1943 – Page 19 – Old Magazine Articles

British Women Instructed to Tolerate American Men
(Yank Magazine, 1943)

Until recently we always seemed to think that all those pretty British girls during the war were genuinely captivated by that unique and sincere breed of American male called the G.I.. It seemed obvious to us that such a self-effacing, homespun, mud-between-the-toes kind of charm would naturally lead to thousands upon thousands of out-of-wedlock births and prove once and for all that the Anglo-American alliance was truly a necessary union and not merely a wartime contrivance. But after a careful reading of the attached headline from this 1943 Yank, it occurred to us that perhaps British girls were just doing their bit for king and country.

One British woman complained that the average American GI of World War II was substandard in the bedroom; to read the article, click here.

National Geographic Magazine
(Coronet Magazine, 1943)

Here is a tidy little essay that explains the origins of the National Geographic Society and their well-loved magazine. The article begins with an interesting story about what this organization did to help the Pentagon during the Second World War.

The Sten Gun
(Collier’s Magazine, 1943)

The Sten gun was hastily created after the catastrophic retreat from Dunkirk when it was widely believed that the invasion of England was inevitable. The British Home Guard requested an easily produced sub-machine gun that could be quickly assembled and easily used by those who have never had any firearm training whatever. Dubbed the ten dollar gun, the Sten gun met all these requirements and more; over four million of them were manufactured throughout the Forties and although they were never used to defend the British Isles, they were parachuted en masse to the partisan armies in Europe.

The attached article is illustrated with six images and tells the story of the Sten Mark II and the small Canadian factory that produced them. Interesting stories are told and there are pictures of cute Canadian girls.

Robert Best of South Carolina
(Pic Magazine, 1943)

On July 26, 1943, in the same U.S. Federal Court that tried the American poet Ezra Pound (in absentia) for treason, Robert H. Best (1896 – 1952), formerly of the Associated Press, was also convicted on the same charges. What Iva Toguri (the alleged Tokyo Rose) was believed to have done for Hirohito, and what Pound did for Mussolini is what Best did for Adolf Hitler: he had broadcast Nazi radio propaganda.

You might also care to read about the American Bund.

Fred Kaltenbach of Iowa
(Coronet Magazine, 1943)

Pencil-necked geek Frederick Kaltenbach was born in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1895. A former school teacher, he left the U.S. to earn a Ph.D in Germany but somehow ended up translating German texts into English for the Nazi aviation magazine, ADLER. By-and-by this eventually lead to his own radio program, just like all translation jobs always do.

Maestro Toscanini on the Home Front
(Pathfinder and Coronet, 1943)

Unlike most other musicians in Italy, Arturo Toscanini (1867 – 1957) refused to scramble onto the Fascist bandwagon. He refused to preface his concerts with the Fascist anthem and eventually was made a virtual prisoner at his home. When he was permitted to leave his country, he vowed never to revisit it so long as Fascism held it in bondage.

Nowhere has the magic baton of Toscanini been more acclaimed than in the United States. Under its spell, the Metropolitan Opera made its highest artistic mark, and the New York Philharmonic became the world’s greatest symphonic ensemble.

‘Loyal Japanese Fight for the U.S.A.”
(Click Magazine, 1943)

This photo essay from CLICK MAGAZINE consists of six black and white images illustrating the Nisei officers and GIs toiling under the merciless sun at Camp Shelby, Mississippi prior to being shipped out for combat duty in Italy. The accompanying paragraph sums up quite nicely their devotion to the United States, declaring that for these Japanese-Americans, democracy outweighs blood ties, yet says not a word about the internment camps.

CLICK HERE to read about the beautiful Blonde Battalions who spied for the Nazis…

Hermann Goering: Power Hungry Graff Master
(Click Magazine, 1943)

Appearing on the pages of a 1943 CLICK MAGAZINE was this article by Austrian journalist Alfred Tyrnauer, who was no stranger to Nazi terror. The journalist explained quite clearly for his American readers who exactly Hermann Goering was, his shameless looting in all Nazi-occupied zones and the goings-on within Goering Works, the German re-armament trust.

Master crook, blackmailer and general villain Reichsmarshal Hermann Wilhelm Goering, second most potent Nazi, ‘owns’ the world’s largest industrial empire by right of possession. Gross Goering has stopped at nothing, not even murder, to enrich himself and insure his future comfort, whether the Nazi regime stands or falls.

United Artists Makes ”Stage Door Canteen”
(Charm, 1943)

During the Second World War there were two prominent canteens where the Allied soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines could go to see and be seen with the glamorous actor types of their day: the Hollywood Canteen in Los Angeles and the Stage Door Canteen in New York City. It was in these two locales that the stars of both stage and screen could be found both waiting and busing tables, preparing food and cracking wise with the volunteers and draftees of the Allied Armies. We needn’t tell you which of these two establishments Hollywood decided to celebrate on celluloid, but you should know that the film was extremely popular- attached is the review as it appeared in fashion magazine of the time.

German Weapons in Winter
(Yank Magazine, 1943)

The following notes, based on directions issued in 1943 by the German Army High Command, regarding the use and proper care of German infantry weapons during winter campaigns. The instructions in question concern:

• German Luger & Walther P38 pistols,

• the Gewehr 41 rifle, Gewehr 98,

• M.G. 34 light machine gun and the,

• M.G. 42 heavy machine guns.

The article is accompanied by illustrations of the snow sleds used to transport the German machine guns.

Click here to read about the mobile pill boxes of the Nazi army.