1941 Coast Survey WWII Two-Sheet Aviation Map of the Philippines

This is a rare c. 1941 Philippine Bureau of Coast and Geodetic Survey World War II aeronautical chart or aviation map of Luzon and the northern Visayas. When it was issued, this map was top-secret information, critical to the U.S. defense of the Philippines. The word 'Restricted' appears in bold red lettering at bottom of the upper sheet. The first (northern), measuring 47.5 x 23.25 inches, sheet covers Luzon from the Batan Islands south to Corregidor Island and Manila Bay. The second sheet (southern), measuring 33.5 x 45.5 inches, covers southern Luzon from Manila Bay to Leyte, northern Cebu, Negros, and the Cuyo Islands.

Coding on the Map

Red block letters distinguish between civilian and military airfields. Seaplane anchorages are identified and differentiated by usable seasons. Bold red lines encircle restricted airspace around Corregidor and the Bataan Peninsula to north Subic Bay.

The Japanese Strategy in the Philippines

The capture and control of the Philippines was vital to the success of Japanese plans to dominate the Pacific. Not only was the archipelago rich in natural resources, including rubber, oil, mineral resources, and wood, it was also centrally located and well-positioned for expansion into the East Indies. Moreover, wresting control of the Philippines from the United States would effectively undermine the American ability to wage war in the region. The Japanese invasion of the Philippines commenced on December 8, 1941, one day after the December 7th, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. While Japanese forces advanced quickly through the archipelago, like the Spanish before them, they promptly discovered that the hundreds of islands and limited infrastructure made the Philippines almost impossible to fully control. Nonetheless, the Japanese maintained a tenuous control of most of the Philippine Islands until 1944, when the U.S. led Allied Forces began an aggressive and bloody campaign to retake the islands. Allied forces successfully drove the Japanese out of the Philippines in 1945.

Dating the Map and Intriguing Imprints

Our date of c. 1941 comes from an OCLC reference linked to the University of Kansas. Both sheets state they were 'compiled and printed by the Bureau of Coast and Geodetic Survey in Manila' and bear the seal of the 'Department of National Defense of the Commonwealth of the Philippines'. Both sheets also read, 'special printing at Wash. D.C.', suggesting the maps were printed after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and invasion of the Philippines (December 1941), suggesting a print date early in 1942. BUT, it may have been issued earlier. Given the tense situation in the Pacific even before Pearl Harbor, the charts may have been prepared in anticipation of action around the Philippines.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by the Philippine Bureau of Coast and Geodetic Survey c. 1941 and printed in Washington, D.C. An example of a chart bearing the same name appears in OCLC as part of the collection at the University of Kansas. Rare.