When You're A.W.O.L. You're Working for the Axis
Type-only poster in brown and red on yellow: 'When you're A.W.O.L. you're working for the Axis', with 'A.W.O.L.' and 'THE AXIS' in red. It labels unauthorised absence from a war job as help to the enemy, linking one worker's act to the Axis cause.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1942
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- War Production Board
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Labor, Home front
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
War Production Board. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-440 (NAID 513899).
Text on the object
WHEN YOU'RE A.W.O.L. YOU'RE WORKING FOR THE AXIS [imprint:] WAR PRODUCTION BOARD WASHINGTON, D. C. A-15 [imprint:] U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1942-O-469855
