They Cheer - When You Try Foolhardy Stunts

In this WWII-era aviation safety poster, an overly confident pilot charges through a hazardous maneuver, clutching the fuselage of his speeding aircraft as he careens in a reckless ascent. His eyes are wide open in alarm — a sudden realization that bravado is no substitute for discipline. In the background, caricatured Axis leaders—Adolf Hitler, Hideki Tojo, and Benito Mussolini—gleefully cheer his mistake from the sidelines. This striking image is part of the “They Cheer” series, issued by the U.S. Directorate of Air Traffic and Safety in collaboration with the Directorate of Safety Education during the height of World War II. These posters were designed to train and warn young, inexperienced military pilots against preventable accidents. The message is sharp: every careless act that grounded an Allied plane gave the enemy something to celebrate. The use of comic exaggeration and irony was intentional—by turning Axis leaders into mock spectators of American error, the campaign transfo