British Weapons to Defeat Hitler - Britain Has a Far More Powerful Fleet Than the Enemy
Three silhouettes (battleship, cruiser, destroyer) fly the white ensign, with tonnage, crew and speed figures, under the claim that Britain has a far more powerful fleet than the enemy. The tell is that only British figures are given, with no enemy fleet to compare, and that the flag is attached to every ship.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- British government, printed by Greenslade & Co. (Reading) Ltd for HMSO
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Mixed
- Purpose
- Reassure
- Themes
- War and the military, Science and technology
- 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 / HMSO, c. 1939-1945. U.S. National Archives, Record Group 44.
Text on the object
BRITISH WEAPONS TO DEFEAT HITLER THIS IS A BATTLESHIP BRITISH BATTLESHIPS weigh about 30,000 tons and carry a crew of 1,200 men. They are floating forts, and their big guns can fire to a distance of 20 miles. They take from four to five years to build. THIS IS A CRUISER CRUISERS are smaller and faster than battleships. They weigh about 10,000 tons and travel at a speed equal to 36 miles per hour. Their crews number 700 men and they carry powerful guns as well as many other weapons. THIS IS A DESTROYER DESTROYERS are faster still. Their speed equals 40 miles per hour, and they destroy submarines with depth charges that explode beneath the surface of the sea. They carry about 200 men. BRITAIN HAS A FAR MORE POWERFUL FLEET THAN THE ENEMY PRINTED IN ENGLAND BY GREENSLADE & CO. (READING) LTD. FOR H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE.
