It is Christmas weekend! I hope that everyone has a wonderful time with family and friends.
Here is a special artifact in our collection published Christmas Eve, 1943-eighty years ago!
Yank Magazine was the brainchild of Egbert White, a World War One veteran, and writer for the vintage newspaper Stars and Stripes. White was inspired by this publication to propose a
magazine like the newspaper. A magazine that would by the enlisted man for the enlisted man that would portray what was happening on all fronts in a brutally honest way.
The U.S. government accepted his proposal and put him in charge of the publication temporarily until Joe McCarthy replaced him.
Yank Magazine would be published every month along with Stars and Stripes. There would be different versions depending on the theater in which the magazine was published.
For example, the one we have in our collection is published “Down Under” which means it was published for the men fighting in the Pacific/China-Burma-India theater of the war.
This version also has pictures and articles of the war in the Pacific as well as sports articles, mail call sections, poetry, Hollywood updates, cartoons, and of course the
Pin-up girl photos.
One of the most popular cartoon strips was “Sad Sack.” “Sad Sack” was a humble private going
through the difficulties of military life. His debacles and comedic experiences brought a bit of light and humor to the men on the frontlines. His cartoons became so successful overseas that eventually he became a permanent fixture in American society in newspapers and comic books.
Another fun fact, one hundred actresses appeared in Yank Magazine. These included Betty Grable, Ingrid Bergman, Jane Russell, and Rita Hayworth. The actress in this publication happens to be Betty Grable, a fan favorite in World War Two!
Yank Magazine ran from June 1942 to September 1945. They were so important to the American G.I. that they were issued official discharge papers which were published in the last issue.