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Remember Pearl Harbor

2011-12-06T23:55:00.000-08:00

December 7, 1941. "A day which will live in infamy . . . "

Remember Pearl Harbor!

A December 9, 1941 editorial in The Oregonian newspaper claims to have been the first to use the catchphrase, "Remember Pearl Harbor!" In the months that followed the surprise attack, all manner of retail items were emblazoned with the phrase, and sold to Americans wanting revenge for what happened to her sailors, soldiers, and ordinary citizens that sunny Sunday morning on December 7.

Disney artist Hank Porter created all of the art found on the six Aircraft Warning Service posters in this thread. Five of the images come our way courtesy the Porter family, while the sixth is from The Walt Disney Archives.

One of the posters in the series features a caricature of a stereotyped Japanese soldier. This type of illustration is rare from the Disney Studio. While other Hollywood cartoon studios often portrayed enemy stereotypes in their cartoons, Disney rarely did. And for the amount of war-related combat insignia and home front items produced using Disney-created art, the number of "enemy" stereotypes depicted is an exceptionally small number.

As a side-note, I've been interviewing WW II veterans about their time in the military for many years now. In 2006 I interviewed a Pearl Harbor survivor named Donald Stratton. Donald not only witnessed the Japanese attack firsthand, he lived it - Donald was aboard USS Arizona the morning of December 7. My interview with Donald is one of the most emotional interviews I have ever conducted with a WW II veteran. Donald's recollections of that fateful day can be read here.

Remembrance Day - Appreciate America

2011-11-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

Today is the day we honour the sacrifices our military veterans have made. In Canada and other Commonwealth countries we refer to today as Remembrance Day - for my American friends it's Veterans Day.

I thought the following would be an appropriate image to post.

This patriotic poster was printed in August 1941 for the Department of Education, and is from a set of nine featuring famous cartoon characters from the 1930s and 1940s. Other posters in the series featured images of Orphan Annie and her dog Sandy, Uncle Bim and Chester from The Gumps, Joe Palooka, Harold Teen, The Toodle Family, and Don Winslow.

Donald Duck was featured on his own poster with the tagline: "I get exasperated at people who squawk!" The Mickey Mouse image on the poster in this entry was also printed on a cachet.

View last year's blog post here.

Having personally interviewed around four dozen WW II veterans, I am fully aware of the sacrifices they've made, and what they've done to guarantee the freedoms many of us take for granted. The next time you see a veteran, consider offering them a word of thanks.

Bonafide war hero comes to the Disney Studio

2011-07-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

Among the many training films produced at the Studio for the military, was a series created with the assistance and knowledge of a bonafide war hero.

Commander Thach demonstrates the "Thach weave" to Walt Disney, while animator Art Scott looks on, in this rare wartime color image.

Flying magazine reported: ". . . a veteran of Pacific fighting returned to the United States. He had been at the head of one of the fightingest [sic] of Navy Squadrons. His name was J.C. Jimmy Thach, a Navy commander credited with training the famed 'Butch' O'Hare and other aces and with the development of the 'Thach weave,' a new fighter technique. Enlisting Thach’s experience, the Navy ordered 10 pictures on fighter tactics. The completed job was to run from 15,000 to 20,000 feet and to cover every phase of fighting."

The films were collectively known as the "Jacksonville Project, Production 2648." The official name for the series was "FIGHTER COMBAT TACTICS, MN84 A-I." Two films in the series were produced in color: MN84F and MN84G. Only six of the 10 films are currently known to exist.

The list of fighter combat training films written and directed by Thach included:

MN84A – Use of the Illuminated Gun Sight
MN84B – Gunnery Approaches
MN84C – Snoopers and How to Blast 'em
MN84D – Don’t Kill Your Friends
MN84E – Group Tactics Against Enemy Bombers
MN84F – Offensive Tactics Against Enemy Fighters
MN84G – Defensive Tactics Against Enemy Fighters
MN84H – Escort Doctrine
MN84I – Combat Patrol
MN84J – Conclusion and Summary

Ub Iwerks, who had returned to the Studio in 1940 after quitting in 1930, was the executive producer of the series. Dan Keefe directed the live-action segments involving Thach, who was at the Studio for the filming of one segment in January 1943. Animators on the series included: Jack Atwood, Bob Carlson, Jim Davis, John Hench, Bill Layne, Lance Nolley, Art Scott and Harvey Toombs.

A Studio inter-office communication sent from Carl Nater, the Studio's Production Coordinator for military films, to Thach on July 21, 1943, outlining the cost for three of the films in the Thach series.

The Los Angeles Times reported: "Motion pictures are playing an important role in the victories being scored over the Japs in the air above the South Pacific. This was disclosed yesterday when Comdr. John S. (Jimmy) Thatch [sic] staff gunnery officer at the Navy base in Jacksonville Fla., said good-bye to the staff at the Walt Disney Studio, where he has been stationed nearly a year, since his return from a combat zone, supervising and narrating a series of training pictures for the Navy on fighter combat tactics.

An advocate of fundamentals, he claims the 'Fighting Three' won their battles before they left the carrier flight deck. The Navy Flyer-hero, considered one of the best strategy combat pilots in the world, stressed the high importance of training films in preparing our pilots for victorious aerial combat."

During the war, a cartoon character named Dilbert Groundloop was created by Captain Austin Doyle USN, and Lt. Cdr. Robert Osborn USNR. Dilbert came to symbolize the newly minted aviator who thought he knew everything and didn't need to learn anymore. In this memo, Osborn congratulates Thach on one of the film's in the series.

The Walt Disney Company currently owns no material related to the production of these films. Being "confidential" in nature, all of the scripts, pre- and post-production art, and unused edited film were returned to the Navy.

This essay, written by Cdr. Thach, appeared in Dispatch From Disney's, a newsletter sent to Disney staff serving in the military. The caricature of Thach was drawn by artist Bob Moore.

As an interesting side-note, Thach was a critic of another wartime strategic initiative undertaken at the Disney Studio, namely Alexander de Seversky's theory of building long-range, multi-gun bombers. Seversky published his theory in book form under the title Victory Through Air Power.

A Port Arthur News article reported in part: "Lieut. Comdr. John S. Thach . . . asserted . . . the United States could 'cut a path across the Pacific to Japan,' with a well-balanced fleet spear-headed by aircraft carriers. 'There is a popular theory that we can win this war in an easy way, that we can build a fleet of colossal bombers that will fly thousands of miles to bomb the enemy and return to wait for a message of surrender.' On the contrary, Thach said the nation would have to win the war the hard way, by sending carrier-based fighters and dive-bombers to gain and hold control of the air while occupation forces move in under such protection."

Page one of a 25-page radio script in which Thach, or an actor portraying him, discusses his new tactic without giving away top secret information.

Disney Studio service flag - film footage - never seen before

2011-04-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

There's a great site on the internet that's making available public domain government film footage. The site, CriticalPast, has posted some great Disney-related clips.

This clip in particular shows the Disney Studio's service flag - the only image I've ever seen of the flag in almost 20 years of researching the Studio's involvement in the war.

When queried several years ago, the Disney Archives had no knowledge of the flag or what happened to it. This exact flag is mentioned in the 1943 Disney employee newsletter, a softcover booklet titled Dispatch From Disney's. A letter in the newsletter "penned" by Mickey Mouse read:

"We now have quite a service flag and all of us here are damned proud of it. We have it hanging in the 2nd floor window facing the theater and it's visible from the walk as you come in from the commissary. Nora and Esther made it at night after work and we think it's the best looking in the valley."

By 1944, the Studio's flag had 165 stars sewn onto it. The breakdown of staff serving in the military included: 85 Army, 49 Navy, 21 Marine Corps, 7 WAVES, 2 Merchant Marine, and 1 WASP.

The flag also displayed five gold stars, which represented an employee killed in the line of action. These staffers included: Burdette Sykora, Assistant Direction; Gerald James, Animation; John Leighton Jr., from the New York office; Robert Squire, Cutting Department; and Bernard Walmsley from the Traffic Department.

At the time, the 165 stars repersented more than 25 percent of the Studio's manpower.

Beauty didn't kill the beast . . . Mickey Mouse did

2011-03-09T06:33:00.000-08:00

Provocative headline isn't it? But it's true, right? Well, yes, sort of.

One component of the Disney Studio's participation in the war was the creation of approximately 1,200 combat insignia

The first insignia request arrived at the Studio in 1939 via a member of Fighter Squadron Seven (VF-7), based aboard the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-7). The second request, received in the spring of 1940, was looking for a design for a squadron of patrol torpedo boats (PT boats were high speed wooden craft that carried a compliment of .50 caliber machine guns, 20mm and 40mm anti-aircraft guns, depth charges, mortars and of course, torpedoes). When America declared war in 1941, the number of requests rose dramatically.

During the war many units used a Disney character in their insignia design without obtaining proper authorization from the Studio - enterprising and artistic servicemen drew whatever design a senior officer or fellow serviceman wanted for their unit's insignia.

This was the case in the fall of 1931, when an enterprising artist at Naval Reserve Aviation Base Floyd Bennett Field in New York created a design featuring Mickey Mouse. The emblem has Mickey sitting atop a bird, which looks like either an albatross or a sea gull. There is a bomb and a trident under the bird's wings, and the Statute of Liberty is visible in the background.

The very first use of a Disney character on a combat insignia, created in the fall of 1931 for a squadron of Curtiss O2C-1 Helldivers. Ensign Edward F. Conway stands beside one of the planes with the squadron's Mickey Mouse insignia displayed on the fuselage. Ensign Conway also sports a patch of the design on his jacket.

Floyd Bennett Field was dedicated in June 1930, as New York's first municipal airport, by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd. The field was named after Navy Warrant Officer Floyd Bennett, a New York native who had accompanied Admiral Byrd on the MacMillan Expedition to Greenland in 1925. Bennett was also Byrd's pilot on their attempted first flight over the North Pole in 1926.The facility was built on Barren Island at the southern tip of Manhattan.

Patch of the design worn by men in the unit.

From 1931-1941, the field was one of eight Naval Reserve Aviation Bases that focused on providing primary flight training for Navy pilots. The base received a compliment of Curtiss O2C-1 Helldivers, a multipurpose planed used as a dive-bomber and observer aircraft, from the active fleet in 1931.

Helldivers with the Mickey Mouse emblem on their fuselages, lined-up on the runway at NRAB Floyd Bennett Field.

According to Lawrence Suid's book, The Making of the American Military Image in Films, an RKO Studio location manager contacted the Navy in December 1932 asking for the use of four Navy Helldivers for one day's flying time of two-and-a-half hours. The reason? RKO wanted to use the planes in the film King Kong. In late December the Navy denied RKO's request.

King Kong poster.

When RKO camera crews traveled to the east coast to film location shots for King Kong, an RKO representative contacted the Commanding Officer of NRAB Floyd Bennett Field with an offer: RKO would donate $100 to the Officer's Mess Fund and pay the pilots $10 each to fly around the Empire State Building. The C.O., not knowing his superiors had previously denied RKO's request, accepted the offer.

Four Helldivers took part in the filming. The fuselage of each sported the squadron's unofficial Mickey Mouse emblem. According to Suid's book, then Lieutenant John Winston recalled he and three other pilots were given orders to "go and jazz the Empire State Building." It took the pilots less than 15 minutes to accomplish their mission. Winston recalled, "We didn't know what it was all about. They just said there was some kind of movie being made."

King Kong publicity b/w photo. The Mickey Mouse emblem is partially visible on the fuselage.

RKO captured footage of the planes flying in formation, peeling off and then diving at an imaginary target, then looping and and attacking from the opposite direction. According to Suid's book RKO, "intercut twenty-eight scenes of the Navy aircraft with process shots and miniatures to create the fatal assault on Kong atop the Empire State Building."

A miniature Helldiver model, complete with Mickey Mouse emblem, sold at a recent Profiles in History auction - this model was allegedly used in the filming of King Kong.

If you watch King Kong closely, you can see the Mickey Mouse emblem on the plane's fuselages. This YouTube clip shows the four Helldivers taking off from Floyd Bennett Field and clearly shows the Mickey Mouse design on the fuselages as the planes attack King Kong.

So, not only was this design the earliest depiction of a Disney character on a combat insignia, but the design is also linked to one of the greatest science fiction films ever made - the mouse, in a roundabout way, had a hand in the death of the so-called eighth wonder of the world.

United China Relief - part 2

2011-01-22T19:48:00.000-08:00

This great image of Walt Disney holding the finished art for United China Relief, comes from the family of artist Van Kaufman. Click here to see a previous post on the topic.

Click the label below the post to see some additional blog entries related to Van Kaufman.

Remembrance / Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T19:08:00.000-08:00

Today, November 11, is the day we honour our veterans for their service.

During World War II, Walt Disney and his staff displayed their patriotic side in many forms. The following item from my collection represents one of the many home front items produced at the Studio during the war. This program, and one other version, were stock images produced for the Masquer's, a Hollywood social club composed of Hollywood's elite that was formed in May 1925.

During the war, members of the Masquer's club traveled throughout California, entertaining men and women in the Armed Forces. Some of the club's more famous members included Buster Keaton, Sid Grauman, Gene Autry, Jack Warner, Lauren Bacall, Phil Silvers, Tom Mix, Humphrey Bogart, Louis B. Mayer, Jesse Lasky, Lionel Barrymore, Joseph Schenck, Lou Costello, Joe E. Brown, Spencer Tracy, and Shirley Temple.

The illustration on the cover of this program was created by Disney artist Hank Porter, as were the inside and back cover drawings.

This program was for an event hosted in honour of the 441 Base Unit and marked the 72nd such function hosted by the Masquer's. This dinner and show took place on August 19, 1944, in The Masquer's Club, in Hollywood.

This program belonged to Lorraine Krueger, an actress and tap dancer who appeared in 30 movies over the course of her career, in addition to 281 camp shows during WW II.

Seaman Si - The Funniest "Gob" in the Navy

2010-09-28T21:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a little hardcover 95-page booklet published in 1918 that I added to the collection quite awhile ago. The art was created by Perce Pearce who started at the Disney Studio in February 1935. Pearce was employed as a story man, producer, and director.

The booklet tells the story of Seaman Si and is subtitled, "The Adventures of a Blue Jacket on the High Seas of Fun and Adventure." The art was created while Pearce was stationed at the U.S. Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois. At the time, Great Lakes was the largest naval training center in the world.

As an interesting side-note, Roy Disney trained at Great Lakes when he joined the service during World War I. More info on Roy's time in the service can be found in a previous post on my other blog Vintage Disney Collectibles.

The book is a bit on the fragile side, so I doubt I'll be scanning anymore images from the inside pages, so enjoy the above for now.

56th Signal Battalion - insignia

2010-08-01T23:41:00.000-07:00

Several months ago I added a February 1945 anniversary program for the 56th Signal Battalion to my collection. The back cover features a colorful reproduction of the unit's Disney designed insignia. This particular design was created in the winter of 1941, by Disney artist Van Kaufman.

To get around War Department restrictions, which disallowed any insignia designs that gave away a unit's designation, Kaufman has used 5 stars above the rabbit and 6 stars below to indicate the 56th's designation. The lightning bolt was often used as a sign the unit in question was involved in a communications role, while the rabbit in question may or may not be Thumper from Bambi.

The 56th was first constituted in October 1927. During WW II, units such as the 56th provided communications for U.S. Army Corps Headquarters - this included both radio and telephone line hook-ups.

In July 1942, the unit left the United States for Scotland. From there the men engaged in training exercises in Northern Ireland, and in November 1942 the unit traveled to England, where they remained until the D-Day invasion.

A DUKW amphibious Radio Beach Landing Vehicle. Normandy, 1944
Image courtesy: http://www.pbase.com/rhssr

On June 6, 1944, the men of the 56th Signal Battalion landed at Omaha Beach, on the Normandy coast of France. From there the unit supported combat operations in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and finally Czechoslovakia.

Lieutenant R. Hilliard poses in front of an enemy pillbox near St. Vith, Belgium, September 1944
Image courtesy: http://www.pbase.com/rhssr

In February 1946 the unit departed Europe for home. On March 8, 1946, the unit was inactivated at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. The 56th Signal Battalion was awarded several battle streamers and the Meritorious Unit Commendation, for its participation in WW II.

Retirement News from the Disney Archives

2010-06-24T23:29:00.000-07:00

I received the following message today, from my friend Robert Tieman of the Walt Disney Archives

"Hi Everybody,

I want to let everyone know that I have decided to retire from Disney after 22-plus years. My last day is still a way off -- the 30th of July -- but the countdown has begun.

It sounds like a cliche, but it’s true that the decision to leave is filled with mixed feelings. So many people to miss. So many memories to take with me.

I will still be in Los Angeles for the near future, and with my Retiree ID card, you will see me here for lunch so often that many people will think I’ve never left. I also have a few new book ideas rattling around in my head, so I might even be back here doing research!

Needless to say, it’s been a pleasure working with all of you.

Robert."

Robert has been extremely helpful to me over the course of many, many years. He has helped identify dozens of insignia designs for me. As well, he has provided me with background information and creation dates for many designs, and he has answered many general questions.

Thanks very much Robert, for all of your help!

I wish you the very best!

David

Mickey Mouse - D-Day Invasion Password? Not.

2010-05-31T23:13:00.000-07:00

My friend and fellow researcher Michael Barrier alerted me yesterday to an absolutely outstanding post on his blog.

For decades there has been an urban myth, which said the phrase "Mickey Mouse" had been used by Allied soldiers as the password for the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944. This story has been repeated in many Disney reference books, including, I must sheepishly admit, my own book Toons At War.

Michael has uncovered a newspaper article which seems to solve the mystery. The correct story indicates "Mickey Mouse" was used as a password by Naval officers seeking admittance to a pre-invasion briefing.

To read the entire story as researched by Michael, please click here and look for the entry dated May 31, 2010.

As an interesting sidenote, the image Michael used in his post was one of two illustrations created by Disney artist Hank Porter for use on the covers of Masquer's programs. The Masquer's were a traveling group of Hollywood celebrities who entertained servicemen at various military facilities in California.

War comes to the Disney Studio

2010-05-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

Everyday routine at the Disney Studio changed dramatically the day following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 8, 1941, Walt Disney received an urgent phone call at home. There had been an invasion of sorts at his Studio in Burbank.

In an interview with his daughter Diane and author Pete Martin, Walt Disney recalled that fateful day when he received a phone call at home:

"...I was at home and we got word that they’d bombed Pearl Harbor...it was on the radio...shortly after that I got a call from the Studio Manager and he had been called, in turn, by the police. He said, 'Walt, the Army is moving in on us'...they came up and said they wanted to move in, and [he] said, 'I’d have to call [Walt],' and [the Army] said, 'call him but we’re moving in anyway.' Five hundred troops moved in the Studio."

"I had a big closed sound stage. They said, 'We want that, get this stuff out of here.' We had to move all of our equipment. They moved into every area. We had some sheds...where we parked automobiles. They said, 'What are these sheds?' I said, 'Parking for the employees.' They said, 'Take 'em over.' They moved in there and stored three million rounds of ammunition. They posted guards at all of our gates."

"They had 14 trucks on this sound stage because they could close the stage and work in a blackout. That’s where they were repairing all of the optical systems for the anti-aircraft [guns]. These soldiers were part of the anti-aircraft force that was stationed all around. They had these guns all over the hills...because of the aircraft factories." "I had them there for eight months before they moved out...they were sleeping in every room. I had to double my artists up in rooms so that an officer could have a place to sleep. They had their sleeping bags down on the floor...they set-up their own mess kitchen."

"It was kind of exciting. But it was kind of funny they way he said, 'Well go ahead...call him up and ask him.'"

I acquired the following document recently. Click on the image to see a larger copy.

The memo was sent out by Walt Disney just 11 days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I think the memo really conveys the emotion and sense of urgency surrounding America's entry into the war.

In the hours and days following the attack on Pearl Harbor, there was a real feeling the mainland of the United States would also come under enemy attack. With the Lockheed aircraft plant a next door neighbor, there was a very real possibility the Disney Studio might be hit by stray bombs during an air raid. Thankfully this never occurred.

I hope to post some more interesting war related inter-office memos in the near future. I recently obtained a small cache of them and I am hoping some will be as interesting as this one.

Donald Duck insignia - help!

2009-11-23T00:18:00.000-08:00

My good friend and fellow Disney collector John Fawcett owns this original Disney WW II combat insignia art - given the design element, we surmise this illustration may have been created for a torpedo bomber squadron.

Besides vintage and WW II era Disney memorabilia, John also runs a great museum in Maine, which is loaded with hundreds of great pop culture artifacts - to find out more about the museum, the collections and the hours of operation, please click this link.

And in the meantime, if anyone has any info on this particular design, or any other Disney wartime item for that matter, please send me an email.

Thanks!

Van Kaufman - insignia artist

2009-08-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

This great newspaper clipping came my way via Kris Kaufman, son of Disney artist Van Kaufman.

Van was one of several artists who helped Hank Porter fulfill combat insignia requests at the war's outset. Van was eventually drafted and served in the Army Air Force, attaining the rank of Tech Sergeant.

This image appeared in the April 2, 1942 edition of the Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express. The headline above the photo read: "Junior Army Sees Demonstration On Defense Cartoons," while the caption read:

"Junior Army members, who were guests of Walt Disney at his studio, are shown as they applauded Van Kaufman, studio artist, after he showed them how he drew insignia for Army and Navy planes using characters made famous in "Fantasia" as themes."

Van returned to Disney's after the war, but in 1949 left at the invitation of Art Fitzpatrick, famed automobile artist. The two produced dozens of magazine ads for Mercury, with Art working on the cars and Van working on the backgrounds and people.

In 1953 Art went to work for Buick and took Van along with him. The pair eventually produced 285 illustrations for Buick's Wide Track campaign. To learn more about Art and Van's association and to see some of the stunning automobile art they created together, please visit this link.

Upcoming weeks will feature more great images from the scrapbook Kris has of his father's wartime inisgnia contributions.

3rd Auxiliary Surgical Group - insignia

2009-06-06T22:34:00.001-07:00

In honor of the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings, which took place on the beaches of the Norman coast, June 6, 1944, I present the insignia art for the 3rd Auxiliary Surgical Group, which came into my possession a couple of years ago.

From what I have been able to glean off the internet, the 3rd was one of the early precursors to a modern day MASH unit. Portable surgical hospital teams consisted of an operating surgeon, two assistant operating surgeons, an anesthetist-internist, and up to four enlisted technicians. They were attached to clearing stations, field hospitals, and evacuation hospitals and performed procedures on patients in whom delay or transport would likely be fatal.

The 3rd had previously seen action in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, before being deployed to England in advance of Operation Overlord. I haven't been able to find out much about the unit, but what few facts I have located are presented below:

Of the Group's 18 portable surgical teams, 12 landed on Omaha Beach, while six landed at Utah Beach.

Two surgical teams from the 3rd accompanied the glider assault wave - their mission was to establish aid stations on the fields of the landing zone and to set-up an operating room for major surgical procedures.

A group of eight men from the 3rd also volunteered to go in on D-Day with the 101st Airborne Division - this detached service was an experiment to see if there was any advantage in taking a surgical team to where the casualties were, rather than transporting those casualties back to evacuation hospitals. The volunteers involved called themselves the 1st Airborne Surgical Team and they were attached to the 326th Airborne Medical Company.

Prior to the Battle of the Bulge, two surgical teams from the 3rd were sent to the 44th Evacuation Hospital in Malmedy, Belgium. Trucks carrying members of one of the teams passed through the main crossroads outside of Malmedy just minutes before German units took control of the intersection.

Dr. Norman Kornfield was a member of one of the 3rd's surgical teams. On December 22, 1944, in Liege, Belgium, Kornfield anesthetized the German officer who was thought to have ordered the Malmedy Massacre. Fifty years later, a newspaper article recounted Kornfield's experiences:

"...he needed blood badly. But blood supplies for Allied soldiers were scarce. I decided to just give him saline, and he died...an hour later, an American military intelligence team came to the hospital and asked to interrogate the captured German officer. Kornfield...regretfully told the intelligence team that the patient had died only an hour before. I could have saved him, Kornfield said. But the intelligence men told him not to regret his decision to withhold the needed blood. You did the right thing, Doc, one of the men said. We know everything we need to know about the Malmedy killings."

I am not quite sure what animal is depicted in this design and why it was chosen. it looks to me to possibly be a mole, but I'm not sure. I'm also not sure what type of medical instrument the animal is holding.

UPDATE: September 6, 2010

I now believe the animal in the image is a guinea pig, and the surgical instrument he is supposed to be holding in his hands is a scalpel.

Here is the image as it appeared in the April 1944 edition of Walt Disney's Comics & Stories:

206th Coast Artillery, Battery B - insignia

2009-05-24T23:43:00.000-07:00

Love the patriotic color combination in this piece, which was created by Hank Porter in the spring of 1941. I thought the colors were appropriate for a Memorial Day post, which my friends in the USA are celebrating to honor their veterans. I added this piece of original art to my collection a year or so ago. Enjoy!

Happy Easter !

2009-04-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

I bought this neat little Easter card a few months ago and seeing this weekend is Easter, I thought it appropriate to publish this post now. The card is marked on the reverse "Hallmark" and "Copyright 1943 Walt Disney Productions."

The inside of the card reads:

"Behind this little Easter card
Are many thoughts of you,
And many special wishes
For good luck in all you do,
And may the luck and happiness
You're being wished today
Be with you always, everywhere,
Along your future way."

The card was mailed in April 1943 to Private First Class Ralph F. Bupp, who was stationed with the Headquarters Detachment, 33rd Medical Ambulance Battalion.

Ralph F. Bupp

I've been unable to find any information on the 33rd Medical Ambulance Battalion, but a search of the internet for Pfc Bupp yielded the following: Ralph F. Bupp was born on February 2, 1921 and died March 7, 2007 at the age of 86. His obituary stated he had worked at the York Haven, Pennsylvania, Hydroelectric Plant. This has to be the same person the Easter card was mailed to as the return address on the envelope was also in Pennsylvania. The obit also stated Mr. Bupp was a veteran of WW II and was the recipient of the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.

I really enjoy collecting WW II related Disneyana. Part of the joy is researching the history behind the items and I am very happy I was able to find out at least a little bit of info on this WW II veteran.

The Desert Battalion

2009-04-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

In the spring of 1942, Gladys "Robbie" Robinson, wife of the great actor Edward G. Robinson, formed the "Desert Battalion," a service organization with the purpose of providing entertainment to U.S. military servicemen stationed in California.

Mrs. Gladys Lloyd "Robbie" Robinson poses with film and television producer Collier Young at a gala event in the Robinson home. The painting overtop the mantle is a Renoir, part of Edward G. Robinson's renowned art collection.

The "feminine battalion" of so-called "brigadears," was composed of women between the ages of 18 and 25. During the week these young women contributed to the war effort on the home front, where they worked in offices, factories and war plants. On weekends they paid their own bus fare and traveled to desolate military bases, where they danced non-stop for hours in the sweltering heat with lonesome G.I.'s.

Women volunteering for the battalion worked under strict guidelines: they had chaperones; were not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages; were not allowed to engage in any sexual activity including kissing; and they had to promise not to divulge military information. Over the course of the organization's two year existence, the 600 young women of the Desert Battalion covered some 350-thousand miles.

In 1944, Mrs. Robinson and Jack Preston published a soft-cover book titled, The Desert Battalion. Mrs. Robinson personally phoned Walt Disney asking if he would be willing to supply the illustrations. As with many dozens of other home front requests, Disney obliged. At least two Disney artists, (Roy Williams and Freddie Moore, as noted in a copy of a letter from Mrs. Robinson to Don Douglas), created 12 india ink illustrations for use in the book. The book's dust jacket and several other illustrations were created by famed newspaper strip artist Milt Gross.

Original Disney Studio illustration found in the book.

According to an inter-office communique, in order to avoid legal problems with their existing publisher, Disney agreed to have the drawings marked "c WDP." The acknowledgment in the front of the book also stated: "The Walt Disney drawings in this book were produced and contributed by the staff of Walt Disney Productions - supervised by Don Douglas."

Original Disney Studio illustration found in the book.

In a December 2, 1944 letter to Mrs. Robinson, Disney wrote:

"Dear Mrs. Robinson.

Many, many thanks for the very handsome cigarette case which you sent to me through Don Douglass.[sic] It is extremely elegant and I hardly know how to thank you for it.

Mrs. Disney and I regretted our inability to come to your party but we had some out-of-town guests with us that week which made it necessary for us to decline your invitation.

I want to thank you, too, for the generous supply of autographed copies of THE DESERT BATTALION. I am sending them out to friends and members of our staff who I know will enjoy them. I think the finished book turned out very well and the fellows who worked on it got quite a kick in doing the sketches.

Thank you again for the beautiful case, and my best wishes for your continued success in the splendid work you are doing. I am,

Sincerely,

Walt Disney"

Letter sent by Walt Disney to Mrs. Robinson regarding a gift and the book.

The Robinson's granddaughter recently decided to dispose of her collection of material related to the Desert Battalion, which was passed down to her through the family. The group includes 11 original Disney illustrations; two original Gross illustrations; an original letter from Walt Disney to Mrs. Robinson; two original copies of the book; a shadow box display of insignia of the units the Battalion entertained; 95 patches, pins ribbons and wings; six scrapbooks containing over 425 related photographs; over 350 letters from servicemen, press, parents and military officers (including one from Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight David Eisenhower); a Disney ad for the book; and numerous other pieces of ephemera.

The pre-auction estimate of lot number 334 in sale number 52 is $40,000 - $50,000. The auction will occur in the offices of Goldberg Coins in Beverly Hills, on April 25th, 2009. The start time of the auction, which also includes two other non-WW II Disney autographed items, is 10am. All items pictured in this post are courtesy goldbergcoins.com

It will be interesting to see where the bidding settles when the hammer drops on this lot.

68th Tank Battalion - insignia

2009-03-29T22:47:00.000-07:00

From the collection of my friend Dennis Books, the original pencil art for the 68th Tank Battalion. This design was created by Hank Porter and features the Silly Symphonies character Toby Tortoise.

The 68th Tank Battalion arrived in England on February 24, 1944 and came ashore at Utah Beach on July 22, 1944. As part of the United States 6th Armored Division, (part of Patton's Third Army), the battalion participated in five major campaigns over the course of just 9 1/2 months.

The following statistics give some indication as to the battalion's participation in the war: 84 officers and enlisted men were killed in action; 212 were wounded; there were six battlefield commissions, while two Distinguished Service Crosses, 97 Silver Stars and 327 Bronze Stars were awarded. The 68th received 80 new light and medium tanks during their deployment and fired some 6,400 rounds of 76mm ammunition and 10,844 rounds of 105mm ammunition.

The next image shows 68th Tank Battalion T/4 Mickey Rue standing beside a Sherman nicknamed "Little Nell VII" that has been decorated with the battalion's Disney-designed insignia. One has to wonder what fate met the preceeding six "Little Nells."

To me, this photo shows the men in the unit thought highly enough of their Disney design to actually paint the emblem on a piece of their equipment. One has to wonder why the current crop of senior Disney Company managers is so afraid of this part of their corporate history when the servicemen who requested the designs showed them so proudly.

Dick Kelsey, Captain, United States Marine Corps

2009-02-05T22:09:00.000-08:00

The first image in this post was provided by a fellow collector who happens to be in the Marine Corps. The item was on display at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island Museum, when he snapped this photo.

The caption accompanying the piece of art read:

"Early in World War II, Disney Studios Art Director Richmond 'Dick' Kelsey joined the Marines. In 1943 Capt. Kelsey was stationed with the 1st Marine Division at Mt. Martha, 30 miles from Melbourne, Australia. At the request of two friends he created a series of pastel artworks to decorate the Officer's Club. One of those friends saved this scene, poking fun at the 1st Marine Brigade's 1941 service in Iceland."

Kelsey had a long career at the Disney Studio - he worked as an Art Director on Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi. Other films he contributed to included Make Mine Music, Melody Time, So Dear To My Heart, and Alice in Wonderland. He also worked as an Assistant Designer during Disneyland's formative years.

Kelsey was listed on the reverse of the 1943 Dispatch From Disney's pin-up as:

The 1st Marine Brigade was created in July 1941 to garrison Iceland. The Brigade was composed of the Sixth Marines, Fifth Defense Battalion, and the Second Battalion, Tenth Marine Regiment. The unit was disbanded in March 1942, only to be reformed temporarily again, this time for the invasion of Guam in July 1944.

The Disney-designed insignia for the 1st Marine Brigade was created by artist Hank Porter in December 1941. The whimsical emblem featured a penguin in an ice-laden boat. The star on the penguin's scarf was Porter's way of indicating the unit's designation.

The 1st Marine Division, to which Kelsey belonged, saw extensive action in the South Pacific. The Division participated in the Battle of Guadalcanal, Battle of Cape Gloucester, Battle of Peleliu, and the Battle of Okinawa.

More Cy Young

2009-02-04T16:06:00.000-08:00

This just in, courtesy my friend Michael Barrier, an article that originally appeared in the November 27, 1944 Los Angeles Times:

Artists Sketch Women in War

Sgt. Cy Young, ex-cartoonist in the Walt Disney Studios, Ed Gerard and Cecil Maggi are on hand regularly in the U.S.O. Women's Service Center, Pershing Square, to make free sketches of woman Marines, Wacs, Waves and Spars to be sent home to the families of the service women.

One of the most popular features of this club's activities, the sketchers turned out almost 100 pictures in the U.S.O. lounge room yesterday.

Scroll down two posts to see a piece of original combat insignia art created by Cy Young in 1943.

Previously undocumented Navy training film

2009-01-31T23:53:00.000-08:00

A friend recently sent me the following screen grabs from a training film, which was part of a series produced at Disney's in 1943 for the Navy. While almost all of the Studio's training films were produced in black and white, for some reason two of the films in this series were produced in color - you're looking at shots from one of them.

The agency of the film was produced for, the Naval Air Operational Training Command, was stationed at Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida. JAX, as the base was referred to, started life as a Primary Flight School, where new pilots learned the basics. As the war progressed, JAX became one of the so-called "top gun" schools, where the cream of Navy pilots received advanced instruction in fighter tactics.

As an interesting side-note, the Studio designed five different combat insignia for units stationed at the base, beginning with the first created in March 1941.

There is a lot more information about this previously unknown and undocumented series of training films, which I hope to be able to share with you at a later date, but for now, enjoy the accompanying image!

2nd Signal Photo Lab Unit - insignia

2009-01-31T00:29:00.000-08:00

While this particular design was not created at the Disney Studio and does not feature a recognizable Disney character, I was very happy when a friend offered the piece to me at a very reasonable price.

This piece of original insignia art bears the initials "CY 1943" in the bottom right quadrant. According to a note penned in India ink on the reverse, the finished art was created by none other than Disney artist Cyrus S. (Cy) Young. (The emblem's design components were created by a fellow serviceman, but it was Young who put the idea to paper and painted the finished product).

Young, who was born in Hawaii in 1900, was an extremely talented artist who started the Disney Studio Special Effects Department in 1934. He was later joined by Ugo D'Orsi. The two artists were responsible for some of the greatest effects animation created in that time period.

Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston wrote in their book Disney Animation - The Illusion of Life: "Through the entire thirties, the entire Effects Department consisted of only two men: Ugo D'Orsi, a straightforward, stubborn, and dedicated Italian, and Cy Young...quiet and sensitive...who loved to play the bass fiddle as a hobby." Thomas and Johnston added, "Since [D'Orsi and Young] did most of the careful work themselves, they needed only a single assistant between them."

In his book Paper Dreams, John Canemaker noted Young had his start in animation at several New York silent cartoon studios including J.R. Bray's, Paul Terry's and Max Fleischer's. Canemaker added that in the 1920s, Young created technical animation at the Annapolis Naval Academy and medical animation for the Tuberculosis Society of America.

According to Canemaker a "1941 studio personnel report described Young as the 'most highly specialized technical animator in the industry'." Young was fired from Disney's the day before the infamous 1941 employee strike. He was rehired in July of that year, but then fired for good in mid-September.

During the war, Young served as a Sergeant in the 1st Signal Photo Lab, at Camp Livingston, Louisiana. Curiously, Young is listed as a member of the Armed Forces on the reverse of the pin-up gate-fold found in the Studio employee newsletter, Dispatch From Disney's. The notation was made despite the fact he was let go almost two years prior.

I have not been able to locate much information on either Young's unit, or the Signal Unit he created the art for. I recently sent an email to the Signal Corps Museum at Fort Gordon, Georgia, asking if they had any history for either unit and am currently waiting to hear back from the Museum historian.

After the war Young worked as a clerk with the Air Force. Sadly, and like so many other Disney artists before him, Young met a tragic end - he committed suicide on January 16, 1964.

Happy New Year greeting

2009-01-01T00:29:00.000-08:00

Wishing all my visitors a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009!

Cheers!

David

1st Polish Armored Divisional Signals - insignia

2008-12-29T00:04:00.000-08:00

This design was created at the Disney Studio for the First Polish Armored Divisional Signals.

Here's some background I have in my database for the unit:

"This unit was part of the 1st Polish Armored Division. The unit was formed in February 1942 and was comprised of men who had been evacuated from France in 1940. The Division saw action in Normandy in 1944, and then campaigned through Belgium, Holland and Germany. The Division ended the war with the capture of the German port of Wilhelshaven."

A friend who specializes in WW II Polish military history wrote to me recently adding, "The signals unit...was a Battalion under the command of Lt. Col. J. Grajkowski. "

This is one of the very few insignia designs created during the war to feature the likeness of Mickey Mouse.

M.C.A.S. El Toro - insignia

2008-12-28T23:51:00.000-08:00

The first item in this post was acquired a couple of months ago. The image shows part of the cover of a hardcover unit history yearbook-type book, published for men who served at Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, California. The book is filled with numerous black and white photos of the base and some of the units that trained or were stationed there.

At one point in time the servicemen added a rather large anatomical part to the bull, which was eventually removed upon orders emanating from higher up the command chain. The second item is a matchbook cover with an image of the design that I have had in my collection for years.

Disney Christmas card

2008-12-28T23:45:00.000-08:00

Walt Disney began issuing corporate Christmas cards in the early 1930s. Beginning in the late 30s the cards often promoted the current or soon to be released animated feature film. This post shows the 1943 card.

The images come to us via my friend Lance Fontenot, who owns a near complete run of Disney corporate Christmas cards.

13th Armored Division - Christmas card

2008-12-10T23:12:00.000-08:00

Here is the second version of the Division's Christmas card. I have been trying to obtain this particular design for a couple of years now and was successful this past summer in finally obtaining one. The other version can be seen here.

I now own 5 items that depict this unit's Disney-designed insignia including:

2 Christmas cards
stationary
soft-cover large format book detailing the Division's pre-deployment history
program for a musical stage play the men performed before deploying overseas

USS Satyr - insignia

2008-10-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

This piece of insignia art was offered on eBay a couple of months ago. The design was created for the USS Satyr, a Landing Craft Repair Ship.

Satyr was laid down in August 1944 and through a series of commissioning and decommissioning ceremonies, eventually arrived at Guam as the war ended. After being repaired following a collision, Satyr performed Occupation Duty in Japan.

Satyr did see action during the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. She was eventually decommissioned and transfered to the South Vietnam Navy in September 1971 and with the fall of the South Vietnam government, the vessel served in the Philippine Navy.

This design was created in the spring of 1945.

Donald Duck Scrap Drive newspaper strip

2008-10-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

This strip appeared in the August 2, 1943 edition of the Tucson Daily Citizen newspaper. During the war Disney supported various home front campaigns including a publicity event for the Los Angeles scrap drive, details of which can be found here and here.

When Donald's request for scrap goes unheeded, he changes his strategy with great success - sort of like the "No Dumping" sign found on the vacant lot at the end of many a street that draws people with wheelbarrows full of yard clippings, like flies to honey.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

Victory Beer

2008-10-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

I have decided to combine two old posts with a recently acquired new item this one new, updated post.

One of the more unique Disney war-related items I've come across over the many years of collecting, has been this series of so-called "Victory Beer" labels. The labels in this post appeared on bottles of beer produced by the Koppitz-Melchers Brewery. This Detroit, Michigan, brewery employed a novel idea to cash-in on home front patriotism. Beginning in 1942 the company began production and distribution of "Victory Beer." One hundred different label variations were produced for this particular brand. While most of the labels featured illustrations of military weapons and vehicles, at least three showcased Disney-designed combat insignia.

I have seen two bottles with labels, one was a stubby and the other a long neck. I have also seen two labels sell on eBay. Of these four labels, two were of the same design, so at this time I know of three different labels.

They include the following: From my collection a long neck bottle featuring the design for the "Mosquito Fleet" of patrol torpedo boats. The design depicts an angry mosquito astride a torpedo streaking towards its intended target. The caption reads: "Mosquito Fleet emblem by Disney shows Uncle Sam has wartime sense of humor. Other emblems are brightly emblazoned on ships, tanks, truck and planes." To read more about the Mosquito Fleet design, which was one of the first designs to be created at the Disney Studio, click here.

The second label, (which I recently acquired), features three air insignia designs. Pictured on this label are the emblems for the 45th Air Base Squadron (Baby Pegasus from Fantasia); 62d Pursuit Squadron (boxing bulldog); and the very first design created for the Jacksonville Naval Air Station (flying squirrel). All of these designs were created by artist Hank Porter in March 1941.

The third label, and one which escaped my successful bidding, also features three designs including: the Alaska Defense Force (seal balancing letters on its nose); the 69th Quartermaster Battalion (figure made-up of tools); and the Bombardment Training Unit, Ellington Field (Stork form Dumbo).

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone that knows of any additional Disney designs used on the labels of this line of beer.

USS Pelias AS-14 - insignia part 2

2008-10-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

A recent addition to my collection, a Thanksgiving Day menu for the men who served aboard this submarine tender. The menu is dated November 25, 1943 and while I'm a month and a bit early by American standards, this weekend is actually Thanksgiving here in Canada.

The menu is printed on heavy stock paper and lists all of the great food items available to the crew including: shrimp cocktail, roast turkey, baked spice ham, giblet gravy, cream of tomato soup, sage dressing, cranberry sauce, snowflake potatoes, butter asparagus, vegetable salad, butter peas, sweet pickles, celery stalks, olives butter, bread and parker house rolls. To finish off this fantastic feast the menu lists ice cream, cocoa, and cigarettes.

The tender's mermaid insignia has been printed in the middle of the menu. She is surrounded by the small silhouettes of merbabies. This design was created by Disney artist Hank Porter in the spring of 1942.

To read more about the history of the Pelias, click here to see a previous post.

Air Base Detachment, Gray Field - insignia

2008-09-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

The insignia design in this post is from the collection of my good friend Sam Grabarski. This design was created by Hank Porter in December 1941, for the Air Base Detachment, Gray Army Airfield, Fort Lewis.

Fort Lewis is located on the American west coast in Washington State. The Fort began life as a military camp, established in 1917, when the residents of Pierce County voted in favor of purchasing and then donating 70,000 acres of land to the Federal Government for use as a military base. The Camp was named for Captain Meriwether Lewis of the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Camp became a Fort in September 1927.

Between the spring of 1939 and the spring of 1941 the camp expanded with construction of a northern garrison that occupied some 2,000 acres. During World War II the Fort served as the training facility for the 3rd, 33rd, 40th, 41st, 44th and 96th infantry divisions, as well as several smaller divisions. A prisoner of war camp also operated in the vicinity of the base between 1943 and 1946.

A recent addition to my collection is this war-era photo, showing servicemen attached to the Gray Army Airfield, Air Base Detachment. The unit's Disney-designed insignia is visible on the sign in the background.

The Fort Lewis airfield became Gray Army Airfield in April 1938. The field was named in honor of Captain Lawrence C. Gray, who lost his life during a balloon flight in 1927. Gray had served as a private during World War I. After the war he became a commissioned officer serving in the Air Service and Airship School, where he conducted test flights.

Close-up detail of the sign, which was located in front of the Air Base Headquarters.

Over the course of the Second World War, the 116th Observation and 116th Photographic Squadrons, which were stationed at Gray Field, conducted anti-submarine patrol duty over the waters off the state's coast.

Home Front Scrap Drive - part 2

2008-09-14T23:09:00.000-07:00

I came across this photo the other day. It is a companion to the image that appeared previously in this post.

I'm actually not sure if these two deer ever made their way to the foundry to be melted down into bombs and bullets. I recall reading recently the ornamental deer were seen at Disney's Holmby Hills residence in the 1960s, but I could be mistaken.

Coast Guard Infantry Drill booklet

2008-09-07T21:46:00.000-07:00

A recent acquisition, this publication was produced for the Captain, United States Coast Guard, Port of Los Angeles.

The 24-page soft-cover booklet covers proper drill procedures and a manual of arms and is profusely illustrated with images of Bugs Bunny as the Drill Instructor and Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and some other non-descript cartoon characters trying to do what the rabbit is ordering, sometimes with comical consequences.

While the illustrations were not created by a Disney artist, Donald Duck at least is pretty true to character.

UPDATE: September 14, 2008

I have received several requests asking that I show some of the illustrations found in the booklet. So, here they are...not all of them, but a representative sampling. Enjoy!

47th Air Depot Group insignia - part 3

2008-08-21T23:13:00.001-07:00

A frequent visitor of this blog sent me an image of this patch, which he recently acquired, to share. He wishes to remain anonymous at this time. My friend says the leather patch was made in-theatre.

For more on the 47th Air Depot Group, please click here to see my previous posts.

Victorville A.A.F. - insignia

2008-08-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

From my collection, a great copy of Bombs Away, the official newsletter publication, "produced by the Public Relations Department for the personnel of Victorville Army Air Field, 3035th Army Air Forces Base Unit."

This particular issue is dated July 1, 1944 and was Volume 2, Number 12. The cover of this issue pictures the new insignia created for the station by Disney artist Hank Porter, in the spring of 1944. The accompanying article related the story of how the design came to be:

"...it all began...on February 19th of this year That was the date Bombs Away announced a contest, offering a $25 War Bond to the person who submitted a design considered most representative of the Field. More than 20 entries resulted. The drawings were then judged by a committee...Donald won...and so off he went to the Walt Disney Studios for a little retouch work. Disney artists liked the idea and set to work making it a professional job."

The article also stated decals, which I have seen offered for sale on eBay, were going to be sold in the Post Exchange. "If the insigne proves popular, the PX has agreed to obtain leather reproductions for wear on jackets and flight suits." A second, shorter story referred to the image as "Shack Smackin' Don."

A photo of Walt Disney holding the original art was also published in this issue. The image is interesting as the finished art does not, at this point, bear Hank Porter's scriptive "Walt Disney" signature. Porter signed Walt Disney's name to each piece of insignia art he created. Given the fact Walt holds what appears to be a writing instrument in his right hand, I wonder if he personally penned an inscription to the base C.O. before putting the art in the mail?

A very nice image of a determined Donald Duck being trained as a bombardier on a fairly hard to find publication.

127th Airborne Engineer Battalion - insignia

2008-08-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

What better way to start this blog's third year, than by showcasing a recent addition to my collection. I purchased the original art for the 127th Airborne Engineer battalion last month. The determined look on Donald's face epitomizes the true grit of the men lucky enough to become member's of this elite force.

The 127th AEB was instituted on November 12, 1942 and was activated as an element of the 11th Airborne Division on February 25th, 1943. The Battalion consisted of Companies A, B, and C, plus a Headquarters and a Service Company. The 127th was just the second unit of airborne engineers activated during the war. The main responsibilities of the Battalion included road and airfield construction.

127th AEB, Company B. Courtesy ww2-airborne.us

Men in the unit received their training at Camp Mackall, North Carolina. After almost one year of training, the entire 11th Airborne Division moved to Camp Polk, Louisiana, for intensive jungle warfare training.

On April 30th, 1944, the 11th Airborne departed San Francisco for a 26 day cruise that ended on the island of New Guinea in the South Pacific. The first tasks accomplished by the 127th were construction of a jump school and housing for divisional personnel.

In November the 11th AD was sent to Leyte, in the Philippines, where the Engineers helped construct roads and bridges along a major supply route, which were previously destroyed by torrential rains.

San Pablo airstrip, circa 1946. Courtesy ibiblio.org

Between December 6th and 8th, elements of the 127th and a few other miscellaneous service units were attacked by 250-300 Japanese airborne forces, while on duty at the San Pablo airstrip. Despite enemy infiltration of their position, which resulted in the destruction of several planes, vehicles and two gasoline dumps, the 127th, reinforced with men from the 674th Field Artillery Battalion, successfully routed the Japanese.

Private Charles S. Wylie was KIA, December 7, 1944, while defending the San Pablo airstrip.

Over the course of the war, 16 men in this Battalion were killed in action, while 21 men received the Silver Star for valor. On July 1, 1958, the 127th AEB was re-designated the 3d Engineer Battalion and deployed to Bavaria, Germany.

Disney artist Hank Porter created this design in the summer of 1943.

Something to celebrate

2008-08-07T22:52:00.000-07:00

August 8th marks the second anniversary of this blog. Hard to believe it's been two years, 200 posts and almost 50,000 visitors already. While I wish I could spend more time posting material, family and other commitments keep me busy elsewhere.

The upcoming year looks interesting to say the least. Between my work with the Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco and this blog, I hope to continue sharing interesting facts and pieces of memorabilia from this largely unexplored chapter of the Walt Disney Studio's history.

Thanks for stopping by...

Zip Your Lip

2008-08-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

This great poster comes our way courtesy my friend Jim Lowe. Jim collects home front memorabilia with an emphasis on anti-Axis material.

The poster measures 12 x 18 inches and was printed in 1943 by the Assistant Chief of Staff, Western Defense Command and the Fourth Army.

The poster was distributed by the 29th Engineer Battalion, (Topographic). During the war, the Battalion was largely responsible for mapping the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound regions of Washington State, and helped with mapping the route of the ALCAN Highway that traveled through Alaska and British Columbia, Canada.

The illustration of Hitler is one that parodies caricatures of the Nazi leader found in Disney's Education For Death and der Fuehrer's Face.

I am looking to add one of these posters to my own collection, so if you have one for sale or know where I can find one, please email me.

Gasoline rationing - part 2

2008-07-30T23:50:00.001-07:00

The image in this post was created by Hank Porter in 1943. The illustration was used on a poster that promoted carpooling as a way of saving gasoline. I love the composition of this piece and the expression on Donald's face is priceless.

A copy of the poster the art was used on appears on page six of Walton Rawls' book, Disney Dons Dogtags.

The image of the original art comes our way courtesy Gordon Porter and is just another great example of the many home front projects Hank Porter created art for during the war. To see another gasoline rationing poster, click here.

510th Bombardment Squadron insignia

2008-07-18T23:51:00.000-07:00

This great design comes our way courtesy the fantastic collection of my good friend Sam Grabarski.

The insignia in this post was created by Hank Porter in early 1945 for the 510th Bombardment Squadron, which was attached to the 351st Bombardment Group (Heavy). The design features the image of one of the crows from the film Dumbo.

The 351st was activated on October 1, 1942. The Group was composed of the 508th, 509th, 510th and 511th Bombardment Squadrons. The unit was eventually assigned to an airfield in England and on May 14, 1943, eighteen of the Group's B-17 bombers executed the unit's first combat mission, with a raid on a German airfield in Belgium.

Some 279 Flying Fortresses served with the unit over the course of its three year history. These bombers flew a total of 9,075 sorties and dropped almost 21,000 tons of bombs. The gunners in the Group expended 2.7 million rounds of ammunition and were credited with the destruction of 303 enemy aircraft.

351st B.G. bombers fly through heavy anti-aircraft fire, while on a mission to bomb Berlin in March 1944.

Most of the Group's raids took the bombers into Germany, where they targeted ball-bearing plants, railroad marshaling yards, a locomotive and tank factory, oil refineries and communications centers. Bombers in the Group also struck targets in France, Belgium, Norway and Holland that included submarine installations. power plants, airfields and V-rocket weapons sites.

351st Group also attacked targets in support of the D-Day landings, the airborne attack on Holland, helped stop the enemy counter-offensive during the Battle of the Bulge and supported the assault across the Rhine River into Germany.

175 of the Group's bombers were lost, (124 in combat) and two of its men were posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, when they were killed in a crash while attempting to land a badly damaged plane in order to save their severely wounded pilot, who was unable to bail-out. The Group suffered almost 1,000 casualties.

Men in the Group received two Distinguished Unit Citations: the first in October 1943 for an mission against an aircraft factory in Germany, which was successfully bombed despite facing heavy anti-aircraft fire and an onslaught enemy fighters, and the second for a successful attack in January 1944 against aircraft manufacturing facilities.

Hollywood actor Clark Gable poses as a B-17 waist gunner.

Clark Gable served with the Group's 510th Squadron. Gable flew a total of five combat missions, while filming an Army Air Forces aerial gunnery film titled, Combat America. Gable later served with the 18th Army Air Force's, First Motion Picture Unit. The unit, composed of Hollywood actors, artists and technicians, (including several Disney artists), produced publicity and training films.

Please click on this link to view another great Dumbo crow insignia design I posted in 2006.

Victory Through Air Power storyboard art - part 2

2008-07-17T00:13:00.000-07:00

On this day in 1943, 65 years ago, Walt Disney's Victory Through Air Power premiered in New York City.

Here are four more pastel storyboards from the film courtesy my good friend Dennis Books. This series shows a torpedo bomber laying down a "fish" on a Japanese aircraft carrier, with devastating results. The art is behind glass and these photographic images do not do the pieces justice.

To see a second set of related storyboards I posted back in March, please click on this link. I'll have much, much more to say about this film at a later date.

Western Air Lines insignia stamp album - part 2

2008-07-14T22:56:00.000-07:00

A blog reader contacted me this past month and offered me two Western Air Lines insignia stamp albums. One is blank, while the other is partially completed. Both are near mint.

I have never seen one of these in person before and have only ever seen two others for sale on eBay. The two I was offered and subsequently purchased confirmed my belief the Hearst newspaper promotional insignia stamps were also used in these booklets.

While five different Hearst stamp albums were produced, to my knowledge this is the only album published for use in the Western Air Lines promotion.

The Western Air Lines album has room for the first 50 gummed stamps issued by Hearst, of which 24 were created at the Disney Studio. And while not reproduced verbatim, much of the introductory text found in the WAL album has also been lifted from volume one of the Hearst series.

The Western Air Lines album measures four inches wide by nine inches tall and when fully opened measures 16 inches wide by 18 inches tall. The album is printed on both sides. The front and back covers feature reproductions of 24 full or partial insignia designs. There is no copyright date on the album.

For more info and to see some other images, click on this link to see my previous post on the topic.

British Mickey Mouse newspaper war reference

2008-07-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

The following Donald Duck strip appeared on the front cover of the May 22, 1943 issue of the British Mickey Mouse newspaper publication.

Some of the war issues reprinted Disney-designed combat insignia on the front cover, while other war-era issues had references to the conflict embedded in the comic strips. Some of these references included rationing, war savings, bonds, and bomb shelters.

I thought this strip was cute as on this rare occasion, Donald got the better of his Nephews, who are usually the winners in any showdown with their Unca' Donald.

Marine Night Fighter Group 53 - insignia

2008-07-04T00:21:00.001-07:00

Hank Porter created this design for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Night Fighter Group 53, in January 1944.

I absolutely love all of the various design elements, which seem so appropriate - the gnarly, beat-up, old alley cat with his bandaged tail, cigarette hanging from his mouth, patch over his eye, carbine at the ready and pistols slouched over his hips. The cat is perched atop a fence looking for trouble on this or any other night.

As with many of his designs, Porter has indicated the unit's designation with the use of the three clouds in the sky, which represent the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

Marine Night Fighting Group 53 was formed on April 1, 1943. The unit was the first night fighter group in the Marine Corps and was tasked with training all of the Corps' night fighting squadrons. The Group initially trained at Vero Beach, Florida.

In November 1944 the unit moved to Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake, Texas and in April 1945 the unit was re-designated Marine Night Fighter Group 53. During the course of the war the unit trained a total of eight night fighting squadrons, of which seven saw actual combat. The group was deactivated in May 1947.

The blog will again be silent over the next week as we take a trip to Disneyland.

530th Engineer Light Pontoon Company

2008-05-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

A recent addition to my collection, this piece of original insignia art was created by Hank Porter for the 530th Engineer Light Pontoon Company, in the fall of 1944. I love how Porter used amphibious creatures as design elements - considering the unit's role, this was an appropriate choice.

The 530th was a separate, independent unit assigned to the U.S. Sixth Army. The Company was composed of 205 men and six officers. The unit was broken down into three line platoons who were tasked with transporting, constructing and maintaining two ten-ton floating bridges, twelve units of infantry support raft and 432 feet of infantry footbridge. The Company also maintained 70 boats, which were used during river assault crossings.

The 530th was formed on June 25, 1943, at Camp Beale, California, by a group of officers from the Fort Belvoir Engineer School and a cadre from the 73rd Engineer Light Pontoon Company. Training was conducted at the camp throughout the fall and winter of 1943 and 1944, with excursions into the Sierra Nevada Mountains for extra realism.

On April 21st, 1944, the unit departed San Francisco aboard the SS Cape Neddick. After 26 unescorted days at sea, the Company went ashore at Finschhafen, located on the South Pacific island of New Guinea.

In October the unit experienced combat for the first time when it supplied bridging for the 96th and 7th Divisions on the Philippine island of Leyte. In January 1945 the 530th took part in the second Battle of the Philippines. Attached to the XIV Corps, the 530th provided bridging for the 40th Division in the initial stages of the campaign, after which they spearheaded the 37th Divisions drive for the capital of Manila.

The 530th spent the balance of the war preparing for the invasion of Japan. If the invasion had been necessary, the Company would have landed on the east coast of southern Kyushu. Japan's formal surrender on August 15th made these plans moot.

My thanks to Michael Brodhead, Office of History, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who provided me with over 200 pages of reference material for the 530th.

Victory Garden promotional material

2008-05-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

One of the most successful wartime civilian participation programs was the Victory Garden, where Americans were encouraged to grow and preserve their own fruits and vegetables. The Secretary of Agriculture initiated the program after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Factory workers tended crops for use in their cafeterias, while homeowners grew crops in their backyards, vacant lots and on boulevards in front of their homes.

Disney licensee W.L. Stensgaard produced a Victory Garden sign that featured Donald Duck chasing pests from his garden. The sign was available in two sizes and was sold in five and dimes, hardware and grocery stores.

Masonite version of the Donald Duck Victory Garden sign.

One version of the sign featured the illustration printed on a masonite board attached to a 24-inch long stake. This sign was produced in six oil colors and had a wholesale price of $10.80 per dozen. The suggested retail was $1.69 each.

The second version was printed on 100-point fiberboard, was produced in four oil colors and was mounted on an 18-inch stake. The fiberboard signs wholesaled at $7.80 per dozen with a suggested retail of $1.00 each.

A promotional flyer sent to retailers stated: "Everybody will want to identify their victory garden with this colorful, durable, outdoor marker. Creates a new spirit for gardens. Thousands will buy for own use, also gifts and prizes."

When interest in the Victory Garden program began to wane, State War Councils sponsored growing contests. In 1944 Disney artist Hank Porter designed the cover illustration for the National Victory Garden Institute's Green Thumb Contest Record Book.

Cover of the 1944 Adult Contest Record Book.

The May 22, 1944 edition of the Dixon Evening Telegraph reported in part:

"Any adult home gardener, city or farm, is eligible to enter the contest. A champion Victory Gardener in each classification...will be selected in this community to enter the county contest. The county winners will then enter the state competition. Each entrant will receive a contest record book with a cover especially designed by Walt Disney to be used for keeping a record of planting and harvesting."

Cover of the 1944 Youth Contest Record Book.

Two versions of the record book were printed. The book created for adults pictured Mickey Mouse as a farmer. The book created for youth gardeners, used the same illustration with added text that read, "The Green Thumb 3-V's. Vegetables. Vitamins. Vitality."

In Illinois, adult first place winners received a $100 bond, while the state winner claimed a $200 bond and the chance to be judged against other state winners in a national showdown. The winner of the national contest won a $1,000 bond. Youth winners could win $10 in war savings stamps for a fifth place finish and up to a $100 bond for a first place showing.

The Youth record book was featured in the July 1, 1944 edition of the Illinois War Council's Illinois Mobilizes newsletter.

Cover of the 1945 Youth Contest Record Book.

All of the items shown in this post, with the exception of the newsletter, are from my collection. I purchased the Victory Garden sign from a good friend several years ago, while the three Victory Garden Contest Record Books were a recent internet purchase.

Red Cross promotional pamphlet

2008-04-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

Another piece that escaped my grasp while I was sick. This pamphlet was created for the Red Cross in 1945. The material was originally distributed to school children. Just a great little promotional piece.

Click here and here to see other Red Cross illustrations created by Disney artists during the war.

Third War Loan

2008-04-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

This piece of original art escaped my grasp but I thought I'd share its history and an image of the art with the readers of my blog.

This piece of original art was created by the Disney Studio in 1943, specifically for the state of Connecticut. The art was used in promotional material during the federal government's Third War Loan drive. The Disney design is based loosely on the official Navy Submarine insignia

The Third War Loan generated at estimated $42,400,000 in Connecticut. The money was used to pay for the construction of six submarines at the Electric Boat Company's facility in Groton.

The Third War Loan was launched by President Roosevelt via a nationwide radio broadcast on the evening of September 8, 1943. The President stated in part:

"This Third War Loan, which we are starting tonight, will...succeed - because the American people will not permit it to fail. Success of the Third War Loan will be the symbol that America does not propose to rest on its arms - that we know the tough, bitter job ahead and will not stop until we have finished it."

There were a total of eight war loan drives over the course of the war. The Third loan's final sales totaled almost $19 billion.

Posts

2008-04-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

I was quite sick for two weeks with the flu and a couple of other related ailments - never been that sick before. Anyhow, I have recovered and will now resume my regular posting.

unidentified Helicopter Squadron - insignia

2008-04-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

This piece of original art is currently for sale on eBay. The widow claims she saw Walt Disney create the sketch. A neat design created in the early 1950s. Click here for the link to the auction.

Walt Disney's Comics & Stories - part 3

2008-04-02T21:15:00.001-07:00

This cover of the July 1945 issue featured a great Revolutionary War scene with Mickey, Donald and Dopey carrying a flag imprinted with a message signed by several of America's military leaders.

The message on the flag stated:

TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

Your sons, husbands and brothers who are standing today upon the battlefronts are fighting for more than victory in war. They are fighting for a new world of freedom and peace.

We, upon whom has been placed the responsibility of lending the American forces, appeal to you with all possible earnestness to invest in War Bonds to the fullest extent of your capacity.

Give us not only the needed implements of war, but the assurance and backing of the a united people so necessary to hasten the victory and speed the return of your fighting men.

The above message featured the facsimile signatures of several important war leaders including:

George Marshall: the first American Army General to be promoted to 5 star rank, Marshall was the Army Chief of Staff and was once referred to as "the organizer of victory" by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Marshall selected Dwight Eisenhower as Supreme Commander. As Secretary of State he developed the so-called Marshall Plan which helped rebuild European countries devastated by war. He was twice named TIME magazine's "Man of the Year" and he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

William Leahy: the first American Naval Officer to hold the rank of Fleet Admiral and the first to hold 5 star rank. Leahy had an amazing career that included service in the Spanish-American War, Chief of Naval Operations during World War II, Chief of Staff to President Roosevelt (effectively the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), Governor of Puerto Rico and Ambassador to France.

Douglas MacArthur: General of the Army and Field Marshall of the Philippine Army. As the Allied commander in the Philippines at the start of World War II, he was later evacuated aboard a patrol torpedo boat from his headquarters on Corregidor. MacArthur triumphantly returned to the Philippines in October 1944 and eventually accepted Japan's formal surrender aboard the mighty battleship USS Missouri.

Ernest King: was the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations, was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was the second most senior officer after William Leahy. King was also the second Naval officer to be promoted to 5 star rank.

Dwight Eisenhower: in February 1944 Eisenhower became the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, where he planned the Allied invasion of France (D-Day). He was eventually elected President of the United States serving in that role from 1953 to 1961.

Chester Nimitz: Commander-in-Chief of Pacific Forces, Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Navigation and a foremost expert on submarine warfare. Nimitz signed for the United States during Japan's formal surrender ceremony.

Henry "Hap" Arnold: aviation pioneer who flew with the Wright Brothers. Arnold was the only American to achieve 5 star rank in two of the services. Arnold advocated the creation of an independent air force, which until that happened, was part of the Army.

ATR-50 insignia

2008-03-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

The insignia design in this post comes our way courtesy my good friend Sam Grabarski. Sam has an outstanding collection of Hank Porter insignia art, as well as a very large collection of World War II era patches featuring Disney designs.

This particular design was created by Hank Porter in the summer of 1944 for ATR-50, an ocean going rescue tug. The tug was launched May 05, 1944 at the Colberg Boat Works, in Stockton, California.

ATR-50 under construction.

This class of wooden-hulled and steam powered tugs measured 165 feet long, were armed with one 3 inch / .50 caliber dual-purpose gun and two sets of 20mm anti-aircraft guns. The boats were staffed by a compliment of three officers and 50 sailors and by some accounts the tugs possessed exceptional firefighting qualities.

Another construction shot of ATR-50.

Background on ATR-50 is somewhat sketchy, but I have managed to locate a few interesting details. After her launch and commissioning, ATR-50 made her way to the South Pacific. The earliest mention of ATR-50 I have located stated the tug operated in waters near the Marshall Islands.

On September 28, 1944, ATR-50 towed dry dock AFDL-32 and oil barges YO-93 and YO-95 to the Eniwetok Atoll. The following month the tug participated in a rescue mission during the Battle of the Formosa Sea, in which several ships were damaged.

In the fall of 1944, Admiral Halsey's Carrier-based Task Force 38 attacked enemy installations on Formosa (present day Taiwan). The goal of CTF 38 was to destroy the island's garrison of Japanese war planes, which the Americans feared could wreak havoc on the U.S. planned liberation via invasion of the Philippine Islands.

On Friday October 13, 1944, USS Canberra, (a Baltimore-class cruiser named in honor of an Australian warship), was crippled by a Japanese aerial torpedo. The resulting explosion ripped a gaping hole in the side of Canberra that flooded her two engine rooms. Twenty-three sailors died in the explosion.

As Canberra lay dead in the water, help arrived on-scene in the form of several tugs. USS Houston was also severely damaged during the attack and she too required assistance. ATR-50 and civilian tug Watch Hill assisted Canberra. ATR-50 eventually towed the stricken cruiser to Ulithi Atoll, where the damaged ship received temporary repairs. The trip from waters off Formosa to the Atoll took a full two weeks to complete.

ATR-50 in the foreground tows the stricken cruiser USS Canberra, while in the background USS Houston is under tow.

Not much else is known about ATR-50 at this time. The rest of her war record and final disposition remains unknown at this time.

I love how Porter showcased the tug in silhouette and of course, Donald, being a sailor himself, was a very appropriate choice of character.

Death of an American President

2008-03-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

The two images in this post come our way courtesy my friend Are Myklebust.

The first image Are sent me is a copy of a Donald Duck newspaper strip, which appeared on April 5, 1945. In the strip Donald's nephews ask their uncle to explain the war to them. Donald tries to answer their question through a novel idea: the nephews become the three Allied leaders: Louie is American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Huey is British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Dewey is Russian leader Josef Stalin. Donald assumed the role of German dictator, Adolf Hitler.

The interesting point about this strip is the change that occurred when the art was reprinted in Walt Disney's Comics & Stories comic book #60, dated September 1945.

On the afternoon of April 12, 1945, exactly one week to the day after the newspaper strip was published, President Roosevelt died of a massive cerebral brain hemorrhage at his vacation retreat in Warm Springs, Georgia. When the strip art was reprinted in the comic book, a name change was made to reflect the change in American leadership, when Harry Truman stepped in to replace Roosevelt.

The newspaper strip story was originally written by Bob Karp and was drawn by the great Al Taliaferro.

My thanks to Are for providing this interesting bit of history. Please click on the images to see enlarged versions.

Victory Through Air Power storyboard art

2008-03-16T21:51:00.001-07:00

This fantastic sequence of pastel storyboards was created during production of Walt Disney's Victory Through Air Power. They are courtesy the outstanding collection of my friend Dennis Books.

This set of pastels follows an American dive-bomber during its attack on a Japanese aircraft carrier, from approach under heavy anti-aircraft fire, to the end result.

USS Narragansett AT 88 - insignia

2008-03-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

The USS Narragansett was a Navajo class tugboat that was laid down in January 1942, launched in the fall of 1942 and commissioned in January 1943. After shakedown the tug departed for the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where she began her war service performing salvage operations off the Algerian coast.

I acquired the original art for the Narragansett several months ago. The design was created by Hank Porter in the spring of 1945 and features the likeness of Disney's Little Hiawatha.

The 205 foot long tug was powered by four General Motors diesel main engines. She was armed with one 3 inch / .50 caliber duel-purpose gun, two twin 40mm anti-aircraft guns and two single 20mm anti-aircraft guns.

AT-88, USS Narragansett

At the Casablanca conference Allied leaders agreed the invasion of France was not feasible. Instead, top military planners opted for an amphibious landing on the Italian island of Sicily. Fighting forces from America, Canada and Britain took part in the mission, which began on the evening of July 9, 1943 and ended in mid-August.

Dubbed Operation Husky, Narragansett contributed to the success of the invasion by assisting landing craft in distress. On August 10th she towed the USS Mayrant to Malta for repairs. Thirteen days later, while in Palermo Harbor, Narragansett was damaged during a raid by German bombers that resulted in two of her crew being wounded.

USS Mayrant was towed to Malta for repairs by the Narragansett. The destroyer suffered damage to her engine room during a German air attack that also resulted in the deaths of five of her sailors. Franklin D,. Roosevelt Jr. was the ship's Executive Officer at the time of the attack. Roosevelt was later awarded the Silver Star for his heroic efforts in keeping the ship afloat.

In September the fleet tug took part in the invasion of Italy, where she came to the aid of a sister tug, USS Nauset, as well as various landing craft. In mid-September Narragansett towed the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Uganda to Malta for repairs. The tug remained in Italian waters where she assisted in salvage operations.

In June 1944 Narragansett was reclassified ATF-86. In August she took part in Operation Dragoon, the codename assigned to the invasion of Southern France, where she helped in salvage and resupply missions. In the fall Narragansett returned to the United States for overhaul.

In January 1945 the tug was transferred to the Pacific Fleet. Narragansett suffered severe hull damage off the coast of Central America when a floating dock she was towing broke free and smashed into her. After repairs the tug continued on her journey to the South Pacific.

During the summer of 1945 the tug operated in waters off Eniwetok, Saipan, Guam and the Philippines. Narragansett returned to Pearl Harbor on October 25, 1945 and was eventually decommissioned in December 1946.

I love both the expression on Hiawatha's face and the nickname "Nasty Narry" the crew gave to their boat. Based on the art, there is no doubt the men and their machine meant business.

Donald Duck bond poster

2008-03-13T12:22:00.001-07:00

Donald Duck bond poster, circa 1943.

The illustration was created by Hank Porter and while not a direct copy of the Scottish Spendthrift character found in The Spirit of '43 income tax film, some of the design elements are similar.

Meet the Spandules

2008-03-13T00:36:00.000-07:00

The whimsical training booklet in this post was created in June 1943 for the United States Army Air Force, Safety Education Division, Flight Control Command. The concept behind the booklet was simple: create a manual that would hold the attention of an airman, while teaching him the basic principles of cold weather flying in a fun manner.

The booklet measures 6 by 4 1/2 inches and numbers 28 pages, including the front and back covers. The introduction states in part:

"In this book for the first time is pictured a close relative of the Gremlin, the 'Spandule.' These little fellows inhabit the air space above 30,000 feet except in the winter time, when they come down to lower altitudes and have been known to play around on the ground. Although not mean at heart, these little guys are forced by their very nature to do a lot of things to get a pilot in trouble.

Whenever an airplane enters their domain they pounce aboard. They like to test a guy out. If he is on his toes they probably won't bother him much, but if he looks sound asleep or a little thick between the ears they are almost sure to plaster his wings with ice, load down his propeller, and do all sorts of tricks that can be real serious.

If you know where to look for Spandules and if you keep a close watch for the first evidence of their handiwork, you can usually avoid a run-in with them. This book will help you do that.

The life-like pictures of Spandules which appear in this book were created by Walt Disney at the invitation of the Flight Control Command."

The booklet details through humorous sketches the perils Allied airmen could face while flying at high altitudes and in cold weather conditions. The characters featured in the manual are Spandules, the winter cousins of author Roald Dahl's Gremlins. Gremlins were adult males, Fifinella their female companions and Widgets were their offspring.

In a June 3, 1943 Inter-Office Communication sent to Walt Disney regarding ideas for the Gremlins cartoon under development, artist Hal Adelquist referred to Spandules as "the dopes of the group." He added, "The Spandules are assigned to the Stratosphere and we develop a very interesting sequence of the Spandule's song as they go about coating the wings of the Spitfires [with ice]."

The booklet's illustrations were created by artist Bill Justice, who also did the black and white drawings found in The Gremlins Random House book.

And finally, the back cover:

If anyone has any of the above art for sale, or has ever seen this art for sale, I'd be interested in hearing from you. I'd like to add this art to my collection.

I'd also like to hear from any airmen who were given this booklet while in training.

Liberty magazine patriotic cover - original art

2008-03-05T22:35:00.000-08:00

Courtesy the Porter family, the original art for the July 1940 cover of Liberty magazine. Over the course of his 15 year career at Disney's, Hank Porter created dozens of illustrations for magazine covers, advertisements and articles.

The conceptual art and the illustration that was actually used are pretty much the same with one exception - the positioning of Donald's head has been moved forward in the final art used on the magazine's cover. Otherwise, the two pieces are pretty much identical.

The image is loaded with patriotic American symbols, befitting the fact this particular issue appeared on newsstands the same month Americans celebrated their Independence Day. The iconic symbols include the torch from the statue of Liberty, the Scales of Justice, the Liberty Bell, reference to the year 1776 when the colonies declared their independence, and of course, an American eagle, who happens to be sporting an "Uncle Sam" stovepipe hat, beard and trousers.

And while that eagle was lashed to Donald's radiator in the illustration, less than a year and half after this magazine hit the newsstands, the might of that eagle would be unleashed as America declared war on the governments of both Japan and Germany.

USS Mercy AH-8 - insignia

2008-03-02T22:59:00.000-08:00

The insignia in this post was created by Hank Porter in the spring of 1944 for the Comfort-class hospital ship USS Mercy. The USS Mercy was launched on March 25, 1943, was converted on the west coast from a cargo ship to a hospital ship and was commissioned on August 7, 1944.

Detail from a piece of stationary dated January 1945. In the letter the serviceman informed his mother his stateside girlfriend had accepted his proposal of marriage and that the ceremony would occur at war's end.

After her shakedown cruise, Mercy was staffed by servicemen attached to the Army's 214th Hospital Ship personnel. The vessel had a crew compliment of just over 500 and had the capacity to treat upwards of 400 patients. As she was a hospital ship, she was fitted with no armament.

Mercy and her crew operated in the South Pacific as part of the U.S. Navy's 5th and 7th Fleets. The vessel saw action and provided medical care during the invasions of both the Philippines and Okinawa.

Mercy was decommissioned in May 1946 and was transferred to the U.S. Army as a hospital ship in June of that year.

USS Mercy offloads wounded at Guam after the invasion of Okinawa.

According to my records, this is the only insignia design Snow White appeared in, while Dopey can be found in just two others.

YMS-41 - insignia

2008-02-27T21:24:00.000-08:00

The insignia design in this post was created by Hank Porter in the winter of 1942 for the crew of YMS-41, a Class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper. I acquired this piece of insignia art earlier this year.

The graphic design of this insignia really appeals to me and I love all of the elements Porter used - the broom, the gun, the expression on the turtle's face and even the beads of sweat as he performs his assigned duty of clearing a mine.

The YMS minesweepers were built at almost three dozen different shipyards located on the east and west coasts and on the shores of the Great Lakes. The wooden-hulled ships measured 136 feet in length, were powered by two 500-horsepower diesel engines and were armed with one 3"/.50 calibre dual purpose gun located on the foredeck and two single mount 20mm anti-aircraft guns, on the port and starboard sides of the pilot house.

The only known photo of YMS-41 at this time.

Over 500 YMS class minesweepers were built during the war. Some 235 served under the flags of foreign navies. Thirty-two of the ships serving in the U.S. Navy were lost over the course of the war.

The YMS minesweepers were used as a counter measure against enemy magnetic mines. Two buoyant electrically charged cables of different lengths were deployed into the water off a large drum located aft of the ship. The magnetic field emanating from the cables triggered the magnetic mines.

While not a photo of YMS-41, I have included this image, of YMS-52, to give an overall impression of how the minesweeper looked.

These ships saw action in all theaters including the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Pacific and took part in the invasions at Sicily, Anzio, Normandy and Guadalcanal. The men and their machines cleared sea lanes, harbors and invasion assault paths and were often subjected to enemy shore battery fire.

YMS-41 was laid down June 28, 1941, was launched April 14, 1942 and was completed on May 12, 1942. As production methods improved, a YMS vessel could be built in approximately four months.

YMS-41 was struck from the Naval Register June 19, 1946. The history of YMS-41 has been lost - unfortunately the service record of the minesweeper and her crew and the ship's postwar fate is unknown at this time.

Chesty and His Helpers - Los Angeles War Chest

2008-02-25T23:05:00.000-08:00

This small promotional booklet featured in this post was published by the Los Angels War Chest in March 1943. The booklet folds open to six double-sided pages. There are cartoons on 10 of the 12 pages. Each page with cartoons contains six panels.

Two children look at their copy of the Los Angeles War Chest booklet.

The booklet tells the story of Chesty, his two helpers Polly and Paul and their helicopter Coptie. Coptie looks some somewhat like the airplane Pedro, from Disney's 1943 South American film, Saluldos Amigos. The booklet measures 5 1/2 by 7 1/4 inches. Besides my copy, I know of only one other at this time and it has red pencil crayon on the front cover.

One interesting item of note is the fact a squadron of P-40 Flying Tigers fighters, (piloted by a group of American volunteer pilots who fought alongside Chinese Nationalist forces), is shown coming to the aid of Chesty and his friends. In real life, the insignia for the Flying Tigers was created by Disney artist Hank Porter.

A second version of this booklet, published in 1944, can be seen by clicking on this link. What follows are scans of the entire story. I'm not sure which Disney artist created the art - perhaps Bob Moore, or Manuel Gonzales?

Liberty magazine tax cover - original art

2008-02-14T23:42:00.000-08:00

Courtesy the family of Diane Porter, the original art for the March 14, 1942 issue of Liberty magazine. In this first draft Dumbo sports a perplexed look on his face. Compare this pose with the finished cover, in which Dumbo is handling a rather long piece of adding machine tape held in his trunk. Other than the change to Dumbo, the finished cover is pretty much identical to this initial draft.

To read more about the history of this piece and to see the finished cover, click here to view a previous post.

U.S. Navy Airborne Electronics

2008-02-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come early this year. The mailman delivered a HUGE parcel to my p.o. box today. The contents included an amazing array of dozens of images of Hank Porter art, sent to me by the family of Porter's now deceased daughter. The archive is just as amazing as the ones forwarded to me by two of Porter's other children two years ago. There are dozens of examples of Porter's work, including many examples of his contributions to the war effort, including some images I have never seen before.

Here is one item that was in the package - the December 1945 cover of Digest, a publication of the U.S. Navy Airborne Electronics division. The design on the cover of the magazine was created by Porter in the fall of 1945. Records at the Walt Disney Archives indicate this design was created for the Airborne Coordinating Group, Naval Research Lab, Washington, D.C.

If you look close you'll see that Goofy and Donald are looking at a head and shoulder shot of a pretty girl, who bears a striking resemblance to one of the Centaurettes from Fantasia.

Stensgaard insignia posters

2008-02-06T22:23:00.000-08:00

W.L. Stensgaard and Associates of Chicago held a Disney merchandise license in 1938 and then again between between the years 1941 to 1962. During the war years the company produced two versions of the great Donald Duck Victory Garden sign (click here), as well as a series of home front posters that promoted savings, bonds and scrap salvage.

The company also produced this great brochure in 1942, which contained information on the line of 54 posters the company also produced. The insignia posters were sold to retail establishments, which in turn, used them for display purposes.

The posters listed were available in either a horizontal or vertical format and were sold individually or in sets. Some of the sets measured an impressive 15 inches tall by 60 inches long.

The brochure stated in part:

"Reproduced in nine rich oil colors, on heavy, durable, special comura (commercial mural) paper stock. Comura decorations are easy to handle. Can be cut to fit almost any desired space. These insignia were designed by Walt Disney for the War Department and are the insignia for the units of service they represent. Show them effectively in your windows and interior. They are new and people will be anxious to see them."

Display suggestions outlined in the brochure included: "In the men's or boy's departments, at the entrance to a special serviceman's gift department, at a bond or savings stamp booth, on a display stand, column, ledge or in a window display." The brochure went on to call the designs, "educational, inspiring, patriotic."

I own several of the posters and while mine are in less than perfect condition, the vivid colors and graphic appeal are evident still, some 65+ years after they were printed.

The brochure in this post comes our way courtesy my good friend Dennis Books of Seattle, Washington.

Mickey Mouse on the Home Front

2008-01-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

In 1943 Disney merchandising rep Kay Kamen granted Press Alliance a license for the production of a newspaper comic-style publication, which was to be marketed to war contractors as an in-house monthly newsletter, tenatively titled, Mickey Mouse on the Home Front."

In a December 6, 1943 letter to Roy Disney, Kamen wrote: "After a slow beginning and plenty of wrinkles to iron-out, and many postponements and delays...Paul Winkler finally got his House Organ underway and printed three issues. These were small runs and with very little, if any, profit. We agreed to have them print these three issues on a specialty royalty agreement instead of the regular royalty rates."

Roy Disney harbored misgivings about the publication from the outset. In a December 9, 1943 inter-office communication to Kamen he wrote: "I was very disappointed, and in fact, disgusted with it - so much so that I would like for us to not go ahead with this agreement. I feel they have done a very poor job. While the artwork...is often very poor and sloppy...their printing is bad, their jokes are so flat and corny...I think it is a disgrace to our names and characters."

In the same letter Roy also expressed concern that Disney's newspaper comic strip licensee, King Features, would consider the publication an infringement on their license. There was also a concern that if the publication was sold on newsstands, that would be an infringement on licensee Whitman's agreement - Whitman published the hugely popular Walt Disney's Comics and Stories comic book. Kamen addressed the Whitman angle in the fall of 1942, when he stipulated in the Press Alliance contract, "The said publication...shall not be sold at retail anywhere."

Roy Disney was so unimpressed with the publication he closed his December 9th letter to Kamen by saying, "I wish you would have them leave off their masthead the use of Walt Disney's name." The first few issues of the publication still bear Walt Disney's, as they were printed before Roy's request was made. On December 14, 1943, Kamen wrote to Press Alliance instructing them to improve their art and to remove the name "Walt Disney" from the masthead.

Time magazine carried a reference to Mickey Mouse on the Home Front in their July 15, 1943 issue: "In a new house organ...Walt Disney is putting his inimitable gang to work combating absenteeism and other war plant headaches."

Several war contractors purchased issues of the newspaper for distribution amongst their employees, including: Glenn L. Martin; Delco-Remy; Aeronca; and, Aero Parts. The publication ran from September 1943 to at least April 1944.

Western Air Lines insignia stamp album

2008-01-27T23:52:00.000-08:00

In early 1942 the Hearst newspaper chain published the first of five insignia stamp albums. Each album had room for 50 gummed stamps, which were made available only to readers of a Hearst newspaper.

Readers clipped the black and white version of an insignia stamp from a so-called "insignia column," which could then redeemed via mail for a free, colored, gummed version to place in their album. The stamps were free, but the albums cost 15 cents each.

Despite the fact the majority of stamps featured Disney insignia designs, the Disney Studio received no royalties from Hearst. More on these albums at a later date.

Along the same lines, Western Air Lines published a tri-fold insignia stamp booklet. Each booklet had room for 50 stamps - it appears the designs were exact copies of the ones offered in the Hearst promotion.

The above advertisement for the Western Air Lines insignia stamp album originally appeared in the April 22, 1942 edition of The Montana Standard Butte newspaper. The insignia design on the stamp featured in the ad was created for the 15th Observation Squadron in early 1941.

The WAL stamps could be obtained from any related ticket office for free...well almost. The stamps and album were free when you purchased an airline ticket to any destination.

While the Hearst stamp albums are very common, the Western Air Lines version is conversely relatively scarce.

The above Disney Studio publicity photo features a Western Air Lines stewardess holding a sheet of 100 gummed insignia stamps and insignia artist Hank Porter holding the WAL booklet.

Searchlight Maintenance Detachment

2008-01-19T08:26:00.000-08:00

This Quartermaster Depot insignia is based on the robot character found in the Donald Duck cartoon short Modern Inventions. To see another insignia based on this character, click here.

I have no information on this Hank Porter design, other than the unit was based at some point in time at a base in Utah. Porter liked using various design elements like stars, waves and lightning bolts to indicate a unit's numbered designation. Perhaps the bolts in this design translate into the number 25, or 151?

If anyone has any background on this unit please send me an email so I can share it with everyone else.

USS Atule SS-403 - insignia

2008-01-19T07:43:00.000-08:00

The USS Atule was named after a bluish-olive colored fish found in Atlantic waters from Cape Cod to Brazil, and Pacific waters from Oregon to Japan. The submarine was commissioned June 21, 1944 and after her shakedown cruise off the eastern seaboard, transited the Panama Canal to report to Pearl Harbor for active duty.

Atule embarked on her first war patrol in November 1944. While patrolling waters off the Philippine islands with two other submarines, Atule scored her first kill of the war - the Asama Maru, a 17-thousand ton Japanese transport.

Atule's battle flag is visible in this photo. The sub's Disney-designed
insignia can also be seen painted by the bridge on the conning tower.

On November 20, while patrolling waters off Formosa, (present day Taiwan), Atule sank a Japanese minesweeper. Four days later the sub's crew successfully attacked and sank a patrol boat and a cargo ship.

While sailing the Yellow Sea on her third war patrol, Atule sank a freighter and destroyed 23 floating mines, one of which bounced harmlessly down the submarine's side.

On April 12, 1945, Atule embarked on her last patrol off the east coast of the Japanese Home Island of Honshu, during which the sub sank a coastal patrol vessel.

Atule was decommissioned in 1970 and later sold to Peru.

The submarine's insignia was created by Disney artist Hank Porter in the spring of 1944. The battle flag shown in this post is currently on display at the Bow Fin Submarine Museum in Hawaii.

No postings for awhile

2008-01-06T15:58:00.000-08:00

UPDATE - January 19

I am happy to report we are back in business - I have a new computer. The lack of recent posts was due to a catastrophic hard drive failure. Luckily almost all of my material (about 80% or so) was backed-up. The few files that weren't were retrieved by a resident tech at work who managed to get into the drive and pull out what I hadn't saved elsewhere...but only after two days of hard work.

G.A.F.C.E.D. - 565th Bombardment Squadron - insignia

2008-01-01T22:44:00.000-08:00

The 565th was one of four B-24 Squadrons that comprised the 389th Bombardment Group (Heavy). The 389th was activated on December 24, 1942 and within six months had made the transition to England as part of the Mighty Eighth Air Force.

In July 1943, a detachment was relocated to Libya, where it commenced operations against targets in Crete, Italy, Austria and Roumania. The Group briefly returned to England to fly missions over France before again returning to its North African base to once again fly missions against targets in south eastern Europe.

In October 1943 the Group returned to England where it was stationed for the duration of the war. Targets included shipbuilding facilities, industrial centers, rail yards, oil refineries and the assembly and launch sites associated with the dreaded German V-rocket program. The unit also attacked enemy positions in support of the Allied invasion on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

The Group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its participation in the low level raid against the oil refineries at Ploesti in August 1943, during which one of its pilots also received the Medal of Honor.

The insignia for a department within the 565th Bombardment Squadron was designed in February 1945 by Hank Porter. On October 20, 1944, a member of the Squadron, Staff Sergeant John Durell wrote to Walt Disney requesting an insignia for his unit. The letter was written on a single sheet of V-mail:

"This letter is being written on behalf of my fellow members of the Group Automatic Flight Control Equipment Department. It has long been our desire to have a distinctive department insignia. And since we are using your C-1 Auto Pilot training films, we feel that this background would make you our obvious choice for the designing of such a suitable insignia.

We should also like to take this opportunity to commend you for the above-mentioned training films. In our comprehensive training program, your simplified, graphic explanation of the Auto Pilot theory and set-up procedure, has been an invaluable aid. Your cartooning of World War I bombing procedure is the highlight of the series. Any efforts on your part will be deeply appreciated by us."

For this insignia Porter borrowed on the design of the robot that appeared in the 1937 Donald Duck short Modern Inventions. In the film Donald visits The Museum of Modern Marvels and is continuously harassed by a robot who wants to take his hat. The combat insignia and the robot have striking similarities.

The training film referenced by S/Sgt, Durell in his letter was the 1943 Army Air Forces training film, AF-212B, better known by the title: Auto Pilot C-1. The film ran just over 23 minutes in length and was produced in conjunction with the Minneapolis Honeywell Regulator Company, which manufactured the top secret piece of equipment.

During the war Honeywell established a school in Minneapolis to train air crew in the use of the auto pilot, whose main function was to guide a bomber to the target. In the last minutes of a bomb run the auto pilot mechanism took control of the bomber and was capable of making hundreds of corrections to the plane's altitude, pitch and speed as the bomber approached the target.

Honeywell also established a Field Service Division numbering some 130 men that were sent to operational air bases around the globe. During the war, three instructors were killed when the bombers they flew on were shot down. A wartime document written by a Honeywell employee stated in part:

"The final step in the educational program was the production of eleven motion pictures produced...by the Walt Disney Studio. Dealing with a subject as complicated as electronics and an instrument as precise as the auto pilot, it was felt wise to begin at the beginning...the Disney films start out with a simplified explanation of electricity and carry this through basic electronics. From this point on, the films become more specific and are applied directly to the auto pilot ending up with a confidential instruction film showing the full bombing procedure."

The top secret nature of this and other training films produced at the Studio was the main reason Disney employees underwent stringent security checks, wore photo identification badges and why armed guards were stationed at all Studio entranceways over the course of the war.

The original patch in this post is courtesy Richard Nelson, whose father was a member of the unit. The original art comes our way courtesy my good friend Sam Grabarski. Thanks are also due to my friend Dennis Books who pointed out the Modern Inventions connection.

USS Hawkbill SS-366 - insignia

2007-12-29T11:56:00.000-08:00

The USS Hawkbill SS-366, named after the hawksbill sea turtle, was commissioned on May 17, 1944. The letter "s" was inadvertently left out of the submarine's name at the time of her commissioning.

Hawkbill's insignia was created in early 1944 by Hank Porter. For this particular design, Porter used a Disney character named Bucky Bug, who first appeared in the January 10, 1932, Silly Symphonies Sunday newspaper comic strip. Bucky also appeared in Whitman's 1934 Big Little Book 756, which bore the title "Mickey Mouse Presents A Walt Disney Silly Symphony."

The Balao class sub set sail for the Philippines on August 23, 1944. Her first kill came in early October when she sank an aircraft tender in the South China Sea. Two hours later, while advancing towards a pair of Japanese aircraft carriers, the Hawkbill endured a violent salvo of 39 depth charges launched in quick succession by angry enemy destroyers. Days later the submarine attacked a 12 ship convoy, damaging one freighter and sinking another. Hawkbill's attack resulted in a counterattack of almost 100 depth charges launched from the racks of enemy escorts.

On her second patrol Hawkbill sank a Japanese destroyer. On her third patrol the sub sank two Japanese submarine chasers, several smaller craft and one cargo ship. On her fourth patrol Hawkbill sank an enemy minelayer and performed lifeguard duties off the coast of Indonesia - submarines were often called upon to save downed pilots and bomber crew.

Hawkbill's fifth and final patrol was also her most harrowing. After uncessfully attacking an enemy convoy off the coast of Malaya, the submarine was subjected to an accurate depth charge attack that blew Hawkbill to the surface, exposing 60 feet of her forecastle and 20 feet of her bow. Hawkbill managed to submerge where she laid low and averted further damage.

After repairs at Subic Bay, Hawkbill participated in her last mission of the war by destroying two radio towers with her deck guns and landing a group of five Australian Army commandos at Terempha Town, the capital of the Anambas Islands.

The Hawkbill was eventually decommissioned and sold to the government of the Netherlands. For her contributions to the war effort, Hawkbill was awarded six battle stars and one Navy Unit Commendation.

There has been a large amount of traffic directed to this post via a submarine related internet site, so I've added the following to direct my submarine readers to other related posts on my blog: to view more Disney-designed submarine and sub related insignia, click here to see the design USS Sennet, here to see the design for the sub tender USS Pelias and here to see the design for the sub tender USS Anthedon. The Germans even painted Mickey on the tower of one of their submarines - see that image by clicking here. Two Submarine Chaser School manual swere also illustrated with Disney characters and they can be seen here and here.

Office of Strategic Services - insignia

2007-12-26T23:41:00.000-08:00

This fantastic design comes to us courtesy Les Hughes of insigne.org.

Les wrote to say that he and a friend were writing a book about the OSS (the precursor to the present day C.I.A. that mounted covert operations behind enemy lines during WW II) and they came across the following design. He wanted to know if I might be interested in seeing the insignia...needless to say, the answer was a big yes!

In early August 1943, a Captain in the Washington offices of the OSS wrote to Walt Disney asking for an insignia:

"We have seen numerous examples of the symbols and insignia that you have made for various branches of the services and we would like to have you create something special for us. We are the Operational Groups of the Strategic Services, and our role in the nation's war program is, of necessity, extremely secretive, therefore we cannot flaunt the usual banners & insignia as do the rest of the Armed Forces. The design would be placed in the lecture room at one of our instructional centers to symbolize the supreme achievements of our group."

Vernon Caldwell of the Disney Public Relations Department wrote back in early October indicating the design elements included in the Captain's original letter were unworkable. Caldwell suggested perhaps, "Donald Duck breaking bridges, toy tanks, wooden soldiers, etc., with a wooden mallet," which is what the Captain then agreed to.

This insignia is interesting due to the fact Nazi swastikas are included as design elements. Very few Disney WW II insignia included anything that made direct reference to the enemy, making this particular illustration rare in that regard.

My thanks again to Les Hughes for sharing the image and the background information!

And if anyone else has something interesting in their collection, please send me an email with the details, so I can share it here in the blog for others to see.

Naval Supply Depot - insignia

2007-12-13T18:48:00.000-08:00

This post features two great items. The first image is the original art for the Naval Supply Depot, Oakland. The design pictures Donald Duck laden with a wide variety of supplies - everything one would need to fight a war: pots and pans, a mop, camouflage net, ammunition, ammo pouches, Thompson sub-machine gun, carbines, holsters and more. The Duck doesn't seem bothered by the size of his load and judging by the expression on his face, is quite happy to be supplying his brothers in arms.

My friend Sam Grabarski owns this particular piece. The design was created in the summer of 1944 by artist Hank Porter.

The Navy purchased 500 acres of swampy marshland from the city of Oakland in 1940 and transformed the property into one of the largest supply depots on the west coast. The Depot was open for business the week after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The second item in this post comes from my own collection. The image shows the base Christmas card, with a beautiful full color reproduction of the Depot's insignia on an inside page.

13th Armored Division Christmas card

2007-12-06T23:05:00.000-08:00

This card was given to me this past summer (2007) by Susan Notarides, a visitor to my blog whose father John Charles Etchells was a member of the 13th Armored Division. Her dad sent this card home to his wife during the war.

John Etchells was a Captain in the 46th Tank Battalion, 13th Armored Division. He served his country from May 13, 1942 to April 18, 1946.

The cat on the cover of the card is an exact reproduction of the cat found on the unit's Disney-designed insignia, with the addition of the red ribbon and Santa hat of course.

Click here to see the Division's insignia.

USS Housatonic AO-35 - insignia

2007-12-02T22:03:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd get into the Christmas spirit by posting one of several new acquisitions with a seasonal theme. Look for a couple of more in the days to follow.

The third Navy vessel to carry this moniker, the USS Housatonic was the name given to a former Standard Oil Company tanker acquired by the U.S. Navy in January 1942. The tanker, re-named after a Massachusetts river, was converted to a fleet refueler and eventually saw service in both the Atlantic and South Pacific.

Housatonic had the capacity to carry over 130,000 barrels of bunker oil and high octane aviation gasoline. She began her naval career refuelling ships throughout the Atlantic, Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Highlights of her Atlantic service included the support of ships participating in the invasion of North Africa.

Housatonic transfers fuel to the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4) during Atlantic operations.

In late 1944 Housatonic was transferred to the South Pacific, where she was based at Ulithi. From this Navy port the fleet oiler refueled warships participating in the invasions of Luzon, Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal.

The octopus insignia was created for the crew by Hank Porter in 1943. The greeting card was available to the ship's sailors during the 1943 Christmas season and is the only example I've seen.

In 1947 Housatonic was sold back to the Standard Oil Company where she was renamed SS Esso Bethlehem. She was converted to a container ship in 1963 and after changing hands several times, was scrapped in Japan in early 1978.

Other fleet refuelers that sported Disney-designed insignia included the USS Winooski and the USS Escambia.

Civil Air Patrol Corpus Christi - insignia

2007-12-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine sent me these images of the "Wolf Patrol" insignia used by the Civil Air Patrol in Corpus Christi, Texas. The design features a great likeness of Disney's Big Bad Wolf. The illustration was apparently designed by a member of the squadron who had a career in advertising before joining the CAP.
The Civil Air Patrol was created on December 1, 1941. The CAP performed coastal and border patrol duties, target towing for air-to-air and ground-to-air gunnery practice, search and rescue operations, courier service, cargo transportation and cadet training.

By September 1942, the German U-boat menace had managed to sink just over 200 ships along America's Eastern seaboard. CAP members were credited with the destruction of two U-boats during the war, one of which was sunk with a depth charge attack.

Between March 1942 and August 1943 members of the CAP logged 174 German U-boat sightings, reported 91 ships in distress, reported the location of over 110 floating mines and played a role in helping rescue almost 400 survivors of submarine attacks.
Both images in this post were taken in June 1943. The first pictures Intelligence Officer Lt. Glenn Ramsey at his desk, while the second pictures Sgt. Hubert Green performing maintenance on one of the squadron's airplane engines.

While this particular design was not created by a Disney artist, the Studio did fulfill several design requests for other Civil Air Patrol squadrons. I'll post image sof some of these designs in the future.

549th Bombardment Squadron - insignia

2007-12-01T23:10:00.000-08:00

After seeing Peter Merolo's "Goddess of Spring" character model sheets (posted November 28th on my friend Didier Ghez's Disney History blog), I just had to feature an image of the insignia design created for the 549th Bombardment Squadron. The original art currently resides in the collection of my very good friend and fellow collector Sam Grabarski and is one of my favorites.

While not a true reproduction of the Devil character from the 1934 Disney Silly Symphony short Goddess of Spring, I believe Disney artist Hank Porter may have used the Devil as a reference, as there are many similarities. Porter created this design in 1942.

Men in the 549th went by the nickname "The Bombing Devils." The B-17 bomber squadron, along with the 548th, 550th and 551st were part of the 385th Bombardment Group (Heavy). Assigned to the 8th Air Force, the Group attacked enemy position throughout Europe.

During the war the Group received two Distinguished Unit Citations for raids against German industrial targets. In the run up to the Normandy landings the squadrons bombed German fortifications along the French coast. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, the men and machines of the 385th attacked German troop positions and transportation routes. After the war in Europe ended, the men flew missions of mercy, delivering much needed food to the starving citizens of Holland.

December 14th, 2007 - update - this just in:

I received a great email from World War II veteran Bill Varnedoe, who also happens to be the historian for the 385th Bombardment Group. He sent along the following two images.

The first shows Archie Benner, a member of the 549th, wearing a patch based on Porter's design. While not an exact reproduction of Porter's version, the men in the unit obviously used the Disney design as their inspiration.

The second image shows a close-up of the patch. Bill said in his email that while the design was not painted on the fuselage of any B-17s that he knows of, men in the unit did wear a five-inch patch featuring the design on the left front side of their A-2 jackets.

Thanks Bill for sharing this info...I really appreciate it!

23d Weather Squadron - insignia

2007-12-01T09:11:00.000-08:00

A recent addition to my collection, the design for the 23d Weather Squadron printed on heavy stock photographic paper. This item would have been available to the men in the unit during the war. This particular design was created by artist Hank Porter in early 1944.

One intersting note regarding this design is Porter's use of stars to signify the unit's designation. War Department rules forbade the use of any element that gave away tactical information. Porter often used waves, clouds, lightning bolts, stars, packs and other design elements to indicate a unit's designation. In this case, the two stars to the left of the mole and the three stars to the right of the mole indicate the 23d.

I haven't been able to find any background on this squadron, so if any readers have information, I'd appreciate hearing from you so I can add it to this post.

December 17th, 2007 - update - this just in:

Bernie Shearon, a frequent contributor over at the excellent Army Air Forces site has repsonded again to my request for more info. Here's what he wrote:

"The 23rd Weather Sq was constituted on or about 28 Oct 1943 and activated 1 Nov 43 at San Antonio, TX. It moved to Kansas City, MO (I don't have the date) and was disbanded on 7 Sep 44, when it was replaced by the 72nd AAF Base Unit (23rd Weather Region). It was assigned to the Weather Wing, Flight Control Command (later the AAF Weather Wing) during its short existence."

Thanks again for helping out Bernie...I appreciate it!

The Walt Disney Museum

2007-11-25T09:30:00.000-08:00

The Disney Family Foundation has embarked on a plan to build a museum to honor Walt Disney and his creative legacy on the grounds of the Presidio in San Francisco. The Museum complex will occupy a former military barracks and gymnasium on the grounds of what was the west coast's largest military base.

Earlier this month I was invited to San Francisco by Walt Disney's daughter, Diane Disney Miller, to discuss my small role in this very exciting project. While there I spent time with Diane, her husband Ron and their son Walt.

Diane has asked me to join the Foundation team as a consultant on Walt Disney's involvement in World War II. Many exciting topics were discussed. I will be loaning items from my collection for display and I have been asked to be a guest lecturer on the topic. The Museum is scheduled to open in September 2009.

While there I was given an in-depth tour of the buildings under renovation that will eventually house the museum. The various people working on the project have spent a huge amount of time planning the different exhibits and I can report that no one will be disappointed. The Museum will cover all of Walt Disney's achievements and will explore every facet of his life from his birth to his death.

I also received a fantastic tour of the Foundation's current warehouse/museum facility and saw dozens upon dozens of extremely interesting items. The attached photo shows a case of Walt Disney's personal Academy Awards. The Oscar in the top left side is the one Walt Disney accepted at the 1943 ceremony for der Fuehrer's Face, which won the Academy Award for Best Cartoon Short Subject in 1942. Click on this link to see a series of previous posts that detail some interesting der Fuehrer's Face items.

Also seen in the photo in the bottom middle shelf (with the seven little Oscars on the stairs), is the special Oscar given to Walt Disney in recognition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

For more information on the Foundation and its exciting plans, please visit The Walt Disney Family Museum website at this link.

1st Disney character combat insignia

2007-11-25T00:27:00.000-08:00

This post contains information on and images of what I believe to be the first use of a Disney character on a combat insignia.

Ensign Edwin F. Conway stands beside a Helldiver aircraft at NRAB Floyd Bennett, circa 1931

Floyd Bennett Field was dedicated on June 26, 1930, as New York's first municipal airport by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd. The facility was built on Barren Island at the southern end of Manhatten. The airport was officially dedicated on May 23, 1931 with a ceremony attended by famed aviators Charles Lindbergh and Jimmy Doolittle.

The field was named after Navy Warrant Officer Floyd Bennett, a native of New York. Bennett accompanied Admiral Byrd on the MacMillan Expedition to Greenland in 1925 and in 1926, was Byrd's pilot on their attempted first flight over the North Pole.

From 1931 to 1941 the field was one of eight Naval Reserve Aviation Bases that focused on providing primary flight training for Navy pilots. Pilots at the base flew the Curtis O2C-1 Helldiver, a multi-purpose plane used as a dive-bomber and observer aircraft. The base received a compliment of these planes from the active fleet in 1931.

During World War II, NRAB Floyd Bennett Field transformed into a Naval Air Station from which newly manufactured planes were embarked to points overseas. The station was also home to several anti-submarine patrol squadrons that scoured the Atlantic for German submarines.

The Walt Disney Company Archives has no information on this early design. The insignia was not sanctioned by the Walt Disney Company and was probably created by an enterprising airman serving at the base.

Patch featuring the image of Mickey Mouse atop a diving goose

Information on the reverse of an official Navy photograph of the design indicates the insignia was created for the base in October 1931. A Navy fact sheet described the insignia as "A 'Mickey Mouse' type character riding a diving goose carrying a bomb under [its] left wing and [a] trident. The Statue of Liberty [is] in the background."

USS Sennet SS-408 - insignia

2007-11-22T22:13:00.000-08:00

The USS Sennet, a Balao-class diesel-electric submarine, was commissioned in the fall of 1944. Most U.S. World War II submarines were named after fish and the Sennet was no exception. The sub's Disney insignia features an image of a fish of the same name - a barracuda that lives in tropical and sub-tropical waters.

Sennet was outfitted with six forward and four aft torpedo tubes. Her topside armament consisted of two 5-inch guns, two 40-millimeter guns and three .50 caliber machine guns. Over the course of her war patrols, Sennet put all of these weapons to use.

Sennet's first kill came at the end of January 1945 when she sank a 500-ton picket boat. In mid-February the sub formed a pack with two other subs that destroyed two 300-ton picket boats and a minelayer. In April Sennet sank a cargo ship. Three days later the sub's crew attempted to rescue a downed P-51 fighter pilot, but the airman slipped beneath the waves and drowned before the submarine could reach him. Near the end of the month Sennet sank an enemy repair ship. Sennet's most successful patrol came in July and August in the Sea of Japan, when the sub sank one passenger-cargo ship, two cargo ships and one tanker.

The item featured in this post is a heavy-stock card imprinted with the sub's design that was given to crewmen. The card was a Christmas present given to me by my very good friend and fellow Disney enthusiast Dennis Books.

Sennet's insignia was created in the summer of 1945. The item of note in this design is the fact the ship the fish is swallowing bears the image of a Japanese flag. This design element is unique as very few Disney combat insignia made direct reference to the enemy. The design adopted by the crew was changed slightly from the Studio design - instead of swallowing a ship the fish is biting a ship in half.

Insignia matchbooks

2007-11-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

Unlike today, smoking was a socially acceptable habit back in the 30s and 40s. Matchbook manufacturers produced an amazing array of illustrated covers for sale to the general public. All manner of advertising was printed on match covers: pin-up girls, restaurants, taxi cab companies, soft drinks and even combat insignia designs were all featured.

The National Match Company of New York marketed two series of combat insignia matchbooks during the war. One set of 48 was produced by D.D. Bean & Sons and featured an ad for Pepsi Cola on the back side. A second set of 20 was produced by the Maryland Match Company. Both sets featured Disney insignia designs on their front covers.

The second set of 20 was produced in yellow, red, blue, black and white and came with either a glossy or matte finish. Thirteen of these 20 designs also found their way onto the Pepsi matchbooks.

This post features a very rare matchbox from my collection that was used to hold 12 matchbooks from the Maryland Match Company 20 cover set. Considering there were 20 different designs in the series, it seems odd the box contained 12 books. I would have thought perhaps 10 would have been more appropriate - buy two boxes and own the complete set of 20. But, I suppose these weren't marketed with us future collectors in mind. I have come across less than 10 of these boxes over the course of around 15 years.

The front of the box is marked "Walt Disney Designed," while the reverse reads, "Copyright 1942, Walt Disney Productions." I'll post groups of the individual covers as time permits.

USS Schenck DD-159 - insignia

2007-11-18T08:39:00.000-08:00

The following three posts look at unit newsletters. This first post in the string showcases the original art for the USS Schenck's onboard publication, which was titled "The Radio Gang."

The USS Schenck was named in honor of Rear Admiral James F. Schenck, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Mexican-American War and the U.S. Civil War.

DD-159 was a destroyer that was commissioned in October 1919. During World War II the warship protected North Atlantic convoys and later, cargo ships sailing to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. On December 24, 1943, Booth assisted in the destruction of the German submarine U-645.

USS Schenck was decommissioned in 1946 and sold for scrap the same year. The art in this post was created by Disney artist Hank Porter in 1945 and became part of my collection earlier this year.

USS Booth DE-170 - insignia

2007-11-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

The USS Booth, DE-170, was a destroyer escort that entered service in September 1943. Between January 1944 and May 1945 the ship and her crew were pressed into service protecting convoys delivering supplies to the Mediterranean. In late May 1945, Booth was redeployed to the Pacific, where the destroyer protected convoys destined for the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In August 1944 the ship helped repulse an enemy air attack, which resulted in no damage to any of the ships under her charge.

USS Booth was transferred to the Philippine government in 1967 and was strikcen from the Naval Register in July 1978. The renamed vessel was lost in a typhoon in September 1981 that tragically claimed 79 of her 97 man crew.

While not an officially sanctioned Disney design, the insignia shows how popular Disney characters were with service personnel. I purchased three of this ship's newsletters this past spring. This is the only example of the design I have seen.

1330th AAF BU - insignia

2007-11-17T00:32:00.000-08:00

This publication was produced for the men serving in the 1330th Army Air Force Base Unit, Air Transport Command, India-China Division, which was stationed in Jorhat, India.

The China-Burma-India theater of operations was one of the cruelest encountered by our fighting forces during the war. Pilots in this unit flew precarious missions over the Himalayan "Hump" in their C-47 transports, carrying precious supplies from India to China. Hundreds of men were lost to the unforgiving elements: low cloud cover, high mountains, icing conditions and unpredictable wind.

This officially sanctioned design, featuring Donald Duck gazing intently into a crystal ball, was created by a Disney artist in the summer of 1945. I have two of these newsletters in my collection and this is the only time I have seen a record of this design.

USS Jason ARH-1 - insignia

2007-11-16T23:59:00.000-08:00

I have several pieces of war-era stationary in my collection. The letters were written to wives, lovers, family and friends back home and despite the fact many were penned under threat of censorship, they often give insightful glimpses into the author's wartime service.

This particular piece bears the Disney-designed insignia of the Heavy Hull Repair Ship USS Jason, ARH-1. The design was created in the summer of 1944 and features the dwarf Happy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs performing repair duties on a damaged warship...Happy actually appears to be "whistling while he works."

ARH-1 was the second U.S. Navy ship to be commissioned as the USS Jason. The vessel was named after the son of Aeson, who in Greek mythology commanded the ship Argo, while searching for the so-called "Golden Fleece."

After her shakedown cruise the Jason sailed to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, where the repair ship joined elements of Service Squadron 10. Jason's crew were responsible for repairing the hulls, decks and bulkheads of every class of warship deployed by the Navy.

In the following photo Jason is moored alongside the aircraft carrier USS Randolph CV-15, near the Ulithi Atoll. On March 11, 1945, a Japanese bomber successfully crashed into the Franklin's aft flight deck, killing 25 sailors and wounding 106 more. The damage suffered by the Franklin can be clearly seen in the bottom right portion of the photo - this is the type of battle damage Jason's crew were frequently called upon to repair.
Post World War II Jason saw action during the Korean War and eventually gained the distinction of being the oldest ship in the U.S. Navy when decommissioned in 1995. The once mighty repair ship met an inglorious end when it was sold for scrap in 2007.

Happy Birthday Hank

2007-11-14T20:52:00.000-08:00

Henry Lyon Porter was born on this day in 1900.

I wanted to write an extensive post detailing some of his childhood, art school education, early buisness pursuits and of course, his career at the Disney Studio, but other committments have kept me away from the blog of late.

Instead of slapping together a detailed biography in a haphazard manner, I've decided to wait until the start of next month to post some in-depth information on the life of "Hank" Porter, as that is when I'll have more time to do a proper job.

Until then...Happy Birthday Hank!

One year anniversary

2007-08-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

August 8th marks one year since I started this blog. I have since made almost 150 posts and have entertained over 19,000 visitors - some stay for mere seconds, while others spend a lot of time looking through all of the information I have posted.

I have had contact with many visitors, including WW II veterans, and I have answered dozens of questions about Walt Disney's involvement in World War II. I have also been able to forge a great relationship with Disney artist Hank Porter's two surviving children, who have graciously copied material they own for my research. I hope to publish some in-depth posts on this blog that delve into who Hank Porter was and his many contributions to the Disney Merchandise and Publicity Department near the end of this year.

Through the blog I have also sold dozens of copies of my book, Toons At War, which is now out of print pending a revised edition (I have no idea when the second edition will be ready for sale). I have less than 10 copies of TAW currently available. My book has gone to students writing essays on Disney and to teachers and professors interested in incorporating this part of Disney's history into their curriculum.

Here's to the coming year - while family commitments, a full time job and freelance writing projects prevent me from posting as often as I wish, I hope you will still stop by from time to time to see what's new. And if you have any questions or items for sale, feel free to send me an email.

Thanks for your support and interest and enjoy the new posts...

David

USS Wasp CV-18 - insignia

2007-08-07T23:19:00.000-07:00

From my collection, the original pencil art for the Essex class aircraft carrier USS Wasp, CV-18.

Ten different American naval vessels have borne the name USS Wasp. One of the very first Disney insignia designs was created in May 1939 for fighter squadron VF-7, based aboard the eight Wasp, CV-7. This carrier was sunk in September 1942 by a Japanses submarine, while escorting transports carrying Marines to Guadalcanal.

CV-18 was commissioned in November 1943 and arrived in the South Pacific in March 1944. The ninth Wasp participated in the Marianas Campaign, including the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Planes aboard the carrier also took part in the fight for Okinawa, Iwo Jima and launched raids against the Japanese Home Islands.

The carrier took part in Operation Magic Carpet, click here to see a related Disney insignia, before being decommissioned in 1947. The USS Wasp was decommissioned for a second time in 1972 and was sold for scrap in the spring of 1973.

Hank Porter created this wasp design in the fall of 1943. In tribute to the first USS Wasp design created at the Studio in 1939, Porter drew seven waves to the left of the figure in the new design, in honor of CV-7 and the men who had served aboard her.

This design ranks as one of my top favorites.

USS Anthedon AS-24 insignia

2007-08-07T23:06:00.000-07:00

From my collection, the original pencil art for the USS Anthedon, a submarine tender that saw action in the South Pacific. This particular design was created by Disney artist Hank Porter in mid-1945.

This eight page newsletter was published for the ship's crew in September 1945.

A story in this edition reported Walt Disney:

"Heard that the USS Anthedon had been affectionately called the 'Green Hornet, because of the green and black camouflage she used to wear. So, Walt Disney put the idea to work and the design for our cover resulted."

During the course of duty the Anthedon performed 34 complete submarine refits, 18 partial refits or voyage repairs and 707 torpedo overhauls.

I absolutely love finding the original art and then the hunt to find related items to complete the display.

Eleventh Armored Division - booklet

2007-08-07T22:46:00.000-07:00

From my collection, a 64-page softcover publication detailing the Division's training before deployment to the European Theater of Operations. The back cover features Peg Leg Pete barking out orders to Donald Duck, who is painting a shell casing, which carries over to the front cover.

The Eleventh landed at the port of Cherbourg, France in late 1944 and were immediately pressed into battle to help counter the German offensive that became known as the Battle of the Bulge. The Eleventh later breached the Siegfried Line, crossed the Rhine River and ended the war in Austria.

U.S. Naval Air Gunners School, Jacksonville

2007-08-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

Jacksonville Naval Air Station (JAX NAS) was officially commissioned in October 1940, when a group of Marines from Parris Island arrived and established a barracks. Over the course of the war instructors at JAX would train and successfully graduate some 10,000 pilots and 11,000 aircrew. The 3,800 acre base eventually became one of the Navy's major training facilities.

At the beginning JAX was a Primary Flight School where pilots were taught the basics, but as the war progressed, JAX evolved into a so-called "Top Gun" school for Navy Pilots. Click here to see an example of one of the station's many Disney-designed insignia.

The folder in this post was sold to men at the JAX gunner's school, which was actually located in nearby Yellowater, Florida.

Alternating Current manual - Donald and Nephews

2007-08-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

I recently picked up this second manual produced for men attending the U.S. Navy's Submarine Chaser Training School in Miami, Florida. The manual numbers 121 pages in length and explores alternating current theory and a multitude of related alternators, motors and transformers.

See the companion manual by clicking here.

108th Reconnaissance Squadron (Special) - insignia

2007-07-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

This post features both the insignia design for the 108th and a neat related Mickey Mouse newspaper cartoon gag.

The design in this post was created by Hank Porter in early 1941 for an undetermined unit. When the design was either declined or unclaimed by that unit, the illustration was offered instead to the 108th. Because of War Department restrictions that forbid the use of design elements that gave away a unit's designation, the number 108 was omitted from the final design and the eagle was instead pictured standing on top of a mountain.

The image was used in several different Disney Studio publicity photos and ranks as just the 8th design created at the Studio of over 1,100 that would eventually be created.

The attached image was clipped from an early 1941 issue of the New York Times newspaper and came to me via the Porter family:

The following Disney Studio publicity photo, which shows the design, also came to me via the Porter family:

Update - December 15, 2007

This just in from Bernie Shearon, who is a member of the Army Air Forces forum community. I had mistakenly identified this design as being for the 108th Reconnaissance Group. Bernie corrects my error with the following information:

"The emblem you have identified on your web site as for the 108th Reconnaissance Group (there was no such unit) is for the 108th Reconnaissance Squadron(Special). If you look at the photo showing the emblem on the drafting board, you can see that in that version the eagle is standing on the SSI for the 33rd Division. As the 108th Observation Squadron, this unit served as divisional aviation for the 33rd Division from 1927-1941. A later version (omitting the division patch and adding clouds) was adopted in 1950 for the 108th Bombardment Squadron (Light). It is depicted in Combat Squadrons of the Air Force."

Thanks for the info Bernie...and for those interested in WW II aviation, I suggest visiting Army Air Forces at this link.