A British Cruiser Ramming an Italian Submarine in the Mediterranean - Back Them Up!
A painting shows a camouflaged British cruiser under a White Ensign driving its bow onto an Italian submarine in heavy seas, captioned 'A British cruiser ramming an Italian submarine in the Mediterranean', over the slogan 'BACK THEM UP!'. The tell is the single selected success shown as the war at sea, with no losses, and the open-ended imperative that leaves the civilian's task unspecified.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1940
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- British government (printed for H.M. Stationery Office by James Haworth & Brother, Ltd.); artist Marc Stone
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- War and the military, Home front
- Event
- World War II
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- 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 Foreign Posters, retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (UK Crown copyright, 50 years from publication, expired before 1996; no URAA restoration)
British government; artist Marc Stone; printed for H.M. Stationery Office by James Haworth & Brother Ltd. U.S. National Archives, WWII Foreign Posters (NAID 44266252, 44-PF-91d).
Text on the object
A British cruiser ramming an Italian submarine in the Mediterranean BACK THEM UP! Printed for H.M. Stationery Office by James Haworth & Brother Ltd., London 51/2400 [signature in the painting:] Marc Stone
