The 416th Bomb Group website has a
maps page that does a good job explaining the grid systems used by Allied bomber groups units in Europe for target identification. The links at the bottom lead to pages with good reference lists if you want to dig a bit deeper into how things worked. (Now, if only I could find an explanation of the numbering format for the Naval Air Combat Intelligence-Hydrographic Office target maps mentioned in a
previous post.)
Also, a specialist at McMaster University, which is responsible for a large number of the digitized maps in this thread, has produced a PowerPoint presentation titled
WWII on Land, Sea & Air Charts: The Demand and Challenge for Cartography (1942-1945). (An PDF version viewable without the need to be downloaded is also
available from a different website.)
Next, although they're not available online, it's worth mentioning that the Library of Congress also has the
Richard Houston Payne World War II map collection which includes "World War II-era maps and photo-maps of Japan by the U.S. Army Map Service and the U.S. Hydrographic Office".
Lastly, a few more digitized maps. Note that the cloth maps were mentioned in a
previous post:
Cloth Maps (Cont.)Target Maps and Approach Charts (Cont.)EDIT (22-12-06): For a bit more on target maps, check out
Air Forces Manual No. 41, Aids for Navigators and Bombardiers.
EDIT (22-12-08): The
Bombardiers' Information File discusses "Target Folders" starting on page 8-3-1. The folder would include:
Bombardiers' Information File wrote:
Aeronautical chart of target area
Target charts and perspectives
Vertical and oblique photographs of target area
Terrain prints, sketches, or any other auxiliary material pertinent to mission
Examples of most of the charts are given on the immediately following pages. However, an additional instance of a target chart appears on page 8-10-6.
Also included on page 2-2-1 of the BIF is a Bombing Table, which is reproduced in inverted color (i.e. black background, white text). As a result, it is not only similar in content, but also looks much the same as the Bomb Loading Charts mentioned in a
recent post in the Army Air Forces and Other World War II Forms thread.
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