1944 NavWar Map No. 5 – The Southwest Pacific

NavWar Map no. 5 features the Southwest Pacific, showing much of Australia and the chain of islands from the Philippines and New Guinea to the Solomons, Marshalls and Carolines. Produced in 1944, it was designed to explain the significance of the island-hopping campaign and the diversity of peoples, resources, and cultures in this vast region. By showing the complex geography of the Pacific islands, the chart taught servicemen why control of individual atolls and island chains was crucial to the larger Allied advance toward Japan. The map brims with detail: sweeping orange and blue arrows show Japanese advances and Allied counterattacks; inset diagrams outline the Solomons campaign; and smaller illustrations highlight local island populations, crops, and cultural traditions. Vivid relief shading emphasizes the terrain and the isolation of each island group, while the placement of warships and aircraft illustrates the amphibious nature of the conflict. A boxed inset in the lower left si