World War II Newsmaps, 1942-1946

The World War II Newsmaps consist of poster-size newsmaps published weekly by the U.S. Army Information Branch from 1942 until 1946. Each newsmap includes maps depicting the previous week's advances and activities on the war-front in Europe, Africa, and Asia; brief news items and photographs; and exhortations. The newsmaps include both world maps and maps of local areas. Some of the newsmaps provided cues for recognizing tanks, ships, and planes; information about enemy organization, equipment, and uniform insignia; highlights of service achievement; or graphics intended to inspire and motivate military personnel. After mid-1945, the newsmaps became more like promotional posters.

Most of the newsmaps are 36 x 48 inches; the collection also includes 20 smaller maps (approximately 18 x 24 inches) published in 1943 as the overseas version.

The University of North Texas Digital Library provides online access to these materials through the World War Two Newsmaps digital collection.