America’s war industry before the war
In this modern map, the dimensions of each state are determined by their significance in the production process. The symbols’ sizes correspond to the scale of factories. This method of visualisation is groundbreaking, and for reference, Edes Harrison has included a “plain” map that displays all the establishment sites. It’s apparent that America’s war industry was already thriving even prior to the war.
R. Edes Harrison, U.S. Air Industry, the Present (Jan. 1941) and the Planned Future, New York 1941, in: Fortune XXIII, 3. Coll. S/T W.7x.253, 36 x 58 cm.
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1. Abyssinia
Ethiopia: beginning of fascist imperialism Mussolini’s fascist regime seizes power in Italy in 1922, marking the start of an anti-democratic wave. This regime aimed to resurrect the concept of the Mare Nostrum, envisioning the Mediterranean Sea as an inland sea of a new Roman empire, as depicted in the second card. To prevent conflicts with…
2. SAAR 1
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3. Where fascism rules
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4. North China incident
Japan’s war of conquest in China This map illustrates the Japanese advance during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937), referred to euphemistically as the “North China Incident” in Japan. However, the map is focused more on conveying the (unfounded) concerns of potential Soviet intervention in the conflict and possible air attacks on Japanese islands (indicated by…
5a,b. New black Plague
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6. Unserm Führer
The ‘betrayal’ of Munich cashed in The “Anschluss” of Austria, which led to the region being referred to as the province of Ostmark within a newly expanded Großdeutschland, garnered significant approval from a majority of the population. Following this event, the “Führer” wastes no time – with the agreement of the British and French –…
7a,b. Topographische Kaart
The Dutch ‘officer’s briefcase‘ During the mobilisation of 1939, every Dutch officer was issued a case of maps covering the entire Netherlands at a scale of 1:50,000, with 1 cm on the map representing 500 m in the field. This scale was chosen because it allowed for all the necessary spatial details to be represented….
8. Central Europe
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9. Compass of Rotterdam
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10a,b,c,d. Der Siegeszug
Flash war waltzes over Western Europe The divisions detailed on this map signify the rapid conquest of not only the Netherlands but also Luxembourg and Belgium. France is also depicted as facing a swift defeat. According to German propaganda, this march is highlighted in Map 10d, with an emphasis on the cooperation between infantry, tanks,…
11. Camps de Prisonniers
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12. Die Große Englandkarte
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13. Stadtplan Exeter
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15. Infanterie-Division
Cheerful ‘Rollbahn’ to Moscow In January 1942, the Wehrmacht propaganda department authorises publication of this map and an accompanying book of photographs. The map has a cinematic, fresh, and cheerful appearance, but the consequences of the war on show are gruesome. During Operation Barbarossa, the Ulmer division advances to invade the Soviet Union, part of…
16. Stadtplan von Kiew
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17. Stalingrad
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18. European Soviet Union
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19a,b. North Africa
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20. Zone of Destruction
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21. Hansestadt Hamburg
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22. Omaha Beach
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23. 79th Division
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24. NEWSMAP
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25. Plan de la ville de Huy
The price of rapid advance: Huy devastated On August 18, allied forces launched an aerial bombardment targeting the Meuse River bridges in Belgium. The bombing mission involved “flying fortresses” dropping bombs on multiple locations, including Huy, which is situated south of Liège. Unfortunately, most of the bombs do not hit the intended targets (except for…
26. Canadian Infantry
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27. East meets West
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28. Берлин (Berlin)
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29a,b. Camps in Bandung
Endless internment in Bandung Shortly after the Allied capitulation in March 1942, Japan interned all Europeans in Indonesia. Men, women with small children, and teenage boys, were all placed in separate camps. Notably, the men’s camp, the boys’ camp, and the women’s camp were situated in close proximity to each other. The internment camps were…
30a,b. AAF Cloth Chart
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31. Bomb Damage Nagasaki
Second atomic bomb destroys Nagasaki This sober report analyses the effect of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (6 and 9 August 1945) compared to ‘ordinary’ bombings of other Japanese cities. ‘Nagasaki’ was less effective than ‘Hiroshima’ due to the hilly terrain, but the overall effect turned out to be greater, owing to the…
