Save this Map! It Shows the Theater of War

And so it begins…The start of the war in Europe.

This cleverly designed pictorial perspective of Europe and North Africa was designed by the talented Charles Owens and published in the May 10, 1939 edition of the Los Angeles Times. Just nine days prior, the German invasion of Poland prompted French and British declarations of war, plunging much of the continent into conflict.

The image offers a simple strategic overview, emphasizing topography, transportation routes, defensive areas, and important locations both politically and militarily. Accompanying text presents interesting contemporary context, some quite prescient; such as the mention that the German-Soviet non-aggression pact ‘may mean nothing before the hard realities of war.’