Guinness planned to advertise in Nazi Germany with posters featuring Zeppelins and Swastika flags



Campaign drawn up by company in 1936 - the year of the Berlin Olympics

Pictures featured Berlin stadium with Swastika flags and a Nazi soldier

Guinness' London office vetoed the plans, but Irish office asked for posters



The artwork, which is now thought to be worth £1.2million, was never used

These days, it’s known as the quintessential Irish drink and is a firm favourite in British pubs. But Guinness almost faced a very different fate – as the tipple of choice for Nazi Germany.



These draft posters, found by former brewer David Hughes and dating back to 1936, reveal the firm’s planned advertising campaign for the Third Reich.



Drawn by John Gilroy, who produced most of the company's classic advertising, the collection was produced in 1936, the same year as the Berlin Olympics.

One picture features a Wehrmacht soldier holding a pint with the caption, 'It's time for a Guinness' The images, which were never used, include a smiling German soldier holding a pint of stout with the slogan ‘It is time – for a Guinness’. One picture features a Wehrmacht soldier holding a pint with the caption, 'It's time for a Guinness', while another features toucans with beer glasses balanced on their beaks flying above the Olympic stadium which is draped in Swastika flags. The paintings are all originals, made using oil on canvas, and would have been used to mass-produce poster copies, but were never actually used.

The images, which are now thought to be worth £1.2million, feature in a new book, Gilroy Was Good For Guinness, written by former Guinness brewer David Hughes. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next Daughter of former owner of a painting stolen by Nazis is... Nazis slaughtered my brother and sister with a guillotine:... Share this article Share In the book is a memo from executives at the drink maker to SH Benson, their longtime advertising partner, which shows that the Irish and London offices did not agree on the campaign.

It says: 'Dear John. Another hot potato, I'm afraid. This one comes from St James's Gate [Guinness's Dublin headquarters], who are busy wooing an importer in Berlin. The paintings are all originals, made using oil on canvas, and would have been used to mass-produce poster copies, but were never actually used Guinness drew up advertising posters in 1936 designed for Nazi Germany but they were never used

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Hughes said he believes it is unlikely that Guinness, SH Benson and Gilroy were aware of the true horrors of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.



He said: 'In 1936, people were a bit naïve about Nazi symbolism and what it came to mean.

