Feel festive, but without all the chemicals
A poster urging women to join the ATS, the Auxiliary Territorial Service. The ATS was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. Among its more high-profile recruits was a young Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II.
The flags of the Allies encircle cannons firing against Axis powers in an inspirational poster that declares, "United we are strong, United we will win."
This Army Nurse Corps recruitment poster urges women to join the nursing service for the US Army, insisting that they "are needed now."
This pro-fascist poster features a montage of multiple images of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini (1883–1945). Mussolini was the founder of the National Fascist Party and was Prime Minister of Italy from 1922 to 1943. He was executed by Italian partisans in 1945.
"Let Us Go Forward Together" urges this British Second World War poster. Winston Churchill is seen with a squadron of Spitfires flying in formation over a tank column.
The bald eagle, the national bird of the United States of America, is employed here to urge American citizens to join the Civilian Defense.
"Bits of Careless Talk Are Pieced Together By The Enemy" reads this poster. A hand with one finger branded by a Nazi ring is putting the final piece of a jigsaw into a map that declares: "Convoy sails for England tonight."
Combatants from various military branches within the Commonwealth Nations are seen marching together for a common cause in this striking propaganda poster.
Another poster warning of the dangers of idle chitchat uses an illustration of a United States Liberty ship, a class of cargo ship, lying broken on the seabed after being torpedoed by a German U-boat. It reads: "Careless Talk Did This! Keep It Under Your Stetson"—a reference to the iconic hat symbolic of the pioneering American West.
This Polish victory poster from 1945 celebrates the collapse of the German Nazi regime at the end of the Second World War. Hitler is shown appearing to make a symbol of victory with arms, while surrendering.
This 1944 recruitment poster for the US Army's Women's Army Auxiliary Corp declares "This is My War Too!"
"With your European comrades under the SS sign you will conquer" reads this 1943 Nazi recruitment poster encouraging French people to join the German SS (Schutzstaffel). The French wartime Vichy regime openly collaborated with Hitler's armies.
A patriotic US war poster tells the inspiring story of Obie Bartlett (1917–1993) an ex-Army private who lost an arm while stationed at Pearl Harbor. Despite his injury he went on to work as a welder in a shipyard. "Sometimes I feel my job here is as important as the one I had to leave," it reads.
An SS officer, depicted as a grounded bird of prey, is seen being strangled by a Russian hand in this graphic anti-Nazi poster published by the Soviet Union. The text translates as "The fascist vulture found out that we are not sheep!"
Millions of Soviet soldiers were conscripted to fight against Hitler's armies. This poster asks "What Have You Done to Help the Front?" The subtext, however, is more sinister, reminding every Soviet citizen of their duty to crush fascism. To refuse to do so meant jail or execution. An estimated 8.6 million Soviet soldiers died in the course of the war, including millions of POWs. Some historians suggest the figure is closer to 10 million.
In 1940 when this poster was published, Hitler was confident of victory over Allied forces. The propaganda suitably reads "'With our flags, victory."
A bullish Benito Mussolini replete with jutting chin is celebrated as leader of the PNF (Partito Nazionale Fascista), or National Fascist Party, on this poster, which also served as a cover to the book 'Il Primo Libro Del Fascista' ('The First Book of Fascism'), published in 1938.
Issued by the US Navy, this poster shows a fist holding a stamp with an American star ready to stamp out a Nazi swastika.
A Vichy government poster from 1940 depicts the Vichy Chief of State Philippe Petain (1856–1951) above a line of teenage boys from the youth organization Compagnons de France. Initially embraced with enthusiasm, the Compagnons de France saw its membership diminish, with many opting instead for the Resistance as the Vichy dictatorship descended into collaborationist squalor.
"Hi Ho! It's off to work we go. Help win the war. Squeeze in one more" reads this colorful 1940 poster extolling the virtues of carpooling to save resources.
Published in 1941, this propaganda poster from the Soviet Union depicts dictator Josef Stalin as the Russian strongman steering the ship of state through the troubled war years.
Smiling nonchalantly and giving the thumbs-up, the US pilot in this poster signals from his cockpit as planes fly overhead, accompanied by the headline "You Buy 'Em, We'll Fly 'Em,"—a call for civilians to purchase defense bond stamps.
Hitler's tentacles stretched far into Scandinavia and Joseph Goebbels, Reich Minister of Propaganda, did his best to try and persuade Norwegian men to join the Waffen-SS by using the myth of the mighty Viking as a prompt.
"We Wait For You, Soldier-Liberator," says this grateful little boy to a Russian combatant in 1943. "Let's Free all Soviet People from Fascist Prison."
US propaganda calls on past glories by comparing soldiers in the American Revolutionary War to those in the Second World War in this 1943 poster. The slogan reads: "Americans will always fight for liberty."
In this American propaganda poster, a female Red Cross volunteer stands in front of two Red Cross flags. "Volunteer for Victory" is the message, which continues: "Offer your services to your Red Cross."
On the American home front, raw materials were in short supply and were always given priority. This poster reminds civilians that "War traffic must come first," and "Don't waste transportation."
Sources: (France 24) (CAIRN International) (National WWII Museum)
See also: Fascinating photos of World War II
Propaganda played an enormously important role in the Second World War. Patriotism was a central theme, and the many posters produced by all sides during the conflict pressed home the need for a united front. Equally, propaganda posters were designed to emphasize the might and the will of a military force while dismissing as weak and feeble its enemies. Posters also served to dehumanize a foe, often presenting adversaries as merciless killers through graphic illustration and distasteful slogans.
Click through and admire the art of the Second World War propaganda poster.
A Soviet soldier is seen brushing away fascists with a broom attached to the butt on his rifle over the slogan "The Red Army's Broom Will Sweep Away Fascist Rubbish."
The art of the Second World War propaganda poster
How the power of propaganda was drawn up
LIFESTYLE Wwii
Propaganda played an enormously important role in the Second World War. Patriotism was a central theme, and the many posters produced by all sides during the conflict pressed home the need for a united front. Equally, propaganda posters were designed to emphasize the might and the will of a military force while dismissing as weak and feeble its enemies. Posters also served to dehumanize a foe, often presenting adversaries as merciless killers through graphic illustration and distasteful slogans.
Click through and admire the art of the Second World War propaganda poster.