NEXT: Tracks & Power

Identifying bombing targets across the Japanese home islands.

By the middle of July 1945, much of Japan’s military and industrial infrastructure lay vulnerable to attack. U.S. carrier-based planes and naval warships joined B-29 and B-17 bombers from nearby bases like Iwo Jima and Okinawa in reigning destruction on all available targets. This map of southern Japan, oriented with west at the top, presents vital facilities open to attack by American forces. Hydroelectric power plants, railroads (some marked double-track), and saturated target areas are noted according to the legend beneath the title.

The map was designed by Robert M. Chapin, Jr. and published as a supplement for the July 16, 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 one example in WorldCat as of May 2024, at Franklin & Marshall College. OCLC# 320452786.