With the launch of Bolt Action: Third Edition later this month (we might have mentioned it once or twice!), we thought it was only fitting to have a WWII-themed Soldier of Fortune for September! Paying homage to the legendary American cartoonist Bill Mauldin, we present… Goodbye, Ol’ Pal!
Bill Mauldin was a cartoonist and journalist who made his name working for Stars and Stripes (the American military newspaper) during the latter half of the Second World War. His main characters, the two infantrymen Willie and Joe, were hugely popular with the troops, who saw them as far more realistic depictions of the hardships they endured than many of the more ‘patriotic’ propaganda pieces published. Post-war, he would go on to a long and successful career, winning two Pulitzer Prizes for his work.
As well as his many Willie and Joe strips (later syndicated as ‘Up Front’), Mauldin would produce hundreds of other cartoons during the war and afterwards. For September’s Soldier of Fortune, we’ve chosen to draw inspiration from an absolute classic – Old Sarge and His Jeep. Drawing a parallel between the horses of old, and the jeeps of a more modern age (although some US Cavalry units retained their horses into the 1940s), this bleakly humorous cartoon depicts an old and rather portly Sergeant of the fictional 45th Cavalry preparing to ‘put down’ his ‘mount’, the unfortunate jeep having suffered a broken ‘leg’.
Cast in crisp Warlord Resin and packed with detail, Goodbye, Ol’ Pal is a fantastic centrepiece for any American force, perfect as an objective marker or as a (presumably Veteran!) leader filling in as an officer. He’s also a brilliant opportunity to really show off your painting and weathering prowess, with a vehicle and infantry model on the same base making for a great all-round display piece – and of course, you don’t want to have a gap in your Soldier of Fortune collection!
Don’t miss out – as with all of our Soldier of Fortune figures, Goodbye Ol’ Pal will only be available for a month. After that, he’ll disappear off, presumably back to the stables (or should that be garage?) to find a new mount, and won’t reappear for several years! Get yours today!
Each month, a different, unique special figure is available to purchase exclusively through The Warlord Games Webstore, for that month only. At the end of the month, a new special figure takes its place. Once gone, those figures will be unavailable for a minimum of two years thereafter, by any means.
Numbered sequentially, it’s easy to keep track of your whole collection of these Warlord Webstore-exclusive figures. Remember that each figure will only be around for a month; don’t miss out on getting hold of the complete collection of Soldiers of Fortune!
2 comments
It could be coincidence, but in 1916 the official war artist Fortunino Matania produced a painting entitled ‘Goodbye Old Man’ showing a British artilleryman cradling the head of his wounded horse, who has been cut free of its harness and must be left behind as the guns proceed along the road in the Great War. Perhaps Bill Maudlin was aware of this picture when he drew the cartoon?
You can see a print of the Matania painting at https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1969-10-363-1
If you have ever watched the Audie Murphy film of The Red Badge of Courage (1951), you will have seen Bill Maudlin play Henry Fleming’s friend, ‘the loud soldier’.