[British Indian Government Propaganda Map] Weekly News Report (WNR) No. 187 - Gateway to the Ruhr

(Director of War Publicity, National War Front)

Published by (Director of War Publicity, National War Front), (Victory House, Madras), 1943

About this Item

Rare British Indian b/w propaganda map 34x43cm, printed on economy paper. Very good, tanned, folded, hole-punched for filing with minor impact on title panel.

"WNR" identifies this as part of a series of maps produced to accompany the World News Report issued by the Director of War Publicity, National War Front. Coverage is bounded by the Frisian Islands (N), Bonn (SE), and Lille (SW) on a scale of approx 17 miles to 1 inch, showing major settlements, railways, rivers, and boundaries. Undated, c1943, possibly issued to help explain and illustrate news relating to the bombing of the Ruhr Area, and access to it via the North Sea. Key locations in the Ruhr Area are shown in block capitals including Duisburg, Munchen Gladbach, Dusseldorf etc.

This poster supported the British Indian Government's comprehensive propaganda operation to keep the population onside. With India providing over 2 million troops and several million others to the war effort at home, it tied the war to the fate of India, praised Indian contributions, and countered Axis propaganda. It began in 1940 with Provincial and District War Committees coordinated from Calcutta, and continued with the National War Front (NWF) from 1942, under the Director of War Publicity at Victory House in Madras. The NWF operated through Directors at Presidency level supported by District and Divisional organisers, and an array of lecturers, propagandists, village leaders, and inspectors reaching deep into the grassroots. In support, Victory House published the weekly "Madras War Review", and served as a Central Information Bureau with a Showroom displaying its models for railway cars, charts, maps, posters, and other material, which were replicated in local NWF "Victory Houses" across India. Very few of these materials survive. This one is not recorded on Worldcat or Library Hub.

Seller Inventory # 6061

Bibliographic Details

• Title: [British Indian Government Propaganda Map] Weekly News Report (WNR) No. 187 - Gateway to the Ruhr
• Publisher: (Director of War Publicity, National War Front), (Victory House, Madras)
• Publication Date: 1943
• Language: English
• Binding: No Binding
• Condition: Very Good