Content note: Painting of a burning, sinking Japanese aircraft carrier and wrecked aircraft; the poster shows wartime enemy losses as printed. This object is shown as it was published. Why
Hit 'em where it hurts! Join the Submarine Service
U.S. Navy submarine recruiting poster: a painted burning aircraft carrier bearing a red sun disc and wrecked aircraft in a heavy sea, with an arrow-shaped banner reading '33% of Japan's tonnage has been sunk. Of this 77% was sunk by submarines!' The tell is the selected statistic offered as proof of the submarine arm's value, a card-stacking device.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1944
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- U.S. Navy (printed by U.S. Government Printing Office)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Recruit
- Theme
- War and the military
- 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)
U.S. Navy. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-23 (NAID 513518).
Text on the object
HIT 'EM WHERE IT HURTS! 33% OF JAPAN'S TONNAGE HAS BEEN SUNK. Of this 77% WAS SUNK BY SUBMARINES! JOIN THE Submarine Service [imprint: U.S. Government Printing Office : 1944 - O - 566105]
