Shoulder to Shoulder
A tight formation of seven twin-engined bombers fires tracer at fighters, one of which falls burning, with the caption that a closely packed formation 'can produce a concentration of fire which the enemy will hesitate to face'. This is an instructional air diagram; the tell for the technique is the unquantified virtue claim in the caption, with the drawing showing only the favourable outcome.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1940
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Air Ministry Air Diagram 1294 (training sheet); drawing signed Max Millar
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Own forces
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Theme
- 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
- UK Crown copyright, 1939-1945, expired; hosted by owner decision
Air Ministry Air Diagram 1294; drawing signed Max Millar. National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-65l.
Text on the object
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER A closely packed Formation, well disposed tactically, can produce a concentration of fire which the enemy will hesitate to face. AIR DIAGRAM No. 1294-2/40
