The Men Are Ready... Only You Can Give Them Wings
A low-angle illustration shows a line of identical helmeted airmen receding into the distance, with the foremost figure looking down at the viewer. The slogan 'Only YOU can give them wings' sets the capital-letter YOU in front of the viewer, making the viewer personally responsible for the airmen's readiness, which is the identity-fusion tell.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Director of Public Information, Ottawa, under the authority of Hon. James G. Gardiner, Minister of National War Services (Government of Canada)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- Canada
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Mackenzie King Government
- Leader
- William Lyon Mackenzie King
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Recruit
- Themes
- War and the military, Home front
- Event
- World War II
- 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 (Canadian Crown copyright, expired; issued by the Government of Canada in 1939-1945)
Director of Public Information, Ottawa (Government of Canada). National Archives and Records Administration, WWII Foreign Posters.
Text on the object
THE MEN ARE READY... ONLY YOU CAN GIVE THEM WINGS ISSUED BY THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC INFORMATION, OTTAWA. UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF HON. JAMES G. GARDINER, MINISTER OF NATIONAL WAR SERVICES.
