1942

Articles from 1942

So, You Want to Be a Guerrilla?
(Coronet Magazine, 1942)

This article was written during a time when guerrilla armies seemed to be popping up all over the globe, and, no doubt, many men and women must have been asking themselves, “What if it happens here? Could I fight?” And with that, out stepped Bert “Yank” Levy (1897 – 1965), a well-seasoned man of war who wrote a mass market paperback for the English speaking world: Guerrilla Warfare (Amazon). Attached are a few pages from his book.

So, You Want to Be a Guerrilla?
(Coronet Magazine, 1942)

This article was written during a time when guerrilla armies seemed to be popping up all over the globe, and, no doubt, many men and women must have been asking themselves, “What if it happens here? Could I fight?” And with that, out stepped Bert “Yank” Levy (1897 – 1965), a well-seasoned man of war who wrote a mass market paperback for the English speaking world: Guerrilla Warfare (Amazon). Attached are a few pages from his book.

Harold Ickes: FDR’s Gas Czar
(Liberty Magazine, 1942)

This article was published one month after the start of the war; it must have been a time when everyone had something to say about Harold Ickes (1874 – 1952) as he was composing the gas rationing laws for the home front. In this column, Ickes speaks for himself. He had been the one who saw to the President’s energy policy’s during the Great Depression and now he was FDR’s go-to-guy for gas during the war.

Japanese Atrocities in China
(Liberty Magazine, 1942)

Hallett Abend (1884 – 1955) was an American journalist who lived in China for fifteen years. He covered the Sino-Japanese War during its early years and had seen first-hand the beastly vulgarity of the Japanese Army. After Pearl Harbor, the editor at Liberty turned to him in hopes that he would explain to the American reading public what kind of enemy they were fighting:


“In four and a half years of warfare [in China], the Japanese have taken almost no prisoners… Chinese prisoners of war are shot.”

Clash of the Titans in Libya
(Liberty Magazine, 1942)

This is a primary source article by a reporter who rode in the armored vehicles of the British Army during the Libyan campaign of 1942:


“It seemed incredible that in the melee either side could know whom or what they were firing at. The best I could do was identify the burning tanks: white smoke for the petrol-driven British – black smoke for the Diesel oil of the German tanks. There was plenty of both.”

Nazi Spy Master
(Liberty Magazine, 1942)

This is a profile of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris (1887 – 1945), Hitler’s man in charge of sabotage and espionage. It tells the story of what he was up to during the First World War and throughout the Twenties; how he greased the wheels in Belgium, Norway, Denmark and France to make the invasion of those nations a bit easier. It explains how impressed Hitler was with his abilities and how suspicious Himmler was at the same time.

The Well-Organized War
(Liberty Magazine, 1942)

In the attached column, Liberty Magazine publisher Paul Hunter responded to all the naysayers who were carping about how poorly the American war was being prosecuted, he would have none of it. Hunter pointed out that previous American wars were plagued with all manner of shortages and bureaucratic foul-ups that hampered military success but that was not the case with the current conflict. The war at that point was not even half-way over, yet Hunter seemed clairvoyant when he wrote these words that historians yet un-born would agree with:


“On performance to date it is an even bet this war will go down in the history books as the best-run war America has ever fought.”


A similar article can be read here.

Bringing the African-Americans On-board
(PM Tabloid, 1942)

Here is a small notice concerning the Office of War Information and the steps they took during the Summer of 1942 to ensure the patriotic enthusiasm of the African-American community in the war effort:


“Two well-known Negro newspapermen have been selected to supervise the gathering and issuance of Negro news. The head of the new division – still untitled – will be Ted Poston, former New York newspaperman. He will be assisted by [filmmaker] William D. Alexander [who will make newsreels].”

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