Pacific War in art – 1941 – 1942
From some of our most prestigious artists come their depictions of the war…
PLEASE CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO GET THE FULL EFFECT.
“Tora, Tora, Tora”, by Robert McCall
“Battle of Slim River” by: Mark Stille
Japanese and war horses in Hong Kong
Japan in Dutch East Indies
Japan bombs Darwin, Australia, by” James Baines, Feb. 1942
Bataan Death March, by Ben Steele, himself a death march survivor from Montana, April 1942
Doolittle Raid, B-25 over Japan, by: Francis Bergese
18 April 1942
“Cactus Air Force” by: Jack Fellows, Guadalcanal
RAAF Kittyhawk Squadron, Milne Bay, New Guinea, by: William Dargie, Sept. 1942
“Action Over Salamaua”, by: Jack Fellows
Pictorial series to be continued…
Resources:
IHRA: for their blog and their books and prints
Jack Fellows website
William Dargie info
“WWII: A Tribute in Art and Literature” edited by David Colbert
This idea for this post arose from a discussion with Pat at equipsblog
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
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Canadian Thanksgiving – 12 October 2020
To all our Canadian friends…..
ENJOY, MY FRIENDS!
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U.S. Navy’s Birthday – 13 October 2020
U.S. Navy emblem
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Military Humor –Ā
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Farewell Salutes –Ā
Clifford Blain – Hogsett, WV; USMC, WWII
Raymond Cohen – St. Louis, MO; US Army, WWII, ETO, Sgt., 89th Infantry 
Division
Leonard Davidson (101) – Valley City, ND; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Navigator
Eugene Figurelli Sr. – Pittsburgh, PA; US Army, WWII, munitions instructor
Edward “Whitey” Ford – NYC, NY; US Army, KoreaĀ /Ā Pro-MLB pitcher
Donald Horn – Arba, IN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Africa
Joseph Messina – Boston, MA; US Navy, WWII, PTO
John O’Malley – Bronx, NY; US Navy, WWII, USSĀ Tausig
George ‘Clint’ Shay – Madison, NJ; US Navy, WWII
Dale Tatman – Modesto, CA; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USSĀ Antietam
Posted on October 12, 2020, in WWII and tagged 1940's, Airborne, Army, Art, aviation, family history, History, Japan, Military, Military History, Navy, veterans, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 192 Comments.
Pacific Paratrooper 
Wow, GP. I didn’t realize there was so much of this kind of art. All of them are masterfully done. Thanks so much for sharing this. It would be a shame if they were forgotten. Hugs on the wing.
PS, I got a kick out of the name “Cactus Airforce.”
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That was their nickname. I am so glad you enjoyed them. I am presently working on Thursday’s post for the next part of the Pacific War.
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Wonderful. Thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you
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Thanks for the visit!
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Splendid work. It is poignant the so many of these bear the date of the year of my birth – making me feel comparatively fortunate
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I would have added a picture of a birthday cake in there if I had known, Derrick!! Thanks for dropping by!
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These are terrific, GP!
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Thank you very much, Jennie. As you know, I greatly appreciate your opinion.
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You are welcome, GP. And I greatly appreciate your posts. Oh, yes!
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Thanks for sharing those art work
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Certainly my pleasure!
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Some really good pictures there! My favourite is “āTora, Tora, Toraā, which looks like the local bullies all setting off to start a fight that they haven’t really thought through.
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Great choice, John. It does seem to depict that emotion, I have to agree!
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Those are incredible! Thank you.
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My pleasure, Tim. Thank you.
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Great capturing the moment by these artists. They seem so realistic that you have to imagine the artists were there or saw pictures and added some with their imagination. No matter how they did it, they certainly captured the spirit of the war.
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So true, Bev. You always hit the nail on the head with my posts. Thank you!
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Do you have to get permission to post these paintings on your site? Just curious.
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The representatives say it is okay as long as I give the artists credit. There were a few I had no idea, but if they come by, I will be more than happy to edit the post. There would be a law suit if I was trying to make money off of them.
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One thing I did not expect when I first went to the new War Museum in Ottawa was the art. All of it was so well done. Some pieces were very moving. Every time I go I always take the most time with those artifacts.
Thanks for posting.
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It is great to know they have so much artwork available on display. I will definitely keep them in mind.
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Probably the only comprehensive study of WWII art is James Jones’ WWII (1975). Jones was invited to write the text for the book, and of course, as a professional soldier both before and during the war and a veteran of the ferocious last stage of the Guadalcanal campaign, who also wrote The Thin Red Line and From Here to Eternity, its not only a detailed history of the war from the infantryman’s viewpoint, but its not just nostalgia, its a personal and moving memoir of his own experiences. Much of the art collected from American, German, and Japanese sources had not been seen in public before. This is a must read although both the hard cover and paperbacks are likely impossible to purchase today.
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I have located a paperback copy.
I appreciate you letting me know about this.
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I received my copy of “WWII” by James Jones. It looks outstanding and if I wasn’t on-line at the moment, my face would be in it right now. Thank you again for the suggestion.
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Fabulous images and such great detail!
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Your opinion is so appreciated! Thank you.
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Some of the subjects I’ve never seen done before. What an interesting art gallery!
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Thank you, Lou. I’m glad you enjoyed them. It gives me encouragement for the next one!
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Wonderful artwork! I’m so glad when history…especially the emotions related to historical events…are depicted and expressed through art and literature.
(((HUGS))) š
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I’m very happy you can appreciate it so well. Thank you.
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The paintings are very striking. The one of the Bataan Death March was hard to look at.
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Yes, that picture definitely has the artist’s own experiences incorporated into his work. I appreciate you checking them out, Liz.
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When I first looked at the one of the Bataan death mark, my initial reaction was that I couldn’t be seeing what I thought I was seeing. But then I remembered the history.
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And to think the artist went through that march himself. Thanks for commenting, Liz, I know that picture is rough to look at.
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When i click on them on my iPad Pro, i can bounce the images around the screen! šÆ is that supposed to happen? Ive never seen it before and it only seems to happens on these images!
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I have no idea why that’s happening. But it does seem that everyone who has recently had difficulty with the new editor and still trying to use the classic has been getting one glitch or another. Hopefully wordpress can fix these.
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Impressive pieces of art. You see clearly that they were present at the war scenes.
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I think so, Maria. It’s as though you can see emotion in the picture, isn’t it?!
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Reblogged this on John's Notes and commented:
Some very nice WWII art from the Pacific Theater. I thought these were well worth sharing.
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Thank you for that great intro, John!
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Great art, GP. Looking forward to more.
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haha, we can include me in that remark too. I find so many terrific works of art!
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Incredible! Super talented artist.
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And these are only samples. There are so many wonderful artists out there!
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PS. How is your son doing?
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Really well … thanks be to The Lord. He is a Corporal, now. I am so proud of him! Thank you for asking. ā¤ļø
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It is all my pleasure! Tell him Congrats for me!
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I will; thank you, GP! š
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Thank you for posting this collection, GP. I wonder whether there ever was an actual curated exhibition of war-themed art.
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I would imagine some are on display in the various museums, but any one gallery – I don’t know, Dolly.
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A curious cat that I am, I actually did a little research, but haven’t found a comprehensive curated exhibition. Wouldn’t that be a great idea?
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I tried to locate one when you first asked, and I came up with the same answer. It would be dificult to do it in the actually paintings, but if prints could be donated – Fantastic!
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Why would it be difficult to use actual paintings? Galleries lend Picasso’s and Dali’s for comprehensive exhibitions, and so do private collectors. Why not war paintings? Prints somehow do not have the same impact.
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I just figured too many may be in private collections. I don’t really know that much about being a curator, so I shouldn’t say anything. haha š¤
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You are so right; to accomplish this, a really good curator is needed.
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Where can we find one?
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Let me think.
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Thanks for this post. There are millions of photos from WW 2, but far fewer art works.
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Yes, that’s true, until you try to pick out just a few. Then there seems to be a million of them and I hate skipping over any! I was originally planning on making this a one day post for the war, but now it will have to be a series!
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Reblogged this on Dave Loves History.
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Thank you, Dave!
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Gallant pictures along with personal stories. You are giving us a good snapshot of war years. Should they never be repeated. Many thanks and blessings to you and your followers!
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Thank you. Your comment is greatly appreciated!
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Some excellent images, GP. I enlarged all those I could!
Best wishes, Pete.
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I fixed the first one. Rose told me she was unable to and sure enough – it was MY fault!!
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Those are stunning images, GP!
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Thank you, Lavinia. I think the artwork says more than I can.
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Powerful images!
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Thank you, June!
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Very talented artwork. The Bataan Death March painting expresses incredible emotions. A horrific tragedy in history.
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Yes, and very well said. I suppose his own personal experience came shining through in his art.
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That was the picture that caught my eye first, too
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Wonderful paintings showing real history. Even though it’s sad. š¤
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Thank you, John!
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Great display of WW2 paintings and thanks for the Canadian Thanksgiving message, GP!
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My pleasure! I hope you’re having a terrific day (despite the current virus situation).
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Wonderful paintings! I clicked on Tora, Tora but it won’t work so I copied it on a blank page and enlarged it. Beautiful!!! Great artists to depict the essence of the war. Great post, GP.
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Thanks for telling me Rose. I’ll go back and edit the picture.
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Done. Thanks again.
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It’s working now. Thanks. Love that one and the Doolittle Raid with Mt. Fuji on the background the best.
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So glad you liked them. It is awfully hard to decide.
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Combat artists oftentimes lived the grueling agonies of confinement in POW camps, making their contributions to the memory of the atrocities of war personal and real. My hat goes off to them.
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Exactly. I’ve done a few posts on them. Here is one, I’m sure you’ll remember….
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Yes! As noted, they were the ones who have my admiration, thanks, and profound respect for the contributions the made to post-war justice and a documentation of what we need to remember forever. Incidentally, that is part of why I admire your posts, too, GP! That you typically cover the Pacific war is especially important since I feel there is amnesia when it comes to the Pacific War , especially after the end of the European War, that doesn’t end till the Hiroshima atomic bombing.
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Thank you, Doug. You do understand me! (haha, not too many do!)
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I remember this punchline from a 1960s New Yorker magazine cartoon. A group of socialites are standing around a fellow with a great big beard. One says to another, explaining their behavior: We admire excellence no matter how it manifests itself!
Me, too. I suppose my university major – journalism – gives me some sense of how much work you put into your posts and how well your “product” comes together. I can’t remember one where I didn’t learn something new.
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You are quite a character, Doug! š
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Better to have character than to be one, I say. LOL!
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šš
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I saw your comment over at John’s and curiosity brought me here. AMAZING portraits, both the paintings and the photographs. Even from war beauty can be created. THAT gives hope!
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Thank you very much. I do use photos and art so often to help me explain to the readers what I’m talking about (not being a pro, I don’t always get my point across), so it only seemed right to put the spotlight on these talented people.
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And you do this very well. Thank you!
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Vivid history of that period ā great and grisly. The āDarwin bombingā is spectacular.
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Thank you. And to think many never even heard of that episode.
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Wonderful images, G.P.!
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Thank you very much, I’m thrilled you liked them. it is encouragement to continue on.
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These are wonderful. Bataan Death March is so hard to look at.
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Seeing so many ending up in the same fate. An indescribable event in history.
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Reblogged this on History of Sorts.
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Thank you, Dirk.
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The subject matter is sad… and makes it difficult to enjoy the artwork.
But they are beautiful pieces.
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Yes, sad but true, Beck.
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Beautiful painting, even its about a sad situation. Thank you for sharing, GP! Enjoy your week! Michael
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Thank you, Michael. i sure will try!
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Thank you GP! Please try to stay safe too. Here the cases are increasing.
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I am sad to hear that. You take extra precautions!!
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Will do, GP! Thank you!
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I love this post GP. The combat artists are among my favorites. I also ‘borrowed’ your Happy Thanksgiving, Canada picture with attribution to post today as a reblog. The day the Challenger blew up, I was standing in line for a flu shot at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. Two sailors were standing in lne in front of me when one told the other about the Challenger. HIs friend responded, “Is that the truth or is this just another ‘sailor’ story?” HIs friend assured him it was and I confirmed it since I had heard the news on the radio when I was driving to the PG school. ( I was reminded of this story by you why are we standing in line cartoon.)
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Thanks for another story from you, Pat. I love them!!
I thought you might like the artwork, they do such a great job!
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My shipmates from the Midway are gathering information on some of the artists who added artwork to Midway cruisebooks–apparently some of those artists became commercial artists after they left the Navy. I’m hoping to get my act together enough to make this a future blog post. Glad you like my stories. Much appreciated. I also want to do a blog post on cruisebooks, after we have a Zoom session by a person who collects cruisebooks and has become an expert on them because of his hobby.
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A great idea for a post GP and wonderful artwork. My husband has two beautiful paintings of aircraft in action, but I can’t remember what they are or by whom as I’m at work! Maybe they’ll turn up in your next post!
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You never know. It would be great if that actually did happen though!!
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Both are by Nicholas Trudgian, Alpine Thunder and Spitfire Country, they’re signed by the artist and some of the pilots of that time.
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They are both outstanding, but from the ETO, so I will not be using them, but I can use others that are on his site for the Pacific. Thank you for the heads-up!!
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Photos from the era are great for documenting events, but there’s something special about the way these paintings incorporate personal memories into historical events. I really enjoyed seeing these, GP.
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I am so happy to hear that, Linda, you always have such a good eye for beauty.
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Some of those horses look petrified. I wonder if awareness of what was to happen ever led to desertion.
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I doubt there is any record. But that’s an idea.
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Horses aren’t that bright. At least a 50-50 chance they’ll run in the “wrong” direction.
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Ah poor things! Then they’d be doubly terrified
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Reblogged this on The Tactical Hermit.
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Thank you!!
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Some Beautiful paintings there GP, thanks for sharing.
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My pleasure. I’ve used them a lot during the 8 years of this blog. I thought they deserved further credit and appreciation.
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Reblogged this on New Mexicans in WWII & Korea: The Land of Enchantment goes to War.
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Thank you very much!!
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What an interesting post. If I had to choose a favourite Iāde go for Cactus Air Force or William Dargies effort , though they all tell their own story. Excellent.
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Jack Fellows always does a terrific job!! Thanks!
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Suggested Edit: We want the full EFFECT of the image by clicking on it.
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I wondered about that! Thanks, Michael.
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Great pieces! Thanks for sharing, GP.
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Glad you enjoyed them, Jill.
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Super images. Guess most made from photographs ā if not, they’ve got great recall.
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I couldn’t say, I don’t think I’ve tried to draw in 30 years! š
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Thank you!!
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