1944 NavWar Map No. 6 – We Fight a Global War
DESCRIPTION
NavWar Map no. 6 provides a complete world view, placing the Navy’s role into the broadest possible context. This sheet emphasizes the interconnectedness of all theaters of war, making clear to American servicemen that the conflict was not limited to Europe or the Pacific but was truly global in scale. Arrows radiating outward from the United States across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans dramatize the reach of American power and the logistical lifelines that sustained the Allies.
The map features a monochrome world with bold red and yellow arrows tracing supply lines, troop movements, and naval routes. Blue stars mark U.S. bases across the globe, from South America and Africa to Australia and the Pacific Islands. Inset diagrams explain the scale of Lend-Lease exports, showing how American industry supplied not only U.S. forces but also Britain, Russia, and China. Small maps in the corners highlight Atlantic and Pacific convoy routes, reinforcing the logistical backbone of the Allied effort. The map’s subdued color scheme, punctuated by bright directional arrows, conveys the vastness of operations while keeping the focus on America as the central hub of the war effort.
In context, We Fight a Global War underscored the message that the United States was engaged in a conflict without geographic limits, requiring both unprecedented production at home and the projection of power abroad on a massive scale. It reminded servicemen that their role, whether in Europe, Africa, the Pacific, or Asia, was part of an interconnected struggle. The visual emphasis on supply and logistics highlighted how victory was not only a matter of battles won but also of ships launched, convoys protected, and resources delivered to every corner of the globe. By 1944, the Navy’s ability to sustain this global war effort was a decisive factor in the approaching Allied victory.
About the NavWar Map Series
The NavWar Map series, produced in 1944 by the U.S. Bureau of Naval Personnel and printed by the Government Printing Office, represents one of the most ambitious visual educational projects of World War II. Issued as a set of six large-format pictorial wall charts, each measuring approximately 41 x 59 inches, the maps were designed to orient American servicemen to the global nature of the conflict, the geography of key theaters, and the Navy’s essential role in achieving victory. Distributed through the Educational Services Section in Washington, D.C., these maps blended dramatic graphics with accessible text, statistics, and timelines, turning complex military campaigns into striking visual narratives.
CONDITION
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