Save your cans: help pass the ammunition
A soldier in a helmet fires a water-cooled machine gun beside a fire and smoke, its ammunition belt made of tin cans, the nearest labelled with a tomato. A woman's hand holds the next can out. Headline 'SAVE YOUR CANS', then 'Help pass the Ammunition'. The belt of cans is a transfer from the household can to the weapon.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1942
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- War Production Board, Salvage Division; artist McClelland Barclay, USNR
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, 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)
War Production Board, Salvage Division. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1679 (NAID 515347).
Text on the object
SAVE YOUR CANS Help pass the Ammunition PREPARE YOUR TIN CANS FOR WAR 1 REMOVE TOPS AND BOTTOMS 2 TAKE OFF PAPER LABELS 3 WASH THOROUGHLY 4 FLATTEN FIRMLY [signature: McCLELLAND BARCLAY USNR] [imprint: SALVAGE DIVISION, WAR PRODUCTION BOARD]
