WWII escape maps, with dated examples from 1943, 1944, and 1945. Printed on both sides. There is one European map, with Sheets F and G covering parts of Central and Southeastern Europe, including Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Hungary, and the Balkans. The others cover parts of China, Japan, Korea, the USSR, the Philippines, and the Japan and South China Seas.

Sometimes referred to as “silk” escape maps, these were most likely printed on rayon.

The New York Times from September 1939 or September 1944. These are originals, and you will receive the entire section, not simply the front page. The 1939 issues report on the invasion of Poland, the siege of Warsaw, and the debate over America’s arms embargo. The 1944 issues cover Allied advances through Europe, airborne landings in Holland, and fighting in the Pacific. Each carries a bold headline and detailed reporting from the time.

WWII Newsmaps dated 1943, 1944, and 1945, ranging in size from 17.5" x 23" to 35" x 46". Printed on both sides. Published weekly by the U.S. War Department, Newsmaps combined maps, photographs, and summaries of military action to keep readers informed about the war.

The available issues cover the Eastern Front, Allied advances into Germany, victory in Europe, and the fighting in China, Burma, Borneo, and Okinawa. Reverse sides feature additional maps and illustrated subjects, including the Army’s Signal Corps, reconnaissance aviation, military supply, and preparations for peace.

Box sets available:

Box Set 1 — Sold

• Newspaper: September 18, 1939. “Russians Drive 40 Miles into Poland, Defense Weak.”
• Newsmap: May 7, 1945. U.S.-Soviet Armies Join, with Japan from Siberia on the reverse. Measures 17.5" × 23".
• Escape map:Southeast China (No. 34), with Luzon Island (No. C-40) on the reverse. Dated 1944.

Box Set 2 — Sold

• Newspaper: September 19, 1939. “Soviet and Reich Forces Meet, Map Polish Partition.”
• Newsmap: July 31, 1944. The War Fronts, covering the Eastern Front, France, and other areas, with Europe as Viewed from the USSR on the reverse. Measures 35" × 46".
• Escape map: Keijo (NJ 52), with Vladivostok (NK 52) on the reverse. Dated 1943.

Box Set 3

• Newspaper: September 22, 1939. “Roosevelt Asks Congress to Repeal Arms Embargo.”
• Newsmap: April 30, 1945. Pattern of Destruction, with Services of Supply on the reverse. Measures 22" × 30".
• Escape map: Tokyo (NI 54), with Osaka (NI 53) on the reverse. Dated 1943.

Box Set 4 — Sold

• Newspaper: September 25, 1939. “Nazi Guns Razing Warsaw; Half of City Afire, 1,000 Die; British Expect Peace Drive.”
• Newsmap: June 14, 1943. The Eastern Front, with Small Fry on the reverse. Measures 17.5" × 23".
• Escape map: European Sheets F and G. Sheet F covers Croatia, Montenegro, Hungary, Slovakia, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. Sheet G covers Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Albania.

Box Set 5 — Sold

• Newspaper: September 30, 1939. “Britain and France Spurn Nazi-Soviet Peace.”
• Newsmap: November 22, 1943. The War Fronts, covering the Eastern Front, with The World: A Polar Projection on the reverse. Measures 35" × 46".
• Escape map: Sendai, with Kanazawa on the reverse. Dated 1943.

Box Set 6 — Sold

• Newspaper: September 3, 1944. “Americans Pour into Belgium.” Includes the News of the Week in Review supplement.
• Newsmap: April 9, 1945. Germany, with Research and Development on the reverse. Measures 17.5" × 23".
• Escape map: Otomari, with Vladimoro-Aleksandrovskoye on the reverse. Dated 1944.

Box Set 7 — Sold

• Newspaper: September 4, 1944. “Germans Flee as Allies Drive on Brussels.”
• Newsmap: March 19, 1945. Here Is Your India-Burma and China War, with Signal Corps: U.S. Army on the reverse.
• Escape map: Shen-Yang (Mukden), with Jehol on the reverse. Dated 1943.

Box Set 8

• Newspaper: September 5, 1944. “British Capture Brussels and Antwerp, Enter Holland.”
• Newsmap: July 2, 1945. Borneo, with “Now...if he will just save some money” on the reverse. Measures 17.5" × 23".
• Escape map: Buir Nor, with Tsitsihar (Lung-Chiang) on the reverse. Dated 1943.

Box Set 9 — Sold

• Newspaper: September 9, 1944. “Americans Win Liege, Are 20 Miles from Reich.”
• Newsmap: April 9, 1945. China: Southeast Coast, with Okinawa on the reverse. Measures 35" × 46".
• Escape map: Northeast China, with Southeast China on the reverse. Dated 1944.

Box Set 10 — Sold

• Newspaper: September 10, 1944. “Battles Raging in Front of the Siegfried Line.” Includes the News of the Week in Review supplement.
• Newsmap: June 4, 1945. Okinawa, with Reconnaissance Aviation on the reverse. Measures 17.5" × 23".
• Escape map: Northeast China, with Southeast China on the reverse. Dated 1944.

Box Set 11 — Sold

• Newspaper: September 17, 1944. “Roosevelt and Churchill Pledge Quick Shift of Forces to Crush ‘Barbarians of Pacific.’” Includes the News of the Week in Review supplement.
• Newsmap: April 23, 1945. Pacific War, with The Peoples of the World Will Decide on the reverse. Measures 22" × 30".
• Escape map: Pei-P’ing (Peking), with Ryojun on the reverse. Dated 1943.

Box Set 12 — Sold

• Newspaper: September 18, 1944. “Vast Allied Airborne Army Lands in Holland.”
• Newsmap: July 9, 1945. Allies Push Closer, with Size! on the reverse. Measures 17.5" × 23".
• Escape map: Japan and South China Seas, C52/53, USAAF. Dated 1945.

Box Set 13 — Sold

• Newspaper: September 20, 1944. “British Near Rhine in 37-Mile Sweep North.”
• Newsmap: April 30, 1945. Soviets Enter Berlin, Pacific Allies Gain, with Geared to Peace and Progress on the reverse. Measures 17.5" × 23".
• Escape map: Japan and South China Seas, C52/53, USAAF. Dated 1945.

Shipping: $15

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About the photos on the box

• On the top, victory and peace, including the signing ceremony above USS Missouri, newspapers and celebrations, and the parade in New York.
• When you open the top you see the outbreak of the war in Europe in September 1939, the bombing of Peal Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941, and the declaration of wart by the Axis powers against the United States.
• A photo of a church in London bombed during the blitz.
• Homefront poster and pin, Remember Pearl Harbor.
• The B-25B Mitchell bombers for Doolittle's raid aboard the aircraft carrier Hornet.
• The progression of the war in Europe, including Operation Torch, Operation Overlord (the invasion of Normandy), including the famous photo of Eisenhower talking with paratroopers before they board.
• Operation Market Garden, Battle of the Bulge.
• Across the front, the "United We Stand" image is a 10' banner. 
• When you lift up the front of the box you see soldiers wading ashore at Normandy.
• Photos of the production in shipyards and aircraft plants.
• Posters encouraging women to work in a war-related job or to join the service.
• Poster encouraging giving to the Red Cross.
• Son in service banner and another showing two in service and a third killed.
• One of the large cemeteries near normandy.
• On the bottom, a poster for volunteering to join the submariners.
• Men aboard a submarine, Marines in the jungles the Pacific islands.
• Patton, Bradley, and Montgomery together talking.
• Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin at Yalta.
• McArthur wading ashore.

And many more.