“Attack Attack Attack – Buy War Bonds” is one of the most forceful American war bond posters of World War II. Painted by Ferdinand Warren and issued by the U.S. Treasury Department in 1942, it turned a savings appeal into a battle cry: the money Americans put into war bonds at home would carry soldiers, tanks and bombers into the attack overseas.
What the poster shows
Two infantrymen in M1 helmets charge toward the viewer with rifles and fixed bayonets. Below them a machine gunner lies in the grass, firing to cover the advance, while more soldiers and tanks come ashore from the beach behind. Across a yellow, smoke-filled sky, formations of bombers and fighters fly toward the enemy. The word ATTACK is repeated three times across the top, and a solid black band at the bottom carries the only instruction the viewer needs: BUY WAR BONDS.
The composition reads from top to bottom like a combined-arms assault, with air, armour and infantry moving together. That was deliberate. In 1942 the United States was going on the offensive, and the Treasury wanted every buyer to feel they were part of it.
Ferdinand Warren, the artist
Ferdinand Earl Warren (1899 to 1981) was born in Independence, Missouri, and built his career as a painter and illustrator in New York before moving to Georgia. During World War II he produced war bond posters for the government, bringing a painter’s sense of movement and colour to propaganda. After the war he became Artist in Residence at the University of Georgia and then chaired the Department of Art at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, from 1952 to 1969. He was a member of the National Academy of Design and the American Watercolor Society.
How World War II war bonds worked
The first Series E bond was sold on May 1, 1941, when Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau sold one to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Marketed at first as defense savings bonds, they became known as war bonds after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Series E bonds were sold at 75 percent of face value, so $18.75 bought a $25 bond that could be redeemed in full after ten years. Children could save toward a bond by buying ten-cent war stamps.
The results were enormous. About 85 million Americans bought war bonds, raising $185.7 billion. Eight national War Loan drives between 1942 and 1945 alone brought in $156.4 billion. Posters like this one, printed by the Government Printing Office and hung in post offices, banks, factories and schools, were at the front of every drive.
Why the image still works
Many bond posters of the period relied on patriotic symbols or sentiment. Warren’s poster uses pure momentum: diagonal lines, bayonets and aircraft all point in the same direction, and the three-word headline acts like a drumbeat. It is the kind of image that stopped people in the street in 1942, and it is why the poster remains one of the most sought-after World War II home-front designs among collectors today.
The restored edition
Our edition was restored from an archival scan of an original 1942 print. The before and after comparison below shows the difference: yellowed paper, fading, stains and creases were repaired and the colours brought back, while Warren’s brushwork and the original lettering were kept intact.
The restored poster is available as a paper print in three sizes or framed in black, white or natural wood, printed to order in the USA.
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the Attack Attack Attack Buy War Bonds poster?
The poster was painted by American artist Ferdinand Warren (1899 to 1981) and issued by the U.S. Treasury Department in 1942. It was printed by the U.S. Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.
When was the Buy War Bonds Attack poster made?
It was published in 1942, the first full year of American involvement in World War II, as the Treasury pushed bond sales to pay for the offensive.
How did World War II war bonds work?
Series E war bonds were sold at 75 percent of their face value. A buyer paid $18.75 for a $25 bond and could redeem it for the full $25 after ten years.
How much money did war bonds raise in World War II?
War bond sales raised about $185.7 billion from roughly 85 million Americans, with $156.4 billion of that coming from eight national War Loan drives between 1942 and 1945.
How big was the original poster?
Original copies measure about 28 x 22 inches. Our restored edition is available as a paper print up to 23.4 x 33.1 inches and as a framed print up to 23 x 33 inches.