Philadelphia's Air Raid System
Civil-defence diagram for Philadelphia: a bomb strikes a house, a warden reports to a control centre by telephone, and arrows send fire, police, medical, repair and other units back to the house. Circular insignia for each volunteer corps surround the sheet. It mainly informs; the fear-appeal is faint and rests on the bombed house.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Philadelphia Council of Defense
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- Home front, Security and surveillance
- 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)
Philadelphia Council of Defense. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1508 (NAID 515173).
Text on the object
PHILADELPHIA'S AIR RAID SYSTEM AIR RAID WARDENS AUXILIARY FIREMAN AUXILIARY POLICE RESCUE SQUADS MEDICAL CORPS FIRE DEPARTMENT UNITS AND AUXILIARIES POLICE UNITS AND AUXILIARIES MEDICAL UNITS HOSPITALS AMBULANCES DOCTORS NURSES PUBLIC WORKS DEMOLITION RESCUE CLEARANCE DECONTAMINATION RED CROSS EVACUATION FIRST AID REPAIR SEWERS WATER MAINS ELECTRICAL TELEPHONE GAS, ETC. AIR RAID WARDEN MAKES REPORT TO CONTROL CENTER MESSENGER CARRIES REPORT IF MECHANICAL COMMUNICATION BREAKS DOWN COMMANDER AND STAFF CONTROL CENTER TELEPHONISTS RECEIVE WARDEN'S REPORT AND TRANSMIT TO COMMANDER APPROVED AND RELEASED BY [seal: PHILADELPHIA COUNCIL OF DEFENSE] EMERGENCY FOOD & HOUSING CORPS ROAD REPAIR CREW MESSENGERS BOMB SQUADS DECONTAMINATION SQUAD DEMOLITION AND CLEARANCE CREWS NURSES' AIDES CORPS
