Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
H.M.S. "Nelson" Firing a Broadside With Her 16-Inch Guns, 1939 UK poster: A colour illustration shows the battleship H.M.S.

H.M.S. "Nelson" Firing a Broadside With Her 16-Inch Guns

A colour illustration shows the battleship H.M.S. Nelson firing a broadside, with a printed caption giving the gun calibre and number. The tell is limited: the Royal Navy ensign and the display of the ship's firepower borrow the prestige of the fleet for the message, and the caption states only equipment facts.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Transfer
Date
1939
Period
Second World War
Made by
Unattributed British wartime print; artist initials 'P.G.' (no imprint visible)
Region
Western and Central Europe
Country
United Kingdom
Medium
Poster
Issuer type
State
Regime
Churchill Government
Leader
Winston Churchill
Audience
Domestic public
Purpose
Reassure
Theme
War and the military
Event
World War II
Regime
Churchill wartime government
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
Held by NARA, Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision (no rights statement on the sheet; issuer not established)
Unattributed print, artist initials P.G. National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-218.

Text on the object

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

H.M.S. "Nelson" firing a broadside with her 16-inch guns.  This ship is armed with
nine of these great guns and many smaller ones.
[artist initials:] P.G.

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