Illustrated by American painter Weimer Pursell, “When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Hitler” was a 1943 poster urging the public to conserve gasoline and tire rubber during World War II. The distinctive image – a man driving a top-down convertible with an outline of Adolf Hitler in the passenger seat – has been parodied several times over the years.
U.S. Government Printing Office
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World War II spawned some of the most successful conservation and recycling efforts in U.S. history. Gasoline and many foods were rationed. Scrap metal and kitchen waste fats were diverted to wartime industries in full swing stateside to support the vast military effort overseas. To ramp up public participation, the government produced a series of less-than-subtle posters, calling for patriotism and self-sacrifice to defeat the enemy and win the war.
Watch the Oregon Experience documentary "Oregon at War" to learn how people in the military and on the home front recall World War II.
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This series is in partnership with The Oregon Historical Society