Original British and Australian WWI WWII Royal Air Force Silk and Paper Map Lot – Set of 3 Original Items

Original Items: Only One Lot of 3 Available. Evasion charts or escape maps are maps made for service members, and intended to be used when caught behind enemy lines to assist in performing escape and evasion. Such documents were secreted to prisoners of war by various means to aid in escape attempts.

During World War II, these clandestine maps were used by many American, British, and allied servicemen to escape from behind enemy lines. Special material was used for this purpose, due to the need for a material that would be hardier than paper, and would not tear or dissolve in water.

Evasion charts produced for the US, UK, and NATO were printed on vinyl sheets in the 1960s. Modern evasion charts are made of Tyvek ‘paper’, which permit printing of minute detail while remaining waterproof and tear-resistant.

The Maps Featured In This Lot:
– 1914 Color Map of France: The map is in amazing condition for being over 100 years old! The map measures 24 ¼” x 31” and is at a scale of 1:250,000 which would be 1 inch to every 3.95 miles.

– Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Albania/Crete, Sea of Crete: This is a confusing map, as with most spectacular British maps, they aren’t labeled clearly and it’s basically a scavenger hunt to try and find the names of the countries present. The map itself is in good condition and appears to be dated 1940.

– RAAF Halmahera Map: This map is for the Royal Australian Air Force and for the location of Halmahera, part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia. The map measures 32 ½” x 23” and no scale can be found.

All maps are in great condition, all legible and with clear colors and images. They do have fold marks in them from many years of storage, but nothing damaging. They all come more than ready to display.