Road to Rangoon

Mapping the ‘Race for Rangoon’ to a mass audience.

In the Spring of 1945, Allied forces were on the move through Burma, recapturing territory occupied by the Japanese several years earlier. Time was of the essence, as monsoon rains later in the season made campaigning impossible and the capture of Rangoon offered a much-needed supply base. This image shows the approximate routes of advance by British, Indian, U.S., and Chinese forces in mid-March 1945 – only 270 miles from the port city. The rugged terrain is depicted with shaded topography and important infrastructure, including the Burma Road, is noted.

The map was designed by Robert M. Chapin, Jr. and published as a supplement for the March 19, 1945 issue of TIME Magazine. Chapin was a professionally trained architect who found jobs to be in low demand during the Great Depression. He took a job in the photo department at Newsweek in 1933, where he apparently picked up a knack for cartographic design. By 1937, he was hired by Time (a rival of Newsweek) as the head of the cartography department, a position he would hold until his retirement in 1970.

During his long tenure at Time, Chapin’s prolific output helped establish a pattern for 20th-century newsroom cartography. The use of bold colors, uncluttered design, and legible typography was immensely popular, and the maps were reprinted for distribution in classrooms and public spaces throughout the country. Despite their widespread appeal, the maps are uncommon on the market and often overlooked in institutional collections. This version is listed in only three examples in WorldCat as of May 2024 – Franklin & Marshall College, the University of Chicago, and the University of Arizona. OCLC# 60534235.