Just A Car Guy: new to me, but you might not know the history of the artist that drew these

Thursday, February 15, 2024

new to me, but you might not know the history of the artist that drew these

Sgt. John H. Schuffert was a radio operator and gunner on B-24s during World War II in Africa and Italy. (See “America’s Airmen,” January, p. 22.) His airplane was shot down in 1944 and he spent the rest of the war evading the Germans with the help of Yugoslav partisans.

He flew 50 missions during World War II, including the famed bombing raids on the oil fields of Ploesti, Romania. When his B-24 became disabled, Mr. Schuffert and his crewmates bailed out of the plane, and they spent several months in Yugoslavia before making their way back to Italy.

Tech. Sgt. John H. "Jake" Schuffert made a unique, valued and memorable contribution to the Berlin Airlift. Schuffert, an aircraft radio operator, volunteered to do cartooning for the Airlift Times, which was a newspaper published by the U.S. Air Force for Airlift personnel. His keen sense of humor and skill as a cartoonist soon made him one of the best known and remembered Airlift personalities.

His cartoons played up everything disagreeable about the Airlift, but they brought a smile to the readers’ faces. They also improved moral helping to overcome the poor living and working conditions of the airlifters.

During the Berlin Airlift in 1948, Jake was a radio operator for Lt. Gen. William H. Tunner, the airlift commander. Jake drew cartoons for The Task Force Times, and some of them had an edge. Tunner backed Jake and overruled a base commander who tried to ban the paper from his base.

Jake spent 13 years on flying status before entering the graphics career field.

Jake Schuffert’s typical character had a big nose, an ample waist, and frequently a cookie duster mustache.

Jake drew fast and produced a great deal of material.

It appeared in Airman Magazine, Air Force Times, and in all sorts of other places, including the Air Force Art Collection and USAF Humor exhibit at the National Museum of the US Air Force.

He kept on drawing, retired from the Air Force as a master sergeant in 1962, and began his civil service career, first as an illustrator with the Army Signal Corps at the Pentagon and then with the Air Force graphics office. He retired in 1986.

His cartoons appeared in Airman for more than 27 years. At first, his page was called “It All Counts for 20,” then “It All Counts for 30,” and finally, “Here’s Jake.” For a year following his death in 1998, Airman ran a monthly selection of the best of Jake’s cartoons.