Taxying - The Necessity for Good Look-Out
A three-panel aerial view of an airfield shows a fighter taxiing straight ahead, a fuel lorry crossing, and the resulting collision and fire, with a third panel showing the zig-zag course that avoids it. The tell is the middle panel's depicted crash with the line 'the enemy has a free gift', which uses the consequence of carelessness to drive the lesson.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1940
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Air Ministry (imprint 'Air Diagram 1348, 11/40', official use only); artist Leslie Carr
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Own forces
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- War and the military, Science and technology
- Event
- World War II
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- 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 Foreign Posters, retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (UK Crown copyright, 50 years from publication, expired before 1996; no URAA restoration)
Air Ministry; artist Leslie Carr, 1940. U.S. National Archives, WWII Foreign Posters (NAID 44266170, 44-PF-65m).
Text on the object
This pilot is taxying on a straight course with very restricted visibility. Meanwhile with similarly restricted look-out a lorry driver also decides on a manoeuvre and the enemy has a free gift. Moral - always taxi on a zig-zag course and you will see all that there is to be seen. TAXYING - The necessity for good look-out Official use only Air Diagram 1348 11/40 [signature:] Leslie Carr
