A flight-deck officer in a white jersey marked FLY swings a checkered flag. Around him the deck crew, in coloured jerseys and close-fitting helmets, crouch and run as a fighter’s propeller whirls into a ring of colour a few feet away. Behind them the carrier’s island rises in steel grey, with officers lining its galleries and a pair of heavy guns pointing at a bronze sky. Under the picture, in white and bright red: Your Navy, First Line of Attack. And at the foot: Navy Day Oct. 27th.
What the poster shows
The small caption under the painting reads “Scene on flight deck of modern U.S. Navy aircraft carrier.” The aircraft is a Grumman F4F Wildcat, number 14, the fighter that carried the Navy through 1942, from Coral Sea and Midway to Guadalcanal. Falter catches the launch at the moment of noise and motion: the flag raised, the crew bent low against the propeller wash, the pilot waiting for the signal.
The twin gun turret beside the island is a telling detail. America’s two biggest carriers in 1942, Lexington and Saratoga, had been built on battlecruiser hulls and carried 8-inch guns in turrets fore and aft of the island. Falter’s scene recalls that layout, though it is a painting rather than a portrait of a particular ship.
The lower half is pure poster design. A painted V for victory clips the corner of the picture, the word ATTACK fills the width in red, and a line of warships, a carrier and aircraft in silhouette runs above the navy-blue Navy Day band.
Navy Day, 27 October
Navy Day was started by the Navy League of the United States in 1922. The date, 27 October, was Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday; Roosevelt had been Assistant Secretary of the Navy and was the Navy’s great champion. Each year it brought ship visits, parades and speeches, and in wartime it became a chance to rally the public and draw recruits.
This poster was issued by the Navy Recruiting Bureau for Navy Day 1942, the first since Pearl Harbor. The code printed on the original, NRB-33686-9-28-42, dates it to 28 September 1942, and library records give its full size as about 28 by 42 inches. Navy Day was last held in 1949; after that the services were honored together on Armed Forces Day.
John Falter
John Philip Falter was born in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, in 1910 and studied art in Kansas City and New York before building a career as a magazine illustrator. During the Second World War he served in the U.S. Naval Reserve, which is why he signed this poster “John Falter USNR”, and painted more than 300 recruiting and morale posters for the Navy.
From 1943 he became one of the best-known cover artists of the Saturday Evening Post, painting well over a hundred covers of small-town American life. He was elected to the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1976 and died in Philadelphia in 1982.
The restored edition
Our edition was restored from an original 1942 print: the paper and colours cleaned, and creases, stains and wear removed, with the lettering, the flight-deck caption and Falter’s signature kept. We don’t have a usable scan of this print before restoration, so there is no before and after comparison.
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 painted Your Navy, First Line of Attack?
John Falter (1910 to 1982), the Nebraska-born illustrator. He signed it “John Falter USNR”, marking his service in the U.S. Naval Reserve, for which he painted more than 300 posters during the Second World War.
When was the poster issued?
It was issued by the Navy Recruiting Bureau in September 1942 for Navy Day on 27 October 1942. The code printed on the original, NRB-33686-9-28-42, carries the date 28 September 1942.
What was Navy Day?
An annual celebration of the U.S. Navy started by the Navy League in 1922. It was held on 27 October, Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday, and was last observed in 1949, after which the services were honored together on Armed Forces Day.
What aircraft is shown?
A Grumman F4F Wildcat, the Navy’s main carrier fighter in 1942, with its propeller spinning as the deck crew run clear.
Why is there a big gun turret on an aircraft carrier?
The Navy’s two largest carriers of the time, Lexington and Saratoga, were built on battlecruiser hulls and carried twin 8-inch gun turrets beside their islands. The turret in Falter’s painting recalls that layout.
How big is the restored print?
Our restored edition is available as a paper print up to 23.4 x 33.1 inches, or framed up to 23 x 33 inches, printed to order in the USA.
Historical sources
- State Archives of North Carolina: Your Navy, First Line of Attack (1942)
- UNT Libraries, Monthly Catalog: Posters. Your Navy, 1st line of attack, Navy Day, Oct. 27th
- Naval History and Heritage Command: NH 76341-KN Navy Day poster, October 27, 1942
- Armed Forces Day: Navy Day history
- Nebraska Studies: John Falter, Painting for Victory