Ajax!

In classic Greek literature, Ajax boasted of his own power and defied the lightning of Zeus, the king of gods. At which point, he was instantly killed. This cartoon, showing the growing tension between Germany and Poland, appeared just two days after the publication of the German-Soviet Pact, as Poland boldly promised to resist the 100,000 German troops massed along its borders.

Britain and France pledged to defend Poland. The British Parliament rushed to pass a defense bill expanding the armed forces, while the French government declared that they and Britain would go to war against Germany if Poland was invaded. German troops invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, starting World War II in Europe.

This cartoon was drawn by Clifford Berryman, one of Washington, DC's best-known cartoonists in the early to mid-1900s. Berryman drew for the Washington Post and Evening Star newspapers. His cartoons touched on a variety of subjects including politics, elections, and both World Wars.

This cartoon is featured in America and the World: Foreign Affairs in Political Cartoons, 1898–1940, a free PDF book from the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives.