| Postcard title: Patto Tripartito (“Tripartite Pact”) After the Tripartite Pact was signed on September 27, 1940, the Axis produced many propaganda postcards like this 1. The sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse and Pearl Harbor were hailed as a great victory, and inspired this poster. Note the English and American flags on the masts. Gino Boccasile (July 14, 1901 – May 10, 1952) was an Italian illustrator. A supporter of Benito Mussolini, Boccasile produced propaganda material for his government. His illustrations epitomized the Fascist themes: the courage of the Black Shirts against the Allies, anti-Semitism, and the portrayal of the enemy soldiers as barbarians. Note the arrangement of the flags; they are ordered Germany-Japan-Italy, but the Italian flag is higher, as if Italy is depicted as the most important partner. Boccasile decided to support Mussolini’s new Italian Social Republic, based in Salò, when he fled Rome in September 1943. He enlisted in the Italian SS Division. His tasks included drawing their recruitment posters and illustrating propaganda material. After Mussolini was executed in Milan in 1945, Boccasile was arrested and imprisoned later that year. He was later tried for crimes committed during the war. Although he was acquitted, he had trouble getting work as an illustrator. However, he eventually set up his own agency in Milan and died of bronchitis a few years later. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1656.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.61 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 2033 x 2872 |
| Photographer | Gino Boccasile |
| Photographer Title | Ministero della Cultura Popolare |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | January 1, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | Rome |
| State or Province | Lazio |
| Country | Italy |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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