FRAMED WWII AAF Silk Escape Survival Chart Map Japan East & South China Sea

Description

Dated May 1945, this is a WWII government issued AAF Cloth Map C52 & C53 (Japan & South China Seas, and East China Seas), printed back to front. Thought to have been printed on silk, the maps were actually printed on rayon. According to the web site , this map is at a scale of 1:4,000,000 and covers the east coast of Asia from French-Indo-China to latitude 54 degrees North, the Kuriles, Japan, Formosa, Luzon, and Marianas Islands, the South China Seas and the East China Sea. The map was intended to replace many of the existing cloth charts covering those areas and was intended for general use during the expected invasion of Japan. Over 406,000 copies of C-52/C-53 were ordered, making it the most printed US cloth escape map during the war. All of these maps were printed during the last six months of the war and records show that only 143,950 maps were shipped to Pacific and Southwest Pacific theaters. Documentation provided by the manufacturer stated, “It has come to our attention that these maps were well received in the field – their permanency to light and salt water was excellent and they were able to withstand immersion in water for long periods of time without deteriorating. Also of course the fact that they could be put into a pocket or packet in a small area without wrinkling or creasing as a paper map would do, made
them extremely valuable to the Air Force – also being mildew resistant for use in the Southwest Pacific.” This map, measuring 32”h X 34” w is in excellent condition .custom framed with glass on both sides