STANLEY TURNER

Published 1944, Toronto

Size 67cm x 51cm

Description:

A beautiful and fascinating pictorial map published and copyrighted by C.C. Peterson of Canada highlighting the military conflict between Allied and Axis forces during World War II.   The map, which also acts as a calendar, depicts the theatre of war in Europe including parts of North Africa and the Middle East.  A legend is included which shows the changes in conquered territory from the beginning of the conflict.  It is interesting to note that Turner differentiates countries under Anglo-American control and those liberated by the United Nations, presumably of the Allied powers.  The moniker of the United Nations had yet to connate what has become the supra national organization established in 1945 following the end of this military conflict.
Unlike some of his other pictorial maps, in this example, Turner leaves out all depictions of the locations related to manufacturing, industrial centres or shipbuilding plants.   Rather, Turner’s focus is on the historical and geopolitical aspect of World War II which includes the location of the different state capitals and the naval bases of the different military powers.  The map is strewn with notations showing the different events of the War. Of particular importance are the notations related to the timelines of the invasion of French North Africa, the Anglo-American invasion of Southern Europe, the British conquest of Italian East Africa, the Great Russian Offensive of 1942-1943, and the war with Japan.
Completing the maps visual representation are two insert depictions.  One is of a polar projection of the Southern Hemisphere and the is a polar projection of the Northern Hemisphere.  Both inserts locates the different naval bases of the belligerents as well as providing the global dimension of the military conflict.
As with many pictorial maps, the geographical information is secondary to the overall appeal and visual design that nevertheless conveys information.  In this fascinating example, the geopolitical information related to World War II is all encompassing up to the date of publishing.  As a result, this copy is the sixth edition with space provided in the main cartouche where the viewer could add pertinent events and dates of the on going conflict.  As this edition was published in the same year, but prior to the D-Day invasion, it is very conceivable that many the blank space provided would have been quickly filled in with the War’s protracted dénouement.