1944 NavWar Map No. 4 – The North Pacific Area

NavWar Map no. 4 presents the northern reaches of the Pacific Ocean, stretching from the American Pacific coast and Alaska across to Japan. It illustrates the northern route to Tokyo, emphasizing how geography and naval strength shaped the Pacific war. Issued in 1944, it explained to servicemen that even the cold and remote Aleutian Islands, often overlooked, played a direct role in the overall campaign against Japan. The map combines broad swaths of blue arrows with inset battle diagrams, most notably the Battle of Midway and the Battle of Attu in the Aleutians. The arrows trace Japanese advances beginning with Pearl Harbor and extending through the Aleutians, while counter-arrows show the American responses and eventual offensives westward. A chronological panel on the right details Japanese aggression from 1895 through 1941, emphasizing how long Japan had sought territorial expansion and regional dominance. The map also labels major seas, islands, and naval bases, providing a sense