1945 Sundberg Map of China Near the End of World War II.

Predicting fighting in China days before the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

This is a 1945 Edwin Sundberg map of China marking American air bases. It predicts future military operations in the region near the end of World War II (1939 - 1945). Nonetheless, it appeared just 9 days before the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, and the end of the Pacific War.

A Closer Look

The map depicts from Nagasaki (in the upper right corner) south to northern Luzon and from Yunnan to Amami in the Ryukyu Islands. Red stars mark American airbases in southern China. The largest identifies Chongqing (labeled Chungking), Chiang Kai-shek's provisional capital after the 1937 Japanese capture of Nanjing (Nanking). Cities and towns are labeled throughout China, French Indochina, and Japanese Taiwan (Formosa). A short caption in the lower right corner provides additional information, stating that this part of China is where the fighting between the Chinese and Japanese is taking place. It also predicts military operations likely to commence within the next few months.

At this time, the Allies had indeed been planning a massive ground operation in southeastern China to capture a port. However, after the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9), and the Soviets invaded Manchuria (August 9), the Japanese surrendered. Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender on August 15, and it was formally signed on September 2.

The Second Sino-Japanese War

The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. Some disagreement exists as to when the war officially started. Two different 'Incidents' are used to mark the beginning of hostilities. Historically, the July 7, 1937, Marco Polo Bridge Incident is considered the official start, when Chinese and Japanese troops began exchanging fire at the Marco Polo (Lugou) Bridge, along a main access route to Beijing. This exchange of fire escalated into an all-out battle, leading to Japanese forces capturing both Beijing and its port city, Tianjin. Other scholars, and since 2017 the Chinese government, trace the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War to the Mukden Incident and the September 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria. This 'incident' was based on trumped-up Japanese charges that their rights in Manchuria, which had been guaranteed following the Russo-Japanese War (1904 - 1905), were being infringed upon. More likely, the Japanese simply saw an opportunity to easily capture an essentially limitless supply of raw materials, a new market for their manufactured goods, and create a 'buffer zone' between Japanese-occupied Korea and the Soviet Union. After five months of fighting, in early 1932, the Japanese created the puppet state of Manchukuo and installed Puyi, the last Emperor of China, as its ruler. Even though there is some debate over when the war started, the result is the same: years of war, famine, atrocities, and death. Following the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Second Sino-Japanese War is usually folded into the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II. Although there is some debate on when the war began, there is no doubt when it ended. Following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, the Japanese unconditionally surrendered to the Allies on September 2, 1945, bringing an end to the largest Asian war of the 20th century.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Edwin Sundberg and published in the July 29, 1945 edition of the Sunday News. This is the only known cataloged example.

Cartographer

Edwin L. Sundberg (1898 - 1978) was an American cartographer known for his pictorial pieces. Sundberg was a staff artist for the Sunday News in New York City and eventually became Chief Cartographer in charge of a small staff of artists.   Further Details...

Condition

Good. Newsprint. Verso repairs to fold separations. Closed tear extending 2 inches within printed area professionally repaired on verso. Closed tear extending 1.5 inches into printed area from left margin professionally repaired on verso. Closed edge tears professionally repaired on verso. Text and printed images on verso.