It's a long journey to Rome (1944)

This poster, created by Germans and French in April 1944, shows a map of Italy following the invasion launched by the Americans and British in 1943.

After landing in Salerno in September 1943, Allied troops had considerable difficulty advancing. This map questions the Allies' ability to advance, comparing their speed to that of a snail. The illustration on the left even claims that a snail would have travelled 320 kilometres in the same time that the Allied army had managed to advance only 180 kilometres.

This map was part of Nazi propaganda aimed at discouraging Allied troops deployed in Italy, thereby preventing them from advancing and creating another problem for the Nazi German army on the front. The strategy also included radio programmes featuring American women who played on homesickness by talking about everything the soldiers were missing by being far from their country and their families.

Another map used in this same context was the well-known pamphlet Speaking of plans.

Sources

• It's a Long Way to Rome