he drew great mud"

I came across a review of a book on Bill Mauldin and thought I'd show off some of his cartoons. Famous for the Willie and Joe panels that appeared in the Army newspaper, Stars and Stripes, during World War II, he became a successful editorial cartoonist in later life.

Here's the lead of the review:

‘He Drew Great Mud’ by DAVID MICHAELIS
Published: March 2, 2008

Until surprisingly late in World War II, Army cartooning consisted of gags about mean old drill sergeants and raw recruits on K.P. duty. Then came Bill Mauldin, an impish rifleman from the 180th Infantry Regiment, who volunteered as a cartoonist for The 45th Division News. On July 10, 1943, he stumbled ashore, pistol drawn, in the Allied invasion of Sicily and went on to fight in the Italian campaign while turning the raw material of the front into captioned panel cartoons, often at the expense of superiors in the rear. Mauldin listened to his fellow dogfaces in their foxholes and sketched quickly, sometimes rendering finished work on the back of whatever scrap he could find in the rubble.

I hope these explain themselves. I've tried not to put in anything that's explicitly in copyright and claim fair use where I'm mistaken.


Fresh, spirited American troops, flushed with victory,
are bringing in thousands of hungry, ragged,
battle-weary prisoners. (News item)


"Radio th' ol' man we'll be late on account of a thousand-mile detour."


"Them buttons wuz shot off when I took this town, sir."


"Able Fox Five to Able Fox. I got a target but ya gotta be patient."




"I'll let ya know if I find th' one wot invented th' 88."


"Nonsense. S-2 reported that machine gun silenced hours ago. Stop wiggling your fingers at me."


"You blokes leave an awfully messy battlefield."




"Ya don't git combat pay 'cause ya don't fight."