[TIME Map of the Red Sea and East Africa]

Illustrating the escalating East African campaign of World War II.

This engaging topographic overview of the Red Sea coasts and Nile River Valley was designed by the talented Ernest Hamlin Baker for publication in TIME. Based on the text in the upper right and the cut-off image near the top, this supplemental enlargement is a section of a larger map of the eastern Mediterranean Theater. Apart from offering a pictorial overview of the harsh landscape, information on local transportation networks is provided. Railroads, caravan trails, and airstrips (noted with small windsocks) were all important avenues of supply. The lone camels, trekking across the desert, offer a striking contrast to the modern warships patrolling the waterways.

The map is undated and I’ve been unable to conclusively identify the original date of publication for the associated article in TIME, but based on the content, it was likely issued in late 1940, after France’s capitulation and Italy’s joining the Axis cause.