1945 Map of Redeployment Camp No. One, Malir, Karachi, WWII

This is a 1945 map of Replacement Depot No. One at Camp Malir, Karachi, India, after World War II in the Pacific. Roads throughout the camp are labeled, using names of states, cities, or even some of the Great Lakes. PXs, theaters, dispensaries, pools, American Red Cross clubs, and a beer garden appear as well. These locations underscore the reality that the men using this map simply needed to be entertained before getting on a ship back to the United States. The hospital occupies a large portion of the camp's northeastern quadrant, labeled here as 'Yankee Quadrant.' The other three quadrants were 'Cotton Country Quadrant,' 'Cow Country Quadrant,' and 'Corn Country Quadrant.' Commentary in the lower-left corner sheds some light on this map's creation, and its unnamed creator

These streets were named, and this map delineated, in the interest of aching feet, by one who one night walked in many circles. The War's over, honey, and my feet are tired.

Replacement Depot No. One

Somewhere between eighty and one hundred thousand American servicemen and women passed through this camp after World War II ended in the Pacific. The camp opened on September 2, 1943, with a staff of only thirteen officers and twenty-seven enlisted men to process arrivals into what became known as the China Burma India Theater. In the first few months of operations, nearly five thousand soldiers passed through the camp's gates before being assigned to their units. The camp got a new name, the 26th Replacement Depot, in July 1944. On September 1, 1944, the 26th Replacement Depot became Replacement Depot No. One, the name it held until it closed.

Karachi - The U.S. Port in Asia

After Pearl Harbor, the Second Sino-Japanese War became part of the larger global conflict. The U.S. knew that fighting in what became known as the China-Burma-India Theatre would be critical to fighting the Japanese, so U.S. officials began looking for a base in Asia. Military planners considered Calcutta, but since it was within striking distance of the Japanese, as were all other ports along India's eastern coast, it was not a viable option. British traffic congested Bombay (Mumbai), which left only one option - Karachi. So, the U.S. began operated a 3,000-mile-long supply chain from Karachi to Assam and then continued another 1,600 miles to Kunming in China. By March 1942, the U.S. Services of Supply had established its headquarters in Karachi and began transforming the port into a facility that could handle the amount of shipping that would soon be moving through the city toward the combat zones. Karachi Airport also became a major transshipment point and handled shipments of supplies and training of new bomber crews and fighter pilots. The port continued to expand throughout the war and continuously processed an increasing amount of supplies. Operations in Karachi were closed in January 1946 after all the American personnel had been sent back to the U.S.This map was created for use by American soldiers who passed through Replacement Depot No. One on their way back to the United States after World War II. We have been unable to locate any examples in institutional collections or a history of this piece being offered on the private market.