Save Timber! ... And Hammer the Hun!
A wooden-framed chart pairs one standard of timber (165 cu. ft.) with illustrated equivalents in cargo space: petrol for a Stirling bomber, bombs for a Flying Fortress, rations for a company of soldiers, a Spitfire squadron's ammunition, explosive to sink the Tirpitz, petrol for a Churchill tank. The closing slogan 'And Hammer the Hun!' labels the enemy with a period derogatory nickname (name-calling).
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Timber Control Department, Ministry of Supply (poster no. 51); printed by Lowe & Brydone Printers Ltd, London
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, War and the military
- 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)
Timber Control Department, Ministry of Supply; printer Lowe & Brydone Printers Ltd. UK government poster, c. 1939-1945. US National Archives (NAID 44267029, 44-PF-381).
Text on the object
SAVE TIMBER! EVERY STANDARD OF TIMBER SAVED FROM CONSUMPTION OR SALVAGED FOR RE-USE FREES SHIPPING SPACE FOR MUNITIONS OF WAR FOR THE SECOND FRONT ONE STANDARD (165 cu. ft.) OCCUPIES THE SAME CARGO SPACE AS: ENOUGH PETROL TO FLY A STIRLING TO COLOGNE AND BACK ENOUGH BOMBS TO LOAD A FLYING FORTRESS ENOUGH VICTUALS TO FEED A COMPANY of SOLDIERS FOR A FORTNIGHT ENOUGH AMMUNITION TO ARM A SQUADRON of SPITFIRES ENOUGH EXPLOSIVE TO SINK THE TIRPITZ ENOUGH PETROL TO KEEP A CHURCHILL IN ACTION FOR A MONTH AND HAMMER THE HUN! ISSUED BY TIMBER CONTROL DEPARTMENT, MINISTRY OF SUPPLY. NO. 51 PRINTED IN ENGLAND BY LOWE & BRYDONE PRINTERS LTD., LONDON, N.W.10. 51-2946
