!['Skjut omedelbart!' [Shoot at Once!], 1942 US poster: A photograph taken along the deck of a US battleship shows its forward](../images/us-owi-american-battleship-north-carolina-swedish-1942.jpg)
'Skjut omedelbart!' [Shoot at Once!] (American Battleship North Carolina [Swedish])
A photograph taken along the deck of a US battleship shows its forward guns firing in a cloud of smoke, above a Swedish quotation attributed to President Roosevelt, a US flag and his portrait, inside a blue border of stars. The quotation credited to the president backs the policy (testimonial), the flag and stars add national weight (transfer), and the text gives only US ship counts and claims of superiority (card-stacking).
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1942
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Office of War Information (OWI), U.S. Government (attributed from the NARA RG 44 series; no issuer imprint printed on the sheet)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Foreign public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Theme
- War and the military
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- 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 (U.S. government work, NARA RG 44 OWI series)
Office of War Information, 1942-1945. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44 (NAID 44268437, 44-PF-R-4j).
Text on the object
"SKJUT OMEDELBART!" ... PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT. Världens tyngst beväpnade och bäst skyddade slagskepp är det nya "North Carolina," vilket tillsammans med andra skepp i samma klass står berett att åtlyda President Roosevelts order att omedelbart beskjuta havets pirater så snart de komma inom synhåll och hålla haven fria. Fyra andra jätteslagskepp ha sjösatts, vilka äro de första i en grupp av sjutton nya krigsfartyg. Det totala antalet i denna grupp är trettiotvå, vilket är dubbelt så många fartyg som någon annan nation har i världen i den gruppen. Amerika har för närvarande en flotta på 343 krigsfartyg och 345 äro under byggnad. PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
"FIRE AT ONCE!" ... PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT. The world's most heavily armed and best protected battleship is the new "North Carolina," which together with other ships of the same class stands ready to obey President Roosevelt's order to fire at once on the pirates of the sea as soon as they come within sight, and to keep the seas free. Four other giant battleships have been launched, which are the first in a group of seventeen new warships. The total number in this group is thirty-two, which is twice as many ships as any other nation in the world has in that group. America at present has a fleet of 343 warships and 345 are under construction. PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
