US Army poster for public display of war news for May 1-8, 1945

Object | Accession Number: 2008.61.1

Overview

Brief Narrative: News poster arranged for display by Tina Gioffredi Battani in the ordnance plant in Ankeny, Iowa, where she worked during World War II. She changed the posters on a regular basis as they were issued weekly by the United States Army Information branch to explain and update the public on the status of the war in Europe and Asia. This 2-sided poster, issued May 14, 1945, depicted events from the week May 1-8. One side, titled: Victory in Europe, has an image of captured German soldiers and a map pointing out Japan with an explanation of the danger posed by the escalation of their military forces. The other side, titled: This is Why We Fight, has a large image of piled corpses from Ohrdruf, a subcamp of Dachau concentration camp, and the first Nazi camp liberated by US troops.
Artwork Title: Newsmap for the Armed Forces. 296th Week of the War, 178th week of U.S. Participation
Date: publication/distribution: 1945 May 14
commemoration: 1945 May 01-1945 May 08
Geography: issue: United States
use: ordnance factory; Ankeny (Iowa)
Credit Line: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Tina Gioffredi Battani
Markings: front, top : VICTORY IN EUROPE
front, left corner : NEWSMAP
front: Volume IV No. 4F / Prepared from public sources of information / U.S. Government Printing Office : 1944 - 591000
back: Volume IV No. 48
Contributor: Publisher: United States. Army

Language: English
Classification: Posters
Category: War propaganda
Object Type: Posters, American (lcsh)
Physical Description: Rectangular paper poster. Front: title across the top: VICTORY IN EUROPE; below, an image of a map of Europe overlays a photographic image of a group of men in military combat fatigues, marching with their hands raised over their heads. Beneath this image is a block of text in English describing current and projected Japanese troop levels, enclosed in an outline of an arrow that extends into the map on the right side. In the left corner and bottom border, text in English. On the right side of the poster is an image of a map of Japan and Japanese held areas with the point of the arrow next to text: TOKYO. Back: title at top: THIS IS WHY WE FIGHT.... Beneath this text, on the left side, is a photographic image of a pile of emaciated corpses, with a text caption below reporting the liberation of Ohrdruf concentration camp. The right third of the poster has a block of text in English over a photographic image of an emaciated male wearing only underwear, having his chest examined by a man in combat military fatigues; a 2nd man in fatigues sits beside him with a hand on his shoulder.
Dimensions: overall: Height: 34.500 inches (87.63 cm) | Width: 47.000 inches (119.38 cm)
Materials: overall : paper, ink

Topical Term: Concentration camp inmates--Germany--Ohrdruf--Posters. War posters, American. World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Maps. World War, 1939-1945--Posters--United States--Specimens.
Corporate Name: United States. Army

Legal Status: Permanent Collection
Provenance: The poster was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2008 by Tina Gioffredi Battani.