They Cheer - When You Forget Your Maps

In this comical yet cautionary WWII-era poster, a pilot dressed in a khaki desert uniform stands bewildered, surrounded by snow and ice — clearly in the wrong climate. His plane, marked “Desert Patrol,” sits frosted over in the background, icicles hanging from the wings and tail. His hat is dusted in snow, and he clutches a round desert fan — a symbol of just how unprepared he is for the arctic conditions he’s mistakenly landed in. A surprised penguin stares up at him, matching his confusion. From behind an igloo, Axis leaders Hitler, Tojo, and Mussolini peer out gleefully, cheering on the navigational blunder. This scene is part of the “They Cheer” series — a set of 16 original WWII safety posters created by the Directorate of Air Traffic and Safety and the Directorate of Safety Education to educate newly trained U.S. military pilots. Each poster dramatizes a flight error through comic exaggeration and enemy mockery. Here, the pilot’s failure to consult his maps has turned a routine a