Today in Comics History, January 22, 1944: Battle of Anzio; Stephen E. Ambrose totally misses the awesomest part

This is an updated version of a blog post originally published January 22, 2013.

from New Avengers (2010 series) #29 (Marvel, October 2012), script by Brian Michael Bendis, pencils and inks by Mike Deodato, colors by Rain Beredo, letters by Joe Caramagna
(Click picture to Bulge-size)



In truth, without the Invaders, the landing at Anzio on today's date in 1944 was only the beginning of a long push by the Allies that wouldn't end until the capture of Rome on June 5. As a real-life historical event it's frequently portrayed in war comics, such as this:



from "Decision At Anzio" in Combat #11 (Marvel/Atlas, April 1953), script by Paul S. Newman, pencils and inks by Gene Colan
Most war comics cover the landing at Anzio and the subsequent fight for Italy pretty seriously, with attention paid to how bloody and costly the inconclusive battles were.


from Battlefield Action #54 (Charlton, August 1964), script by Joe Gill (?), pencils and inks by Norman Nodel (?)
EC, especially renowned for their stark and brutal war stories, brought the horror of war to its pages:



from "Anzio!" in Frontline Combat #10 (EC, January 1953), script by Harvey Kurtzman, pencils and inks by Jack Davis, colors by Marie Severin, letters by Ben Oda
That last pair of panels are especially reminiscent of the work of war correspondent cartoonist Bill Maudlin (pictured in first photo below, in Anzio), who covered the landing, among many other European battles.





WWII warfront cartoons by Bill Mauldin, from Willie & Joe: The WWII Years (Fantagraphics, March 2008)
Here's an unusual short biographical comic about Lt. Helen Talboy, one of the woman heroes of Anzio, published while WWII was still going on:



from "Lt. Helen Talboy: Anzio Ordeal" in True Comics #43 (Parents' Magazine Press, Spring 1945), creators unknown
And another one about "Private Johnny Fuentes: The Armed Forces' Youngest Hero." (I can't find anything else online about Fuentes besides this comic, though. Is this fiction? I hope not!)


from Real Life Comics #23 (Pines, May 1945), pencils by Ken Battefield (?), letters by Ed Hamilton
Though it's only in the opening panel of this story, Anzio provides the background to another Atlas war story and definitely doesn't paint it as a simple straightforward campaign:


from "Killed in Action" in [War Adventures on the] Battlefield #3 (Marvel/Atlas, August 1952), pencils and inks by George Tuska
I'm not certain how much "fun" putting together this Aurora plastic model would actually be. I hope it came with at least a little history so you could learn while you inhaled glue.


Aurora Plastics Corp. ad from DC Comics covered-dated July 1968
But it's a credit to the creators of these war comics that they definitely took their storytelling seriously. Even this fantasy tale of a GI hallucinating that he's a Roman soldier at Anzio has a grim edge:





from "The Haunted Beach" in My Greatest Adventure #72 (DC, October 1962), pencils and inks by Bill Ely, letters by Stan Starkman
On this day we remember the men and women of the US and Allied forces who fought at Anzio and beyond. A salute to you all!

from Sgt. Rock #302 (DC, March 1977), script by Robert Kanigher, pencils by Joe Kubert, inks by Frank Springer
(Click bottom picture to Sgt. Rock-size)