war – Vulgar Army

The War Octopus

“The War Octopus” – “Ondanks onze beschaving (of beschavingspeil)”, via Google translate: Despite our culture (or civilisation level). Published 27 August, 1939 in Algemeen Handelsblad (Amsterdam). Image Source: International Institute of Social History, Collection: IISG (Pieck, H.), Call # BG D55/850. (Accessed 23rd Oct 2010).

Last few minutes of “Victory Through Air Power” Disney made WWII propaganda film that shows Japanese octopus being attacked by American eagle. (Trying to get hold of a copy of this.)

Published in the Al-Watan (Qatar) on June 2, 2010 (via FightHatred.com). Like the Latuff cartoon this was a response to the Israel IDF boarding the Gaza flotilla. Unlike the Latuff cartoon, this is undisputedly an anti-semitic cartoon. “The cartoon depicts nearly all classic anti-Semitic caricatures of a Jew: religious, hook nosed, wearing glasses and ugly.” […]

Flotilla cartoon followup

Sometimes I don’t notice things in cartoons that I really should. It is somewhat inexcusable given how many of these I see. As an example: The Carlos Latuff Israel as octopus vs Peace flotilla, from a couple of months ago. I did not see the swastika that replaced the Star of David on the Israeli […]

A brief summary, as this is a current event: The Freedom Flotilla is a movement that is trying to get aid, by sea, through the Israel blockade of Gaza. Early on May 31st, Israeli commandos boarded the ships in international waters, killing nine passengers and injuring dozen others. Carlos Latuff (the artist) graciously permitted me to use the above cartoon […]

“Es kommt der Tag!” (The day comes!), circa 1941, shows an octopus with only four limbs (and no eyes) in the shape of a swastika. The image appeared on a gummed perforated label to be used much as stickers are used now. To appear on street posts, tables, letter boxes etc. This one in particular […]

French cartoon in 1945 showed Hitler as an octopus with his arms around the globe. http://www.picturehistory.com/product/id/4453

The following cartoon is by Gib Crockett and appeared in the Washington Star on the 27th of April 1965 during the Vietnam War. It shows an octopus with the head of Ho Chi Minh, and, just in case the viewer didn’t recognise him, his name conveniently written on a tentacle. The arm of the United […]

“La Guerre est l’Industrie Nationale de la Prusse”, 1917 translates as “War is Prussia’s National Industry”. This World War I French poster that shows the expansion of the German and Prussian military. The octopus – wearing a pickelhaube helmet – is superimposed on the map1 with its tentacles throughout Europe and Asia Minor. In addition […]

The following cartoons all appeared in 2007, and all depicted terrorism as an octopus. The Benson and Ramirez cartoons used the octopus straightforwardly: a named octopus. A subtle point in the Benson cartoon is the Al-Qaeda octopus has had the tips of some of its limbs cut off. Iraq is wielding a sword, so ispresumably […]