Comes with a hand-signed C.O.A.

This rare and museum-grade WWII Pacific Theater combat operations map was used during the infamous New Guinea Campaign (1942-1945). New Guinea was an important strategic island to both the Allied and Japanese Imperial Forces during World War II. Located east of Indonesia and just north of Australia, between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, New Guinea is the second-largest island in the world. For the Americans, New Guinea served as a strategic point in the second stage of their offensive against the Japanese at Rabaul on the southwest Pacific Island of New Britain.

The New Guinea offensives were the single largest series of connected operations Australia and Allied forces in the Pacific have ever mounted. While the supreme command was, of course, American, and while the campaign depended upon American air and naval support, the New Guinea battles were Australia’s own. They involved tens of thousands of troops, both in combatant units and in the massive logistic infrastructure that jungle warfare demanded. From 1942 to August 1945, New Guinea was the location of some of the most infamous land, air, and naval battles in the Pacific Theater. It was here where US, Australian, British, and Netherlands soldiers fought against the Empire of Japanese. From 1942 to 1945 it is estimated that nearly 42,000 total Allied soldiers were KIA and 202,100 were KIA for Japan (127,600 on New Guinea's main island, 44,000 on Bougainville, 30,500 on New Britain, New Ireland, and the Admiralty Island).

Titled “TRING - NORTHEAST NEW GUINEA” this combat map is a rare “preliminary sheet” created using aerial recon photos from the U.S. 8th Photo Squadron, 5th Air Force.

This incredibly rare and museum-grade WWII combat map was used during the Aitape–Wewak campaign of New Guinea. The Aitape–Wewak campaign was one of the final campaigns of the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Between November 1944 and the end of the war in August 1945, the Australian 6th Division, with air and naval support, fought the Imperial Japanese 18th Army in northern New Guinea. Considered a "mopping up" operation by the Australians, and although ultimately successful for them with the Japanese forces cleared from the coastal areas and driven inland, amidst difficult jungle conditions, casualties from combat and disease were high.

The amount of intelligence that went into producing this specific combat operations map was very intensive which makes this a very valuable map used during the battles.