To the West! 1943

This is a Soviet wartime poster from 1943 by artist Viktor Semenovich Ivanov. The bold slogan at the bottom reads “To the West!” (“На Запад!”), and in the image a Soviet soldier is forcefully removing or tearing down a sign in German (reading “Nach Osten” meaning “To the East”) that the enemy had placed, often shown nailed to a birch tree. The scene shows fighter planes in the sky and troops moving forward in the background, implying the Soviet advance toward the west and liberation from invaders. The soldier’s stance is defiant, determined, representing resistance, turning of the tide, and reclaiming territory. It’s a patriotic poster meant to rally people during the Great Patriotic War.