| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ARTV02302 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Sheet: 76.2 x 50.8 cm |
| Object type | Poster |
| Physical description | lithograph on paper |
| Maker |
Turner, Charles Edward H.M. Stationery Office Chromoworks Ltd |
| Place made | United Kingdom: England, Greater London, London |
| Date made | 1939-1945 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Back them up!: A raid by "Hudsons" of the Coastal Command on German shipping at Aalesund, Norway, in which eleven ships were hit
Description
Reconnaissance on the morning of 29 October 1941 informed Allied air forces of a large concentration of German shipping assembling in the harbour of Alesund (here 'Aalesund'), Norway. On the following night, a group of Lockheed Hudsons took off from the north of Scotland and bombed the German shipping in the harbour and nearby fjords. In total 11 ships were hit, with several sinking. This poster, with artwork by Charles Turner depicts this raid, showing a Hudson almost in profile, descending and banking to its right, where it appears to be beginning in the same pathway as two other visible silhouettes of Hudsons. Behind it is a fourth. In the lower background, the harbour is ablaze, with the landscape of the scene extending out to water and snow-capped mountains.
This poster was one of a series in the same format that depicted different achievements, notable events, or activities of interest by the different branches of the armed forces. These posters aimed to increase home front support for the war, increase knowledge of the roles that different Allied nations were playing, and to boost morale.
At the bottom of the poster, beneath the image, is the title 'BACK THEM UP!' This series was also published under the alternate title "INTO ACTION".