1945 NEWSMAP and Richard Edes Harrison Map of Japan from Siberia

This is a 1945 Army Orientation Branch Newsmap map of Japan in the scarce Overseas Edition. Published on Monday, May 14, 1945, this piece was distributed after Germany surrendered and the war in Europe had ended. The Army Orientation Branch utilizes the work of celebrated cartographer Richard Edes Harrison to highlight Japan, the only remaining Axis power, on the recto. On the verso, the historic linkup between the American Army and the Soviet Red Army is celebrated.

Japan from Siberia

A stunning stylized view, this incredible work was created by Richard Edes Harrison in 1943 for TIME Magazine. Drawn from the perspective of being high above Siberia, Siberia, Mongolia, Manchuria, and Korea stretch out in the foreground before the viewer. The Sea of Japan breaks up the landmass before the viewer encounters the arch of the Japanese home islands. Honshu acts as the focal point, with its central mountains appearing in incredible perspective. Hokkaido and the Kurile Islands are to the left, while Shikoku, Kyushu, and the Ryukyu Islands stretch out to the right. The Pacific Ocean then extends out to the horizon, with the curvature of the Earth clearly illustrated. Harrison depicts continental Asia's impressive topography in stunning fashion, identifying mountain ranges and using color to highlight river valleys.

U.S.-Soviet Armies Join

The verso focuses on the linkup between the Soviet Red Army and the U.S. First Army at Torgau, Germany. A map of central Europe dominates the sheet with white highlighting the only territory left not conquered by either the Soviets from the East or the British and Americans from the west. Small text boxes highlight the latest victories in Italy and Germany, along with the Red Army victory banners flying over the Reichstag in Berlin. A photograph of Soviet and American soldiers shaking hands at Torgau appears above the map, along with a graphic detailing the distances covered by American and Soviet to their historic meeting point. A smaller map on the lower right illustrates from Kyushu south to the Celebes Sea and textboxes inform the viewer of American progress on Okinawa and American and Filipino victories in the Philippines. An inset proclaims the progress of the British in Burma.

Publication History and Census

This Newsmap was prepared and distributed by the Army Information Branch in May 1945. The map of Japan on the recto was drawn by Richard Edes Harrison and originally published in TIME Magazine in 1943. The Army Information Branch used this specific Harrison map on at least one other Newsmap: Vol III No. 3B published in 1944. At least two editions of this edition of this Newsmap were published: a smaller overseas edition meant for troops deployed overseas and a large-format wall map distributed to domestic military installations throughout the United States. This is the only known cataloged example of the Overseas Edition, which we believe had an overall lower survival rate than the larger domestic edition. We note 7 examples of the domestic edition cataloged in OCLC as well as an example in the collection at the University of North Texas.