Camion cartoons

A wiry American soldier’s letters from the front have been paired with his quick‑drawn cartoons, offering a lively snapshot of life in a World War I truck convoy. The narrator, a member of the multinational “Mallet Reserve” that ferried men and materiel across battered French roads, reports the chaos of moving through towns, the strange humor of a busted railway, and the odd comforts of a makeshift hotel in Paris. His sketches capture the clattering camions, the camaraderie of French and American drivers, and the surreal moments when artillery fire pauses long enough for a joke to land.

The voice is both candid and witty, turning the gritty routine of wartime logistics into a series of amusing vignettes that reveal the human side of a massive conflict. Readers hear the clang of sandbags around Napoleon’s tomb, feel the glow of candle‑lit chapels, and share in the soldier’s wonder at ordinary sights made extraordinary by circumstance. The collection preserves a unique, light‑hearted perspective on a pivotal moment in history.