Die Wacht am Rhein (The Watch on the Rhine)
An American soldier in a steel helmet stands with rifle and bayonet on the Rhine's bank, the Stars and Stripes flying over a castle behind him and a German helmet lying discarded at his feet. The caption takes the title of the German patriotic song 'Die Wacht am Rhein' and applies it to the American guard, turning a German national symbol into a claim of Allied victory.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1918
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- Not stated on the sheet (U.S. wartime poster)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Wilson Administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Theme
- War and the military
- Event
- World War I
- Regime
- Wilson administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives (NARA), RG 4 (U.S. Food Administration), World War I Posters (NAID 512439), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- NARA Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
Not stated on the sheet (U.S. wartime poster). National Archives and Records Administration, 4-P-268.
Text on the object
Die·Wacht·am·Rhein (The Watch on the Rhine)
The Watch on the Rhine (the English line is printed on the sheet)
