TBH a pilot would nip down to the local shop, grab a map, pay the chap, Bob's your Uncle and Fanny's your Aunt.

The AM did release maps though to pilots; BoB versions are extremely scarce now-a-days.
A simple map would have been made from paper (maybe linen-backed), and nice pre-war examples often come with a nice thick, brown paper cover; usually nicely AM marked too.

There ya go :D

Don't muck around with that poncy silk and rayon malarky, they were produced from these materials but they had a specific reason; usually to do with escape/evasion if my memory serves me correctly. The tissue maps were made for escape, and were made to fold easily. These bore some resemblance to a handkerchief. However, this is post-BoB ;)

I remember old Ordnance Survey maps being paper backed with some sort of quite wide woven cloth, I don't know whether they were pre or post WW2. It should be possible to get hold of some I'd have thought, they seemed to be quite hard wearing. That was the point of the cloth, holding the shape when the paper fell apart at the fold lines (I think paper now has plastic in it or something, back then it was much less durable).

Ilya, fascimile of the map (and other things) BOB used by spitfire pilots is on its way to Oleg.

The RAF museum in Hendon has some of them, they are on display in the bomber hall.

S.o. call them and post here, please.

Department of Research & Information Services
RAF Museum London
Grahame Park Way
London, NW9 5LL
research@rafmuseum.org
020 8358 4873

Is that true?

I thought there were restrictions on the sale of maps in the UK during WW2?

Hi Luthier,

As promised some more info. on my RAF map. It was first published in 1938. Four pics - two of parts of the map, one of the whole map and one of the backing. Let me know if you want any more details, e.g, the rest of the key etc.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/RedToo/Map-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/RedToo/Map-2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/RedToo/Map-3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/RedToo/Map-4.jpg

RedToo.

Quite possible for pilots serving pre-war. During the war I am not sure. Certainly if they could obtain them they might choose to.

Now that's more like it! What is that backing though, now I'm all curious.

Edit: I've just completed 2 hrs of internet research and found precious little info. I can only confirm that the 1938 map was used right through the BOB and into 1942. Unfortunately my own library is more ground-battle oriented.

That's THE map he's talking about! Me want too ;)

Seriously, print this map on the the thickest paper you can find that is not too white and smooth and it will be great!

You want to buy very high quality scans of 1938 RAF maps? Go here:

http://www.a2asimulations.com/store/...products_id=24

I have these and they are very good.

RedToo.