1945 British Twelfth Army Christmas Card Map of Burma

This is a 1945 British Twelfth Army Christmas card map of Burma / Myanmar superimposed over a map of Europe. The card extends the Army's 'very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year' while at the same time providing a geography lesson for family and friends back in Britain. Drawn on the same scale, Burma appears in green and extends from central England to eastern Romania and covers a significant portion of continental Europe, allowing a British audience to relate to the vastness of the country. The Twelfth Army insignia, consisting of a Chinthe on a red background with a black stripe and 'XII' written along the bottom in white letters, adorns from front of the card.

The British Twelfth Army in Burma

On May 28, 1945, the British Twelfth Army was reconstituted so that it could take control of Burma from the Fourteenth Army. The Fourteenth Army was them tp train for a planned amphibious invasion of Malaya, which was projected to take place in August 1945. Japanese units were still active in Burma when the Twelfth Army took over and it assumed responsibility for reconquering the remaining territories. The Twelfth Army was based in Burma until November 1, 1945, when it was redesignated as the Burma Command.

Publication History

This map was designed and printed at the Survey Directorate of the 63rd Reproduction Group for Twelfth Army Headquarters in 1945.