''Yank, the Army Weekly'' was a weekly magazine published by the
United States military
The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
One of its most popular features, intended to boost the morale of military personnel serving overseas, was the weekly publication of a
pin-up photograph.
History
The idea for the magazine came from
Egbert White, who had worked on the newspaper ''
Stars and Stripes'' during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. He proposed the idea to the Army in early 1942, and accepted a commission as lieutenant colonel. White was the overall commander, Major
Franklin S. Forsberg was the business manager and Major
Hartzell Spence was the first editor. White was removed from the ''Yank'' staff because of disagreements about articles which had appeared. Soon afterward, Spence was also assigned to other duties and Joe McCarthy became the editor.
The first issue was published with the cover date of June 17, 1942, as a 24-page weekly tabloid, with no ads, costing five cents.
The magazine was written by
enlisted rank
An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States ...
(EM) soldiers with a few officers as managers, and initially was made available only to the
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
overseas. By the fifth issue of July 15, 1942, it was made available to serving members within the US. It was never made available on the newsstands for public purchase. ''Yank''s circulation exceeded 2.5 million in 41 countries with 21 editions.
The last issue was published on December 28, 1945. Joe McCarthy remained the editor of ''Yank'' until the official closure of the office on New Year's Eve 1945.
Trimmingham letter
The magazine's April 28, 1944, issue included a letter from a black corporal,
Rupert Trimmingham, complaining that white German prisoners of war were being treated with more respect than black American soldiers. The reaction to the letter was strong and immediate. In a follow-up letter published 28 July 1944, Trimmingham said that he had received 287 letters, 183 from whites, supporting his position. The editors reported that ''Yank'' had received "a great number of comments from GIs, almost all of whom were outraged by the treatment given to the corporal." The same year, the letter inspired a short story by
Robert E. McLaughlin, "A Short Wait between Trains," and in 1945, a one-act play by
Ruth Moore.
Artists and photographers
Sketch artists such as Robert Greenhalgh, Victor Kalin and
Howard Brodie worked on the magazine, which also featured the "
G.I. Joe" cartoons by
Dave Breger and the ''
Sad Sack'' cartoons by
Sgt. George Baker. ''Yank'' also featured cartoons by
Bil Keane, who would later create ''
The Family Circus,'' and artist and author
Jack Coggins spent over two years with the publication, first in New York, then in London, producing illustrations and articles in more than 24 issues.
John Bushemi was a photographer, who photographed the
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...
and provided covers for ''Yank''.
Revival
In 2014, the 1st
Stryker
The Stryker is a family of Eight-wheel drive, eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in L ...
Brigade Combat Team
The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic Military deployment, deployable Military unit, unit of maneuver in the United States Army, U.S. Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver Brigade (United States Army), b ...
,
1st Armored Division,
Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Established in 1848, the fort was renamed in 1854 to honor William Wallace Smith Bliss, Bvt.Lieut.Colonel William W.S. Bliss (1815–1853 ...
,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, revived ''Yank'' as the official publication for the brigade. Each cover of the 1/1 ''Yank'' features soldiers from the brigade recreating a cover photo from the original ''Yank'' magazine.
Image gallery
File:Jane Randolph in Yank magazine.jpg, 1
File:Yank January 2015.JPG, 2
File:Yank Pin-Up Girls.jpg, 3
File:Ingrid_Bergman_-_YankArmyWeekly.jpg, 4
File:Deanna_Durbin_in_Yank_Magazine.jpg, 5
File:Lady Liberty in Yank (1945).png, 6
File:INTERVIEW Jackie Robinson U.pdf, 7
File:MarilynMonroe_-_YankArmyWeekly.jpg, 8
File:Norma-Jean.jpg, 9
1.
Jane Randolph
Jane Randolph (née Roemer; October 30, 1914 – May 4, 2009), was an American film actress. She is best known for her portrayals of Alice Moore in the 1942 horror film ''Cat People (1942 film), Cat People'', and its sequel, ''The Curse of the ...
for the debut June 17, 1942 issue.
2. January 2015 cover photo of 1/1 AD YANK magazine. Three infantrymen with Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, recreate the original ''Yank'' cover photo from March 30, 1945.
3. Collage of Yank pin-ups, published in the final issue, December 28, 1945.
4.
Ingrid Bergman was the Pin-up Girl on 16 March 1945.
5.
Deanna Durbin was the Pin-up Girl on 19 January 1945.
6. The
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...
featured as the Pin-up Girl at the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
7. A 1945 interview with baseball player
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...
— written shortly before his joining the
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club ( Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; pi ...
.
8. A photo of
Norma Jeane Dougherty (who later adopted the stage name
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...
) on 26 June 1945 (photo shooting 1944).
9. A photo of Norma Jeane Dougherty (who later adopted the stage name Marilyn Monroe) on 26 June 1945 (photo shooting 1944).
References
External links
*
*
*
''Yank'' Magazine – Selected Editions–
onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu
YANK Magazine – All Editions– War Time Press
* search: ''site:www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/NHC/NewPDFs/USArmy/ intitle:"Yank Magazine"''
*
{{Authority control
Weekly magazines published in the United States
Defunct magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1942
Magazines disestablished in 1945
Military magazines published in the United States
World War II and the media
United States Army publications
Pin-up magazines