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326. Filiposki: The Torch: Be Yours to Hold It High!
Dramatic illustration of the classical Canadian War Memorial at Vimy Ridge, the scene of a great Canadian Victory. Poster quotes the immortal poem In Flanders Fields written by Canadian medical office John McCrea, who was himself killed in action in 1915.
36x24 NML $785.
The last two stanzas of the poem follow:
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
loved and were loved, and now we lie
in Flanders field.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
World War II: Third Reich |
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The Nazis, who had only been in power for two years, co-opted the symbol of Germany’s First Reich, the eagle, together with the swastika, as symbols of the Third Reich, to unify society and tie the party to the nation’s history.
33x23 NML $785.
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World War I soldier’s ghost stands in a cemetery and tells an SA man that “your gift (to Hitler’s birthday fund) honors me again.” Avenging the 1918 surrender, that the military considered a stab in the back by politicians, was an important factor in the runup to war.
11x15 ML $950.
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Hans Schweitzer signed his posters Mjölnir, a Norse word that means destroyer or hammer of Thor for dramatic effect rather than to hide his identity according the Paret. He was Hitler’s favorite artist that probably accounts for use of metallic ink on the eagle and flags, a lavish printing technique.
47x32 NML $2500.
World War II: Japanese War Prints & Translations |
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THE DEATH OF REPULSE AND PRINCE OF WALES
330. The Proud Unsinkable Sunk.
HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales were known throughout the world as the strongest, most modern new members of the British fleet - to the point of even being indulged with the moniker "Unsinkable Battle-ships" and were the pride of the British Navy. With a displacement of 35,000 tons and a shocking top speed of approximately 30 knots, HMS Prince of Wales was armed with upwards of 240 guns (trans: an overestimate when compared with th actual armament). This devastating firepower was increased with a recent upgrade changed the armament into a serial arrangement and added two quadruple turrets, mounted both fore and aft, to allow for rapidly successive reloading and firing that summed to an impressive 800 discharges per second. The world was in awe of this pride of the British fleet, and its deluge of such awesome firepower was known as a force to be reckoned with.
Into this "wall of fire" [hi no kabe] fly our brave Sea Eagles (umi washi] - the Japanese Air Force) to show the explosive might of our Divine Technique (trans: - a reference to the Kamikaze) to this "unsinkable" ship. With the overwhelming force of a giant explosion, the might of the British Pacific Fleet - already on this, the third day of the war - is decimated as their proud battleship sinks to the murky depths of the sea.
15x11 NM $5500. SOLD
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INVASION OF NEW GUINEA
331. Plant-ing the Flag on New Guinea.
The Imperial Navy will stop at nothing to see that every inch of the vast Pacific is eradicated of the last remaining members of our enemy, who stubbornly cling to life in far-flung corners. Drawing upon their impressive reserves of courage and strength, our men landed on the north end of New Guinea, and on the 31st of March began their bold offensive on the western half of the Maluka Archipelago (trans note: also known as the "Spice Islands"). A mere 20 days later, not only had the entire string of islands been occupied, but every last trace of the enemy had been wiped from the land, giving New Guinea a taste of the fate that awaits those who would oppose our empire.
New Guinea is a vital military stronghold not only because of its potential role as an air base for the enemy, but also because of its rich oil reserves, as modern warfare has made a single drop of oil as treasured as a single drop of human blood. With the acquisition of New Guinea, our forces have thus killed two birds with one stone (trans: surprisingly, this idiom is the same in Japanese,(isseki nichou) with their brave contribution to our nation's cause.
Our marine forces storm the beach in the early morning (trans literally "brave warrior") and race towards the enemy and achieve yet another stronghold for our empire.
15X11 M $5000. SOLD
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TRANSPORT SHIPS UNDER FIRE
332. Trans-portation Ships Become Easy Prey for our Sea Eagles
Our brave men soar over the vast expanses of the ocean, scouring the surface for signs of enemy movement, responding to the slightest lead or trace with a vice-like diligence. At times, such vigilance results in daring and explosive aerial attacks which smash the enemy's plans into nothing. Braving both the merciless elements and the searing fire of the enemy's guns, our Wild Eagles ( arawashi) break through the thick cloud cover like a violent wind to reign death upon the enemy's major battleships, submarines and transportation vessels. Now, both the Indian and Pacific Ocean have fallen under the shadow of the broad wingspan of our elite Wild Eagles.
Look, how our planes swiftly dispatch a cluster of enemy ships as if they were helpless prey. The enemy tries evasive maneuvers [jigujagu] derived from "zig-zag") to no avail, as time after time our artillery strafes every corner their decks. Our fine machines lit. "beloved machines" - now used for a favorite camera (for example) as well as airplanes) leave a trail of destruction in their wake, and one more enemy vessel, loaded with supplies and vital resources, sinks below the surface of the sea to come to rest at the bottom, leaving nothing but a pitiful swirl of foam above.
15x11 MN $4500. SOLD
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AMERICAN SURRENDER AT CORREGIDOR
333. The American-Philippine Forces Finally surrender to our Army (trans. “through our military gate” a symbol of humiliation)
On the evening of May 5th, our imperial forces landed on the shore t the fort at Corregidor, attacking with such force and speed so as to not even leave time to breathe. At 11:00 AM on the morning of May 6th, the Japanese flag was planted on Milinta Hill and our forces surged toward victory as it became clear that the total destruction of the American-Philippine force was simply a matter of time. Even faced with such certain defeat, it still took the ridiculously foolish American Lieutenant Colonel Wainwright until the night of June 6th (actually 1:30 PM according to American records) to finally raise the white flag and plead his army’s surrender - a mere 32 hours after the start of our forces’ blistering attack. Originally, Wainwright implored us to allow him to surrender only Corregidor, but General Masaharu Homma, also know as the ‘poet general’ realized that Corregidor’s defeat marked the beginning of the fall of the Philippines and Asia, and refused to accept this limited surrender, insisting on a complete cessation of all American military resistance on the Philippine Islands. Wainwright’s pitiful voice of defeat was broadcast from Manila on the evening of the 7th, declaring that “all 4 forts at Manila Port have completely fallen to the Japan-ese. We have no choice but to accept Homma’s terms. Please withdraw your forces in response of our surrender.”
15x11 MN $6500.SOLD
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Posters that was used in their ready rooms by Japanese pilots to identify the types of different American military aircraft that they might face in combat over the Pacific. Top GMFM 1. Bottom: Douglas Mk. III. The GMFM 1 was not difficult to identify. Its propellers were on the trailing edge of the wing.
Very rare. 30x42 EL $3500.
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Outstanding photomontage focuses on the armed might of Japan in the air, at sea and in factories and farms. Poster celebrates Kigensetsu - a holiday promoting military expansion of Japan and the divine right of emperors. 2063 was the date Emperor Jimmu founded Japan. Kigensetsu was banned at the end of the war.
Rare. 34x22 ML $1850.