Original Item: Only One Available. All Newsmap (posters) were dated on Mondays. The front of each poster depicts the progress of fighting on the war fronts. The reverse side is typically a poster on a war-related topic. This Newsmap poster is dated for Monday March 8, 1943. The war related topic during that week was “German Navy Uniforms And Insignia” and the reverse side of this poster shows illustrations on four different uniform types; 2nd Class Seaman in Summer Whites, Petty Officer Service Dress, Seaman 1st Class in Landing Rig Uniform and 2nd Class Petty Officer of Naval Artillery Field Dress.

This double-sided 48” x 36” poster shows German Navy Uniforms and Insignia. On the left, above the uniform examples, there are examples of rating stripes and rating insignia patches. The far right side shows shoulder marks and rating stripes in gold and field gray. Along the top there are examples of common headgear as well as decals and badges. The center shows examples of common corps badges and specialty patches.

The newsmap side is for:

Monday, March 8, 1943
Week of February 26 to March 5
182nd Week of the War
64th Week of U.S. Participation
Volume 1. No. 46

The newsmap talks about the war fronts for New Guinea, Solomons, Submarine Warfare, Tunisia, Russia and Western Europe. There are illustrations and war time photos located throughout this side, as well as a mini map of Russia and a Key/Legend.

Condition is very good, with the expected age toning and discoloration due to age. There are small tears around the edge in places, and the poster has lines from being folded for decades.

This is truly an incredible piece of history. Comes ready to display!

"Newsmap" was a weekly issuance by the U.S. Army, distributed to members of the military to provide news about the progress of World War II. Each measuring 36 by 48 inches. Each issue generally had information on the obverse and reverse sides. They featured text, photographs, illustrations, and maps. The reverse is usually a poster. The publications were designed for posting on bulletin boards or other display areas. The obverse side would have been displayed during the week the publication was issued and on the following week the back was displayed.

The Army produced several versions of Newsmaps. The large posters such as this example were distributed to military installations in the United States. Smaller versions were sent to units overseas. An industrial version was also published for display in war production facilities. The production ran from April 1942 until March 1946.

At the beginning of the program these large, two-sided posters were meant to provide American servicemembers with news on the progress of the war in the various theaters of conflict and expose them to information on both enemy and friendly equipment and tactics.

In 1943, many posters had short snippets of wartime news with accompanying photographs and maps on one side, and a large map of a region or nation on the reverse. Others had full-size advertisements or lay-outs on one side. Later the scope of the content of the newsmaps changed, from strategic and tactical war material to information looking forward beyond the war, such as information about the GI Bill, post-military life, U.S. occupation policies, and other matters of interest and importance that would occur after the war, related to the World War II fight and those who fought it at home and abroad.

Among the events highlighted in the publications are raids on the Japanese mainland, air offensives in 1943, Allied action in Italy, and Soviet Union action on the Eastern front. They also included Information on how to prevent disease, how to avoid unexploded ordnance and display of the layout of a German infantry regiment. Examples of some of the posters are "Know Your Enemies: The NSDAP Army", "Italian Navy Uniforms and Insignia", "Learn to Recognize These Vehicles", and "That Home of Your Own May Be Just a Dream Now...But It's a Dream that Can Come True if You'll Save Some of Your Hard Earned Pay!"

The volume one and two issues were prepared by the Army Orientation Course, Special Service Division, Army Service Forces. The volumes three, four, and five issues were prepared by the Army Information Branch, Army Service Forces.