Superman and World War II
On February 27, 1940, Look magazine featured a two page comic strip by
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
titled "How Superman Would End the War." Superman simply abducts Adolf Hitler
and Josef Stalin, then brings both leaders before the League of Nations in
Geneva, Switzerland.
The cartoon drew criticism from the Nazi Ministry of Propaganda. On April, 25,
1940, Das Schwarze Korps, the weekly newspaper of the
Schutzstaffel (SS), reprinted the strip with an antisemitic response titled
"Jerry Siegel greift ein!" The hit-piece places the Kent farm in Des Moines,
Iowa. The author concluded that "Jerry Siegallack stinks," a pun on the German
word for sealing wax.
On December 2, 1940, the government of Canada enacted the War Exchange
Conservation Act (WECA), restricting the importation of all non-essential
luxury goods. Comics books from the United States were effectively banned in Canada from 1941–1946.
On May 20, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8757
Establishing the Office of Civilian Defense (OCD). Regional youth programs
were created throughout the country including the
Superman Junior Defense League of America,
Roberts Superman Defense League, and the Superman Victory Kid Club. In the comic books, Supermen of America Club
advertisements began encouraging readers to buy Savings Bonds and Defense
Stamps in Action Comics #43 (December 1941).
The United States Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was attacked by the
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service on December 7, 1941. Congress declared war
against Japan on December 8, followed by Germany on December 11. The Writers'
War Committee, later renamed the Writers' War Board (WWB), was created on
January 6, 1942. The civilian board was funded by the Office of War
Information. The WWB worked to control the war narrative in all forms of
American media, advising publishers on how to portray the Axis. Comic books
became a powerful weapon of propaganda for civilians and soldiers.
Like Uncle Sam and Rosie the Riveter, Superman was an important symbol of
American patriotism during World War II. The Action Comics and Superman books were spared from government paper
rationing. Although the comic book stories mostly avoided the war, Superman
battled the enemy on covers, on the radio, in cartoons, and the newspapers.
Superman is depicted facing a German machine gunner on the cover of
Action Comics #35 (April 1941), and German troops on
Action Comics #39 (August 1941). A Wehrmacht tank appears on Action Comics
#40 (September 1941), and Superman faces a Nazi paratrooper on Action Comics
#41 (December 1941). Patriotic covers illustrated by Fred Ray began
appearing with Superman #12 (September–October 1941).
Supermen of America ads prepared with the Department of War showcased twelve
individual "Supermen of the U.S. Army" in Action Comics #49–60.
In the newspaper strip storyline from February 16–19, 1942, Clark Kent attempts to
enlist in the Army, but fails the eye exam with his X-ray vision. A
disgusted
Lois Lane
remarks, "I might have known the Army would turn you down." Clark decides
that the U.S. Armed Forces are capable of achieving victory without
Superman. In the August 20, 1943, strip, General Douglas MacArthur informs Superman
that the United Nations does not need him. As a reporter, Clark worked with
the Army Air Force Technical Training Command in Superman #25
(November–December 1943), and the U.S. Navy in Superman #34 (May–June
1945).
Superman supported the war effort from the home front by educating soldiers
and raising money for the Allies. In April 1942, the Navy Department
classified comic books as essential supplies for sailors and Marines. That
month, a fictional "Sooper Man" comic book appeared on the cover of
Army Motors. Superman Inc. later produced an official comic strip for
the magazine that informs soldiers about preventive equipment care. The
influx of comic books and other reading materials led to increased literacy
rates within the ranks.
Tim's Pie Eaters Club for Boys was reorganized as the Superman-Tim Club in July 1942. The Tim Club was originally established by Streeter Blair in January 1925. Monthly issues of Superman-Tim were distributed to clothing retailers nationwide. Superman and Tim encouraged children to purchase war bonds and salvage scrap material for the defense effort. Wartime storylines featured the Brown Scorpion, an international Nazi spy, as well as Japanese saboteurs.
Comic book readers were constantly reminded to purchase War Bonds and War
Stamps; later marketing focused on the War Loans. World's Finest Comics #8 (Winter 1942) portrays Superman, Robin, and Batman encouraging
children to "Sink the Japanazis with Bonds & Stamps." The cover
of Action Comics #58 (March 1943) depicts Superman printing
propaganda posters that read, "Superman says: You can slap a Jap with War
Bonds and Stamps!"
The "never-ending battle for truth and justice" motto was updated to
"truth, justice, and the American way" on
The Adventures of Superman
radio series. The variation first appeared during episodes of "The Wolfe,"
an 11-part Nazi storyline that aired on Mutual from September 2–16, 1942.
In a letter to the Office of War Information dated April 12, 1943, show
creator Robert Maxwell declared his intent to teach the audience hatred
towards the enemy. Maxwell wrote, "A German is a Nazi and a
Jap is the little yellow man who 'knifed us in the back at Pearl Harbor.'"
By 1944, the WWB advised media outlets to portray all Germans as enemies
rather than ordinary people.
"Japanazi" was a popular slur promoted by the War Production Board and War
Stamp Council. Since the late 19th century, Asian people were commonly
represented as caricatures in American media. Asian villains were often depicted with buck
teeth, glasses, and a Fu Manchu mustache. All three features are included in
the "Jap Spy" character from Japoteurs, released on September
18, 1942, by Paramount Pictures and Famous Studios. In the animated short,
Superman thwarts a gang of Japanese saboteurs attempting to hijack a bomber
plane.
From February 19, 1942, to March 20, 1946, over 125,000 people of Japanese
descent were imprisoned in concentration camps throughout the United States.
The camps included over 10,000 Germans, as well as over 200 Italians. In
the Superman newspaper strip from June 28, 1943, Clark and
Lois begin
investigating a "relocation center" named Camp Carok. Lois praises the camp
saying, "The Jap government should have absolutely no excuse for not showing
their prisoners of war as much consideration." On June 30, the script was
reprinted in the Tulean Dispatch Daily, a mimeographed newspaper
published by detainees of the Tule Lake concentration camp in Newell,
California.
On July 2, 1943, Superman refers to a group of Japanese prisoners as "rats!"
On July 9, Superman uses "his amazing muscular control" to disguise himself
as a Japanese prisoner named Masu Watasuki. Superman comments, "It's easy –
to make myself – look like a Jap. Take a-lookie at the new Watasuki!"
Superman remained disguised as Watasuki until July 17.
The Camp Carok plot drew criticism from readers nationwide. After destroying
a Japanese naval fleet on August 21, 1943, Superman delivered a backtracked
response: "It should be remembered that most Japanese-Americans are loyal
citizens. Many are in combat units of our armed forces, and others are
working in war factories. According to government statements, not one act of
sabotage was perpetrated in Hawaii or territorial U.S. by a
Japanese-American."
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An "Overseas Service Edition" of Superman #27 and "Overseas Edition"
of Superman #28 were distributed to the Armed Forces in 1944 by the
U.S. Army Special Services Division. From November 27, 1944, to April 18,
1945, the U.S. Navy released six "Special Edition" comics that reprint
issues of Action Comics and Superman. The "Special Edition"
books include educational material produced by the Bureau of Naval
Personnel.
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A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (41-24380) nicknamed "Superman" was the oldest
Flying Fortress of the 97th Bombardment Group in North Africa. The nose
paintings are based on a promotional image for the 1941 animated
Superman series from Fleischer Studios and Paramount Pictures.
"Superman" was assigned to the 340th Bombardment Squadron at RAF Polebrook,
England. The aircraft was photographed with the VIII Bomber Command by
Margaret Bourke-White for Life magazine in September 1942. On October
11, 1942, the bomber was assigned to Maison Blanche airfield in Algeria.
While piloted by 1st Lt. John A. Gallup of Upper Darby, PA, "Superman"
received over 300 holes with no fatalities. Six of the crew members were
awarded the Purple Heart.
"Superman" was later assigned to the 515th Air Service Group. On September
15, 1945, the bomber sent a distress call while enroute from Dakar, Senegal,
to Natal, Brazil. Major Willard E. Karschnick ditched the aircraft in the
Atlantic near the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago. All 14 crew
members were promptly rescued by Brazilian destroyer Greenhalgh (M 3) about
500 miles off the northeast coast.
A Consolidated B-24D Liberator (41-23938) nicknamed "Super Man" was assigned
to the 11th Bombardment Group, 98th Bombardment Squadron in the Pacific.
Images of Superman holding a hammer and a bomb were painted on the nose of
the plane. On April 20, 1943, "Super Man" was heavily damaged by
anti-aircraft fire and Japanese Zero fighters over Nauru. Radio
Operator/Waist Gunner Corporal Harold V. Brooks was mortally wounded. On May
5,
The New York Times reported that ground crewmen counted 500 holes,
later confirmed as 594. The mission is depicted in the 2014 film
Unbroken, written by the Coen Brothers and directed by Angelina Jolie.
The film is based on the biography of bombardier Louis Zamperini by Laura
Hillenbrand,
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.
After repairs, a new aircrew renamed the bomber "Sexy Sue-IV, Mother of Ten"
and a nude woman was painted on the nose. During a bombing run from Tarawa
on January 20, 1944, "Sexy Sue-IV" reported engine failure near Wotje Atoll,
Marshall Islands. The fate of the nine crew members is unknown. Classified
material from the aircraft was later captured from Japanese forces on
Kwajalein Atoll.
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Like Clark Kent, Joe Shuster
received a 4-F disqualification and was declared "unfit for military
service" due to his failing eyesight. The Shuster Shop continued to produce
Superman features and Joe would contribute illustrations for bond drives.
Jerry Siegel
was drafted in the U.S. Army and enlisted on June 28, 1943. He was sworn in
during an induction ceremony at the "Festival of Freedom" on July 4. Over
80,000 people attended the celebration at the Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
Jerry later revealed, "While I was in the Army, practically all of the
Superman stories were ghosted."
Private Siegel reported to the 39th Special Service Company for Basic
Training at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Jerry provided a guest article
and Superman strip for The Fort Meade Post on August 13, 1943. Jerry
wrote that the "real Supermen" were members of the Armed Services. An
unauthorized Superman appeared in a comic strip collaboration with artist
Ben Bryan called "Super Sam." The September 10, 1943, issue of
Yank, the Army Weekly quotes Jerry on Superman: "he'll never join the
army; he'll never help me."
After Basic Training, PFC Siegel was stationed in Elkins, West Virginia, as
part of the Detached Enlisted Men's List (DEML). In November 1943, Jerry was
assigned a 1,500-word weekly column providing updates on Special Service
activities for The Inter-Mountain newspaper. Fall and winter in the
rugged hills of the West Virginia Maneuver Area (WVMA) were spent living in
a five-man squad tent. On January 1, 1944, Jerry asked DC Comics co-founder
Jack Liebowitz to send 131
Supermen of America
membership kits for the company. The soldiers wanted to wear the membership
buttons as insignia.
Jerry received additional training at Camp Siebert, Alabama, before
reporting to Hickam Field in Honolulu, Hawaii. The front page header of
Midpacifican on August 26, 1944, proclaimed "Superman's Old Man
Here." The following day in Waikiki, Jerry met his childhood idol Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan and John Carter of Mars. Both characters were major influences on the
creation of Superman. Jerry sketched a profile portrait of Superman for Burroughs, praising the
author as "the daddy of today's leading heroes."
Jerry was promoted to Technician Fifth Grade (T/5), equivalent to Corporal.
He wrote stories for Hickam Highlights, a raunchy mimeographed base
newsletter, and joined Midpacifican as a staff reporter in September
1944. Jerry collaborated with artist Gerald H. Green on "Super GI," a weekly
cartoon published in Midpacifican from December 30, 1944, to March
17, 1945. A photograph of Siegel and Green reviewing the artboards was later
printed in Army Life. Super GI, also known as Joe Droop, is in
love with Corporal Jane Troy. Woman's Army Corps Pvt. Faye Lewis Trowbridge
from Dallas, Texas, was a model for Jane Troy.
On April 14, 1945, the Superman newspaper strip from McClure
Syndicate featured a cyclotron, or "atom smasher." At the time, the
Manhattan Project was highly classified and the Trinity nuclear device had
not been tested. The Office of Censorship instructed editor Jack Schiff to
end the storyline. The FBI contacted Jerry for questioning, but "The Science
of Superman" story was ghost written by Alvin Schwartz. Schwartz had read an
article about the cyclotron in the April 1936 issue of Popular Mechanics. The Adventures of Superman
radio show had previously featured "Dr. Dahlgren's Atomic Beam Machine" in
February 1940, before the Manhattan Project was established.
On May 14, 1945, Midpacifican was replaced by the Middle Pacific
edition of The Stars and Stripes. As a staff reporter, Jerry
wrote an article titled "Melt to Music" printed on May 30. From June 5,
1945, to January 15, 1946, Jerry contributed a daily humor column called
"Take a Break with T/4 Jerry Siegel." The column was renamed after his
promotion to Technician Fourth Grade on July 11.
On August 11, 1945, Jerry appeared on "Breakfast at the Crossroads," a
weekly radio show on KGU broadcast from the USO Rainbow Club in Honolulu.
Jerry judged contest answers for the question, "What would you do if you
could be Superman for five minutes?" The winning answer was, "I'd take a
fast trip home." The contest was sponsored by the USO and the American Red
Cross.
The war officially ended on September 2, 1945. On January 21, 1946, Jerry
was discharged from the Army and sent home to Cleveland.
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