Did you know that Walt Disney also worked for the US military?
At the mention of Walt Disney's name, everyone thinks of lovable cartoon characters and engaging children's animated films.
Who would guess that he himself and the animation studio he founded helped the soldiers of the American army during both World Wars. During World War I, claiming to be over 16, he aided the work of the Red Cross. He was drafted into the military and towards the end of the war even made it to France, where he served as a driver transporting medical supplies.
By the outbreak of World War II, Walt Disney already had a large studio; the iconic Snow White, Pinocchio, Bambi, and Dumbo had already been completed and were achieving success after success. The war took a toll on Disney's company as well: banks were reluctant to lend money, employees went on strike due to poor working conditions, and most of the animators were drafted to serve in the military. Between 1942 and 1945, the US military moved into the massive Burbank studio. During this time, commissioned by the government, they produced training materials for soldiers and filmed anti-Nazi propaganda films.
During this period, influenced by popular Disney characters, a large number of soldiers wrote to Disney's studio asking them to design unique emblems and patches for their units. Since more and more inquiries were coming in on this topic, Walt Disney set up a group of five artists from his staff, and they produced the requested works for the soldiers free of charge. These symbols meant a great deal to the fighting men.
The group created around 1,200 emblems during the war, primarily for the Navy. Almost every Disney character was used in the project, except for Bambi, whose cute face did not fit the warriors. Donald Duck's figure was the most in-demand, while the Flying Tigers and Bees became the best known.
Alpha Industries has featured these iconic patches on several of its models. In our previous article, you could already read about the history of some of these badges. Among the t-shirts in the summer collection, you can encounter symbols designed by the Disney Studio, such as the Flying Tiger or the punching bee of the Fighting Hornet.
