British Aircraft Designers Keep the Lead
A pictorial chart compares the Wellington ('Best in 1939 - still going strong') and the Lancaster ('World's best heavy bomber to-day') by crew, speed, bomb load and fuel, using figure, bomb and fuel-lorry icons. The tell for card-stacking is the comparison of two British types only, with 'world's best' asserted and no other nation's aircraft or losses shown.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1942
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Printed by Fosh & Cross Ltd.; no sponsoring body named
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Foreign public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Themes
- War and the military, Science and technology
- Event
- World War II
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Source
- Unidentified Source blurred: contractors, cutouts, buried disclosure
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Foreign Posters, retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Held by NARA, Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
Printed by Fosh & Cross Ltd., National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-117.
Text on the object
British Aircraft Designers keep the lead TWO FAMOUS BOMBERS WELLINGTON Best in 1939—still going strong LANCASTER World's best heavy bomber to-day AIR CREW MAXIMUM SPEED APPROX. 265 miles per hour APPROX. 300 miles per hour WELLINGTON Span—86 ft. 2 in. Length—61 ft. 3 in. LANCASTER Span—102 ft. 0 in. Length—69 ft. 6 in. MAXIMUM FUEL CAPACITY AND ENGINE POWER. The great Wellington Bomber with two Rolls Royce Merlin engines has a fuel capacity of 1000 gallons. The latest Lancaster has four Rolls Royce engines of newer design and over double the fuel capacity of the Wellington. The great Lancaster can be sent from London to Warsaw and back in a single flight. BOMB LOAD W 2 TONS BOMB LOAD L 8 TONS G.P.G. AU. 12 (F.1448). Wt.40914. 376. 12/42. Gp. 961. FOSH & CROSS LTD.
