The two-page newspaper advert - produced by Saatchi and Saatchi - features a soldier with the words, "In today's Army blacks and Asians get called all sorts of things", superimposed onto his face in the form of a Hitler-style moustache.

The second picture shows the same soldier saluting next to the words, "Lieutenant, captain, major, colonel".

The advert follows research that shows that up to 70% of the UK's black and Asian communities are not aware that they can join the Army as officers.

An ongoing campaign: Last year's poster

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "It is part of an ongoing campaign about changing perceptions.

"Perceptions will often prevent people from even considering a course of action, like starting a career as an Army officer."

The MoD has rejected suggestions that the allusion to Hitler might cause offence.

"Hitler epitomises the worst form of racism, as typified by the Final Solution," said the spokesman.

"We wanted to communicate that the Army has zero tolerance of racism. We needed to capture the attention and be thought provoking.

"If people are offended, they are clearly missing the message."

5% target

The spokesman denied that the campaign gave a conflicting message because Hitler is more usually associated with anti-Semitism.

It is aimed at "all ethnic minorities" despite the specification of "black and Asian" within the advert itself, he said.

The campaign, which targets university graduates, is intended to convey that there is "ample opportunity" for ethnic recruits to "get ahead" in the Army.

Just 1% of the armed forces is made up of individuals from ethnic minorities, who constitute about 7% to 8% of the UK's population.

The target is 5% by 2002, in line with the proportion currently working within the Civil Service.

The Army has been striving in recent years to put allegations of "corporate racism" behind it, after a series of allegations of bullying from ethnic minority soldiers.

'Genuine equality'

Chief of the General Staff Sir Roger Wheeler defended the military's attempts to clean up its image by describing racists within the ranks as "part of the problem, not part of the solution".

"We are determined to provide genuine equality of opportunity for everyone irrespective of their sex, marital status, race, ethnic origin, colour or religious belief.

"Army policy is crystal clear - discrimination, harassment and bullying will not be tolerated," he said.

In 1997 the Army produced a poster designed to recruit from black and Asian communities for its non-commissioned ranks.

It depicted a black officer above the phrase "Your country needs you", in a parody of a famous World War I poster of Lord Kitchener.