My understanding is that there was a severe paper shortage during the war, so unwanted maps were flipped over and the back was used for a new map. We have quite a lot of these.
Kathleen Weessies
Social Sciences Coordinator; Head, Map Library
Michigan State University
517-884-0849
From: Maps-L: Map Librarians, etc. <[log in to unmask]>
On Behalf Of Zellmer, Linda
Sent: Wednesday, June 5, 2019 9:43 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: World War II maps printed on other maps
Hello,
A while ago, I sent an e-mail asking about World War II maps that were printed on other maps. In the process of cataloging my way through our collection, I found a Town Plan of Hamburg printed on a captured German map (Lanark, Scotland).
Recently, I found another example of a double printed map. This one is a French map, Carte des Chemins de Fer Allemands, by the Institut Geographique National (December, 1944). It is printed on an AMS map. We actually have two of these maps for the Poland
region. They are both printed on the verso of an AMS or GSGS map.
I also found other oddities in our collection, including National Geographic Maps that had been reprinted for use during World War II. One was a map of the Caribbean that had been reprinted in German by the German Army!
Unfortunately, we can only imagine how these maps may have been used, as the people who used them have mostly passed away. Linda Zellmer
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Linda Zellmer
Government Information & Data Services Librarian
Liaison to Natural & Physical Sciences & Agriculture
415 Malpass Library
Macomb, IL 61455
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Phone: 309-298-2723
Fax: 309-298-2791