Original British WWII Allied Forces FGS-series Invasion Map of Norway Area Lot of 2 – Sheet FGS/A Original Items

Original Items: Only One Available. This is a lot of two nice British-Made Allied Forces FGS-series  “invasion map”, from WWII, which is one of a series of maps, which could be spread out on a large table and interlocked. During WWII, maps needed to be constantly updated, as the frontier of the war changed over time.  This map was designed to show most of Norway, in various parts, due to the shape of the country. There is a diagram on the map indicating how the various parts of the map fit together. There are two copies of the same map sewn together at the end, but we are unsure of why they are like this, likely from being printed. The maps are roughly 31 x 35” each.

Sheet FGS / A shows the following regions: NORWAY (SOUTH) and  SWEDEN (PART OF), while another section shows NORWAY (SOUTH), and SWEDEN (PART OF).

Both examples are in good condition, with great color and few tears. We cannot tell if the maps are silk or rayon, as the printing on the maps have stiffened them somewhat.

Ready to add to your collection and display!

More on the British FGS-Series maps:

A smaller series of cloth maps was produced at a scale of 1:1,000,000 or 1:1,250,000 depicting the Scandinavian and Northern Europe region. They were designed as a series, and also made to interface with the previous 43-Series maps.

One double-sided map is identified with as FGS A/ E and contains inserts of areas B, C, & D. Another version of A/E contains maps A through E all by inserts. Other double-sided maps in the series include A/B, C/D and E/9.C.a. FSG appears to stand for Finland Sweden Germany. The colors and specifications for this series are very similar to the 43 and 44 series mentioned above. In fact, some FGS maps expressly state they overlap with the adjoining 43/C and 43/E maps. British cloth maps were not only used by Allied aircrews during WWII but also by special operatives such as Major William E. Colby, a US officer with the Office of Strategic Services (and later a director of the Central Intelligence Agency), who carried an FGS A/E map during Mission Rype in Norway during the spring of 1945. The purpose of the operation was to sabotage railways to prevent German troops from being shifted from Norway to Germany to confront the advancing Allied troops during the latter days of the war.