--- title: '"Never in the Field of Human Conflict Was So Much Owed by So Many to So Few"' url: https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/uk-never-in-the-field-of-human-conflict-battle-of-britain-1939/ description: Four photographs of a Spitfire, a camera-gun hit on a German aircraft, a falling German plane and pilots running to their machines surround a large close section: Collection --- 1. [Home](https://propagandaarchive.org/) 2. [Collection](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/) 3. "Never in the Field of Human Conflict Was So Much Owed by So Many [!["Never in the Field of Human Conflict Was So Much Owed by So Many to So Few", 1939 UK poster: Four photographs of a Spitfire](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/uk-never-in-the-field-of-human-conflict-battle-of-britain-1939.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/uk-never-in-the-field-of-human-conflict-battle-of-britain-1939.jpg) # "Never in the Field of Human Conflict Was So Much Owed by So Many to So Few" Four photographs of a Spitfire, a camera-gun hit on a German aircraft, a falling German plane and pilots running to their machines surround a large close portrait of a smiling RAF pilot, under Churchill's quoted sentence. The tell is the attribution of the praise to the Prime Minister (testimonial) and the attachment of the airman's portrait and the quotation to the national war effort (transfer); the text's claims, such as that British fighters 'invariably did terrible execution', are given without figures. ## Propaganda techniques used in this poster [Testimonial](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/testimonial/) [Transfer](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/transfer/) ## Text on the object Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked ``` "NEVER IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN CONFLICT WAS SO MUCH OWED BY SO MANY TO SO FEW" IN THESE WORDS, Prime Minister Winston Churchill summed up the achievements of British fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain. They maintained a spirit of aggressive courage when fighting against any odds. On one occasion, a British fighter alone attacked twelve German fighters and shot down three of them before breaking off the engagement. On another, a single "Hurricane" broke up a large formation of German bombers and fighters. On the few occasions when equal forces met, the British fighters invariably did terrible execution. [photo captions:] A "Spitfire" fighter, terror of the Germans during the Battle of Britain. | Photograph taken by the camera-gun of a "Spitfire" as its bullets strike home on a German plane. | A German plane, its starboard engine on fire, plunges to destruction. | Raiders over! R.A.F. pilots dash to their machines. On right, a British fighter pilot. [emblem:] THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AUGUST-OCTOBER 1940 (1940 1942) ``` [← National Savings Strengthen Every Fighting Front. Save through the Post Office Savings Bank](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/uk-national-savings-strengthen-every-fighting-front-1939/) [Never Scrape or Bump the Kerb →](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/uk-never-scrape-or-bump-the-kerb-1939/) ## More propaganda examples that use the same techniques - [Behistun (Bisotun) rock relief and trilingual inscription of Darius I: the king, two attendants and the bound rebel leaders beneath the winged figure of Ahuramazda](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/behistun-relief-darius-and-rebels-521bce/) (Achaemenid Empire · 0000 · Card stacking, Name-calling, Testimonial). Content note: Shows bound captives before the king, and the inscription records the mutilation and public execution of rebel leaders, as the king's own account. - [Tomb of Darius I at Naqsh-e Rustam: the king in relief beside his inscription DNa, c. 490 BCE](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/dna-inscription-darius-i-naqsh-e-rustam-490bce/) (Achaemenid Empire · 0000 · Testimonial, Card stacking) - [Seated limestone statue of Hatshepsut as king, with feminine royal titles on the throne, reassembled from fragments broken up at Deir el-Bahri](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/hatshepsut-seated-statue-limestone-met-1458bce/) (New Kingdom Egypt · 0000 · Transfer, Testimonial) - [Bronze sestertius of Gaius (Caligula), reverse S P Q R P P OB CIVES SERVATOS in an oak wreath](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/sestertius-caligula-ob-cives-servatos-0037/) (Roman Empire · 0037 · Testimonial, Transfer) - [Bronze sestertius of Trajan, reverse S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI, S C, the emperor on horseback riding down an enemy](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/sestertius-trajan-optimo-principi-0103/) (Roman Empire · 0103 · Testimonial, Glittering generalities) - [Seljuq gold dinar of Sanjar, dated 493 AH, with the Abbasid caliph named on one face](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/seljuq-gold-dinar-sanjar-caliph-name-1099/) (Great Seljuk Empire · 1099 · Testimonial) - [Estoire d'Eracles page with Bernard of Clairvaux preaching the Second Crusade in the initial (Walters W.137, fol. 180v)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/eracles-bernard-preaching-second-crusade-w137-1275/) (France · 1275 · Testimonial) - [Opening page of the Estoire d'Eracles (William of Tyre in French), with the Crucifixion and Pope Urban II preaching the First Crusade in the initial (Walters W.137, fol. 1r)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/eracles-urban-ii-preaching-first-crusade-w137-1275/) (France · 1275 · Testimonial, Transfer)