1941 British Propaganda Map of Allied Air Attacks on Germany

This is a 1941 British propaganda broadside of Germany illustrating the Allied air offensive. Designed by His Majesty's Stationery Office, the red bombs highlighted targeted areas - a message to the British people then enduring the Blitz that the RAF could give as well as it got.

A Closer Look

This broadside was published at the height of the Blitz (September 7, 1940 - May 11, 1941), Germany's intense bombing campaign of the United Kingdom. Pictorial icons mark munitions works, aerodromes, railways, and other important targets. An inset of the Ruhr, an important industrial region, occupies the lower right and highlights the Allied attacks.

The Blitz and This Map

Cities throughout the U.K. suffered at the hands of the Luftwaffe, including London, which endured seventy-one raids and over 18,000 tons of bombs. Over two million houses were damaged or destroyed throughout Britain, with sixty percent of those in London. The Royal Air Force, of course, responded in kind. However, even with the number of raids carried out by the Royal Air Force against targets in Germany (proclaimed here by the red numbers next to a city's name), very little strategic damage was done. The Royal Air Force simply did not have enough aircraft to make much of an impact. The lack of aircraft was compounded by the fact that many bombers at that time were light or medium bombers too slow to defend against the Luftwaffe (German Air Force).

Publication History and Census

This map was designed and published by His Majesty's Stationery Office in 1941 and printed by J. Weiner Ltd. in London. We note seven examples cataloged in OCLC : Yale University, the Osher Map Library and the University of Southern Maine, the University of Michigan, the University of Florida, the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, the University of California Berkeley, and the University of California Norther Regional Library Facility. We also note cataloged examples at the Library of Congress, the National Museum of American History, and Persuasive Maps: the PJ Mode Collection at Cornell University. We have seen editions of this map in French and Portuguese as well. Rare on the private market.