[Operation Dragoon] Unique composite pilot's route map from RAF Luqa (Malta) to Marseilles made up of sections from Tunis - Palermo (J.33 and PTS. 32, 34), Alger - Bizerte (J.31 & PT.32), and Marseille - Nice (K.31 & PT.32, 2758, no. 2758) (1:1,000,000 Army / Air Style series)

A unique composite colour printed, partially linen-backed paper pilot's map approx 145x26cm. Good, neatly folded with a couple of fold tears and minor loss, clearly used with flight lines neatly drawn on and ms annotations. An improvisation like this was a practical way around carrying several standard format charts that could not conveniently show the long linear routes flown. This one is made up of 3 adjacent 1/1M sheets, each neatly cropped into small sections and stuck together to form a continuous slightly bow-shaped image without borders. In sequence from NW to SE, the first sheet, retaining its title "Marseille - Nice" revised and zincographed by OS 1944 has been identified as "K.31 & PT.32, 2758, no. 2758" by Forward Survey Company 512, Royal Engineers, 1944 (OCLC 949815322). From this, the adjoining sheets lacking titles have been identified as "J.31 & PT.32 Alger - Bizerte", and "J.33 and PTS. 32, 34 Tunis - Palermo". Between them they cover the area from Malta to the Alpes de Provence, with a flight route drawn from an unlabelled location marked with a cross to the south of Valletta (this would be RAF Luqa), to a location marked north of Cagliari (probably Decimomannu Air Base), then on to Marseilles. During WW2, RAF Luqa was home to Air HQ Malta, a major base for British Commonwealth forces seeking naval control in the Mediterranean and ground control in North Africa, with air combat over and near Malta among the fiercest. After taking Sardinia in 1943, the USAAF used Decimomannu Air Base for its B26 Marauder medium bombers during Nov 1943 to Oct 1944. This map may therefore have been used in the Anglo-US bombing of Marseilles in May 1944, and the subsequent Allied invasion of Provence (Operation Dragoon) on 15 August, using both bases to disrupt Axis supply lines and support the advance. This led to the Free French liberation of Marseilles a few days later.…