Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
British Fighters Sweep Hourly Across Occupied France, Cheered by French Peasants, 1939 UK poster: Spitfire-type fighters

British Fighters Sweep Hourly Across Occupied France, Cheered by French Peasants

Spitfire-type fighters cross a coast above a burning train, while a woman in a headscarf and a man wave from a wall in the foreground; the caption says French peasants cheer hourly sweeps. The tell for card-stacking is the single scene of welcome and success with no losses or other French reactions; the 'cheered' claim is carried by the image alone.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Card stackingGlittering generalities
Date
1939
Period
Second World War
Made by
Not stated; imprint reads 'Printed in England'; artist initials RD (NARA: Roland Davies)
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
Theme
War and the military
Event
World War II
Regime
Churchill wartime government
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; UK origin, printed 1939-1945; hosted by owner decision
Issuer not stated; artist initials RD (NARA: Roland Davies). National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-120.

Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

British fighters sweep hourly
across occupied France,
cheered by French peasants

[imprint:] RD  Printed in England

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