Captured Japanese Maps from my Grandfather

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My Mom's Dad was in the US Navy in COMSOPAC and then in the Pentagon during WW2. He saved these maps and passed them to my father who then gave them to me. All were used in the planning of the island hopping and were captured by various units. Here's a list of the maps:

 

1) Mainland Japan

2) Munda (with bullet hole)

3) Eastern New Guinea

4) New Guinea and Australia

5) Bougainville, Guadalcanal, New Britain, New Ireland (with names of Marines)

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1) Japan Aerial map. No other writing except my Dad penciled in a description of the maps and my Grandfather's name W.L Harrell.

[patches]

Cool

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3) Eastern New Guinea. Has a number stamped in ink on back 84411 and "WDC# 63314" penciled on the back. Not sure who or where it was captured.

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3) Eastern New Guinea legend

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4) New Guinea and Australia. Only has "WDC#67162" penciled on the back.

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4) New Guinea and Australia

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2) Munda. This one says "Comsopac, S-2167, Captured at Munda Aug, 3, 1943." and "Japanese Air Chart, #40 1:3,000,000" and has lots of other Japanese writing on it, some foot scuff marks, and a bullet hole that passed through the map when it was folded.

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2) Munda

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2) Munda

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2) Munda

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2) Munda (Looking at the map now unfolded it is of New Guinea and surrounding islands. Not sure if Munda is on the map now)

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5) Last one is a map of Bougainville, Guadalcanal, New Britain, and New Ireland. This one had the names of the Marines who captured the map. and "R-35" penciled on the back.

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5) This map has these names and the unit of Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Marines (Engineer) and has 1st Lt. Maurice E. Flynn and Corporal Mike Tomon written in the upper right corner of the map.

 

Their photos I found from their Camp Pendleton yearbook on yellowfootprints.com here: http://yelowfootprints.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16465

 

 

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5) Details of last map

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5) More details of last map.

 

OK that's it. If you have any information on the 20th Marine Engineers I would love to hear about them. I read they shipped out to Roi Namur, then to Saipan and Iwo Jima. This map could have been captured at those places and sent to the rear. There is a museum at Camp Pendleton just over the hill from where I live and I may end up giving it to them if it could be displayed and not put in a drawer somewhere. At least here they are posted for all to see and enjoy.

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Photos of 1st Lt. Maurice E. Flynn Executive Officer and Corporal Mike Tomon

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Almost forgot. A photo of my Grandfather William L. Harrell while he was in the Navy.

[gwb123]

Very amazing. How was your grandfather in a position to acquire these?

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He was part of the planning for the invasion of other islands and the main island of Japan with COMSOPAC. I never asked him about what he did. I just know at the end he was at the Pentagon.

 

My Dad's father was at Oak Ridge helping with the bomb project, so he helped cancel out the work my Mom's Dad did. I'll have to post some of his items someday.

[irish]

Very nice and seldom seen