Original Item. Only One Available. This is a British WWII RAF escape and evasion map produced for use by Allied aircrew operating over occupied Europe. It is the early double-sided 9.C(a) / 2.B pattern, with one side covering France and the other covering Germany and portions of Central Europe. The example is a silk MI9 escape map issued as part of an RAF escape kit and dated approximately 1940-1942.

The France side is clearly marked 9.C(a) and is printed at a scale of approximately 1:2,350,000. France dominates the sheet, including the Normandy coast, Brittany, Paris, the Low Countries, Switzerland, and portions of western Germany and northern Spain. Particularly interesting are the red wartime overlays identified in the printed key as:

COASTAL DEFENCE AREA
SOUTHERN BOUNDARY TO ZONE INTERDITE
BOUNDARY BETWEEN OCCUPIED & NON-OCCUPIED FRANCE

International boundaries are picked out in green, while the German coastal defense zone and internal occupation boundaries are emphasized in red. These features are especially useful in dating and identifying the map, since they reflect the political and military geography of France during the earlier German occupation period.

The reverse is marked 2.B and presents a broad orientation map centered on Germany, extending into portions of Denmark, Poland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Switzerland, and the Low Countries. Major cities, prominent geographic features, transportation routes, and international boundaries are clearly indicated, providing a downed airman with the essential information needed to establish his location, orient himself, and plan movement toward friendly or neutral territory.

These maps were produced through MI9, the British organization responsible for assisting servicemen in escaping captivity and evading capture in enemy territory. Fabric maps were particularly suited to this purpose. Unlike ordinary paper, they could be repeatedly folded into extremely small packages, concealed in clothing or escape equipment, handled with very little noise, and remained usable after exposure to water. Early MI9 maps were printed on genuine silk, while rayon and other artificial fabrics became increasingly common as the war progressed.

During development of the silk maps, Christopher Clayton Hutton encountered difficulty with fine printing bleeding into the woven fabric. Contemporary accounts describe the problem being overcome by adding pectin to the printing ink, which helped the fine cartographic detail remain sharp.

Condition is quite attractive for a wartime textile map intended to be repeatedly folded. The printing remains remarkably clear, including the red and green overlays on the France side and the dense black transportation network on the reverse. Numerous strong period fold creases remain throughout, along with expected age toning, localized discoloration and soiling along some folds and margins, and minor loose threads or fraying at the edges. There does not appear to be any major loss affecting the cartography, and the considerable amount of surviving printed detail makes the map excellent for either unfolded display or inclusion in an RAF escape-and-evasion collection.

Approximate Dimensions: 22 ¼” x 16”