Does anyone know the context of this political cartoon (1939)

[SnowblindNYR]

I found this political cartoon from 1939 about the Line of Maginot in 1939. It made me curious not from a political standpoint. Hockey is not popular in Britain or France. Unless this was done by cartoonist in a different country. The USSR was still on Germany's side at the time I believe so I doubt it was them. The US was not part of the war yet and they probably weren't into ice hockey yet on a high level at the time. Anyone know the context of why hockey was used?

I hope this is allowed I think this is more historic than political.

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[Wee Baby Seamus]

John Collins (cartoonist) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Author was the cartoonist for the Montreal Gazette.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

John Collins (cartoonist) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Author was the cartoonist for the Montreal Gazette.

I didn't even notice his name there. I guess Montreal makes sense in context. Thanks!

 

[Albatros]

Nazi Reichsminister of Foreign Affairs von Ribbentrop had lived in Montréal himself and played hockey there which the cartoonist may also have been aware of.

 

[MadLuke]

Author was the cartoonist for the Montreal Gazette.

Would it not have been from Canada, it would have been quite strange.

Not that I get it (was Germany military in 1939 was still considered say 1936 weak by the world ?), but at least the use of hockey for the drawing for a Mtl audience isn,t strange.

 

[GB]

Would it not have been from Canada, it would have been quite strange.

Not that I get it (was Germany military in 1939 was still considered say 1936 weak by the world ?), but at least the use of hockey for the drawing for a Mtl audience isn,t strange.

More that the Maginot Line was considered impregnable at the time.

At the time Great Britain were the world champions after winning the 1936 Olympics held in Germany. I wonder if that's partly behind the choice of hockey for the cartoon.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Of course, the Germans just went around it. Must have been the wider Olympic sized ice.

 

[daver]

I like the French version of a playoff beard.

 

[57special]

Thanks for this. Amazing, in retrospect, how wrong the cartoonist was.

 

[Moose Head]

Germany obviously dumped it into the French corner.

 

[tinyzombies]

Nazi Reichsminister of Foreign Affairs von Ribbentrop had lived in Montréal himself and played hockey there which the cartoonist may also have been aware of.

yea, and the douche lived on Stanley, a block and a half from Victoria Skating Rink where the first indoor game was arguably played, and the first Stanley Cup was won. It was still a functioning rink when he lived there, it only closed in 1925.

 

[Hobnobs]

Would it not have been from Canada, it would have been quite strange.

Not that I get it (was Germany military in 1939 was still considered say 1936 weak by the world ?), but at least the use of hockey for the drawing for a Mtl audience isn,t strange.

It's a reference to the Maginot Line. In the end Germany used the Schlieffen plan from WW1 and it worked this time.

More that the Maginot Line was considered impregnable at the time.

At the time Great Britain were the world champions after winning the 1936 Olympics held in Germany. I wonder if that's partly behind the choice of hockey for the cartoon.

If it wasn't for the Belgians it might have been as well...

 

[MadLuke]

I get the overrating of the Maginot line of the time, it is the Germany has still a weak army that seem to be expressed in the drawing that could have been quite true in 1936 when they became clear they did not respected post war condition and could have been attacked (or even more so in 33).

Was it, I imagine it would have been quite possible, still the conventional wisdom that Germany was still a not to be fear weakling in 1939 ?

 

[Hobnobs]

I get the overrating of the Maginot line of the time, it is the Germany has still a weak army that seem to be expressed in the drawing that could have been quite true in 1936 when they became clear they did not respected post war condition and could have been attacked (or even more so in 33).

Was it, I imagine it would have been quite possible, still the conventional wisdom that Germany was still a not to be fear weakling in 1939 ?

UK and France were pretty arrogant at the time. I mean, even Stalin warned them and offered troops to stop Hitler before the Warsaw pact. UK and France never responded forcing Stalins hand to make a deal with Germany to delay the eventual invasion.

 

[Albatros]

It's a reference to the Maginot Line. In the end Germany used the Schlieffen plan from WW1 and it worked this time.

That is incorrect, it was considered up until 1939 and the Allies sent some of their best forces to Belgium in anticipation, but instead the attack took place over the Ardennes where terrain was complicated yet defenses the weakest.

 

[Hobnobs]

That is incorrect, it was considered up until 1939 and the Allies sent some of their best forces to Belgium in anticipation, but instead the attack took place over the Ardennes where terrain was complicated yet defenses the weakest.

The modified Schlieffen plan from WW1 also included a surprise attack through the Ardennes. It's also called the Schlieffen-Moltke plan. And the majority of Ardennes are in Belgium. The plan is also more than just "how we attack" but includes how Germany should prioritize its enemies, France first and Russia later. The difference is that by 1940, german tech and tactics had advanced so they could actually push through and not having to dig in.

 

[Theokritos]

1930s lines I expected to be discussed on the History of Hockey board:
The Kid line, the Kraut line, etc.

1930s lines I did not expect to be discussed on the History of Hockey board:
The Maginot line.

 

[daver]

UK and France were pretty arrogant at the time. I mean, even Stalin warned them and offered troops to stop Hitler before the Warsaw pact. UK and France never responded forcing Stalins hand to make a deal with Germany to delay the eventual invasion.

They certainly found out that the Germans weren't all smiles und sunshine.

 

[Albatros]

The modified Schlieffen plan from WW1 also included a surprise attack through the Ardennes. It's also called the Schlieffen-Moltke plan. And the majority of Ardennes are in Belgium. The plan is also more than just "how we attack" but includes how Germany should prioritize its enemies, France first and Russia later. The difference is that by 1940, german tech and tactics had advanced so they could actually push through and not having to dig in.

In 1914 Alsace, Lorraine, Eupen and Malmedy were all a part of Germany and the main French defenses ran in an entirely different location from Verdun some 200 km east of Paris to Belfort near the Swiss border. There was no German attack through the Ardennes towards France, only the 3rd army moved unopposed through the region in a west-northwestern direction from Malmedy towards Namur in Belgium. As tanks or mechanized troops did not yet exist, the terrain was not the same kind of hindernis to start with as in 1939/40. South of the Ardennes there was a French border fortification line from Montmédy to Longwy, which is where the French 3rd and 4th armies unsuccessfully attacked the German 4th and 5th armies in the battles of Neufchâteau and Longwy in August 1914 which were the only major confrontations in the area. Those German armies both moved towards northwest from direction Lorraine rather than crossing the Ardennes.

 

[Hobnobs]

In 1914 Alsace, Lorraine, Eupen and Malmedy were all a part of Germany and the main French defenses ran in an entirely different location from Verdun some 200 km east of Paris to Belfort near the Swiss border. There was no German attack through the Ardennes towards France, only the 3rd army moved unopposed through the region in a west-northwestern direction from Malmedy towards Namur in Belgium. As tanks or mechanized troops did not yet exist, the terrain was not the same kind of hindernis to start with as in 1939/40. South of the Ardennes there was a French border fortification line from Montmédy to Longwy, which is where the French 3rd and 4th armies unsuccessfully attacked the German 4th and 5th armies in the battles of Neufchâteau and Longwy in August 1914 which were the only major confrontations in the area. Those German armies both moved towards northwest from direction Lorraine rather than crossing the Ardennes.

Always good to know that the battle of Ardennes between 21-23 of august never happened in WW1. Very informative.

 

[Albatros]

Always good to know that the battle of Ardennes between 21-23 of august never happened in WW1. Very informative.

Those were the aforementioned battles of Neufchâteau and Longwy which indeed were French attacks against German armies that did not cross the Ardennes but approached from the southeast.

 

[Theokritos]

Folks, there are places to discuss the military history of World War I, but the History of Hockey forum isn't one of them.