European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse The Sec of types file Ernie Pyle at work near Anglo 1944. The Mediterranean papers arguably the Best of the 25 editions started up during the War included several journalistic and literary luminaries including Klaus Mann the son of Nobel prize winning novelist Thomas Mann. Klaus an artful writer who could bang out a moving 3,000-word feature piece in a matter of hours a a weeks work for anyone else on staff a came to stripes from the office of War information where he had penned German language propaganda leaflets. Other staffers included such prominent new York journalists As Hillary Lyons John Willig de Hill John Radosta and John Welsh Iii. Then there was Howard Taubman who at one Point penned a critical review of Beniamino Gigli the famed italian Tenor. Two weeks later the paper received a letter from a second lieutenant complaining about the piece and noting with disdain that no private could be expected to know anything about music. The paper printed the letter but with the following postscript a prior to his induction in the . Army pvt. Howard Taubman was music editor of the new York Bill Mauldin a fresh faced cartoonist from the 45th inf div newspaper started hanging out with the stripes staff in Naples in late 1943. A graduate of a Chicago Art school Mauldin had already been in hot water with division officials for his irreverent depictions of life at the front. But Neville and the rest of the stripes staff loved his work and the Young artist was officially brought on Board in december. Mauldin had been an infantryman for three years and he Drew exactly what he knew lonely unshaven soldiers who had Learned to find pleasure in things As simple As a dry pair of socks. His main characters two ragged grunts named Willie and Joe were the embodiment of thousands of real gis trying to find a Little sanity in a crazy thing called War. A stripes was perfect for me because the paper gave me exactly what i wanted a Freedom to operate in my own Way without the Specter of being sent Back to a line unit a said Mauldin now retired in his native new Mexico. A quiet loner Mauldin would Hook up with a front line unit for a week or two make sketches and take notes then return to the stripes office. Continued on Page 17fresh, spirited american troops flushed with Victory Are bringing in thousands of hungry ragged Battle weary prisoners. News item file army medics trudge Back from Cassino with soldiers wounded in the frustrating fighting. Saturday april 18, 1992 50th anniversary special edition a Page 15 a Bill Mauldin 1
