Stillwell’s Front [and] Mountbatten’s Front

Dual fronts during the 1944 Burma Campaign.

This arresting map of the Burma Campaign shows a simple outline of the Allied assaults during the first few months of 1944. The Northern Front, with forces commanded by Joseph Stillwell, struck towards Japanese-held territory around Myitkyina. To the South, Lord Louis Mountbatten led his Anglo-Indian troops along the coast towards Akyab. Insets show large-scale details of the distinctly different regional conflicts. The primary supply base near Calcutta and the important ‘hump route’ over the Himalayas are also noted. What is omitted from the image is the simultaneous Japanese counter-attack between the two forces.

The map was designed by Robert M. Chapin, Jr. and published as a supplement for the March 20, 1944 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. An additional copy has been identified at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. OCLC# 48037924.