World War II Records in the Cartographic and - National Archives ...

INTRODUCTION
I. 1 The maps, drawings, and aerial photographs that are described in this paper
are Federal records held by the Cartographic and Architectural Branch of the
National Archives and Records Administration. They primarily relate to World War
II military activities that took place between 1939 and 1945. Also included are
descriptions of drawings of military structures, bases, ships, and ordnance that were
in use during the war although designed and constructed many years earlier; maps
of the military and political situations in the Far East and Europe during the
mid-1930's; and immediate postwar maps of the military occupations of Germany
and Japan. Items of later date are described only if they have a direct relationship
to World War II. Records pertaining to the home front have been included as well
as those relating to the theaters of war, and civilian and military agencies are both
represented. Cartographic records showing economic, geographic, geologic, and
meteorologic subjects have not been ignored, provided that they are war-related. No
attempt has been made to include information on similar records in other branches
of the National Archives.
1.2 In this paper, the descriptive entries are arranged numerically, according to
the record group numbers assigned by the National Archives, and thereunder by type
of record. A record group (RG) is the standard unit of archival records maintenance
and represents the organizational origins of the records. Generally, a record group
relates to a single originating department, bureau, or agency of the Federal
Government.
1.3 Each record group description is divided into the four major types of records
maintained by the Cartographic and Architectural Branch: maps and charts, aerial
photographs, architectural drawings, and engineering plans. The category of maps
and charts includes cartograms, city and site plans, photomaps, relief models,
perspective or panoramic views, beach profiles, map overlays, and other records that
relate to maps and mapping. Included in the aerial photographs category are aerial
mosaics and stereoscopic aerial images. The architectural drawings category consists
of plans of buildings and structures at airbases, military reservations, navy yards,
military hospitals, relocation centers, defense housing projects, and industrial
projects, as well as drawings of Federal Government buildings and designs for
commemorative medals. The engineering plans category includes plans of ships,
military ordnance, equipment, and instruments in use during the war.
1.4 A list of abbreviations used in the text follows this introduction. After the
descriptive entries there is a glossary of cartographic, architectural, and aerial terms
and World War II code names and jargon terms used throughout the text. An index
of place names and other key terms concludes the paper. The place names used are
those that were in general usage throughout the period of World War II.
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