Content note: Soldier drawn with exaggerated simian facial features as a caricature. This object is shown as it was published. Why
If your truck could talk... Don't be a Benny!
Cartoon: a scruffy, smoking soldier in a red scarf, drawn with exaggerated simian features, stands beside a leaking, steaming truck whose speech bubble reads 'Don't be a Benny!'. The tell for name-calling is 'Benny' used as a label for careless own-side soldiers, aimed at the Command's own personnel.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1942
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Headquarters, Antiaircraft Artillery Command, Eastern Defense Command, U.S. Army (Maj. Gen. Sanderford Jarman commanding)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Own forces
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- War and the military, 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)
Headquarters, Antiaircraft Artillery Command, Eastern Defense Command, U.S. Army. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-479A (NAID 513949).
Text on the object
IF YOUR TRUCK COULD TALK. . . DON'T BE A BENNY! TAKE CARE OF YOUR TRUCK BE A CREDIT TO AMERICA'S ALERTMEN [imprint:] FORM NO. 144 11/23/42 [imprint:] THIS IS NO. 12 IN A SERIES OF POSTERS ON THE WRONG-DOINGS OF "BENNY THE BUNGLER". DON'T BE LIKE HIM! [imprint:] PRODUCED BY HEADQUARTERS ANTIAIRCRAFT ARTILLERY COMMAND EASTERN DEFENSE COMMAND SANDERFORD JARMAN MAJOR GENERAL, U.S. ARMY COMMANDING
