Czechoslovak military atlas

Summary

The review examines Československý vojenský atlas, published in Prague in 1965 by the Ministry of National Defence and the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Czechoslovakia’s liberation. Military and civilian specialists from more than thirty institutions compiled it using, according to its preface, all available cartographic and literary publications. Its geographical part contains 279 maps and 116 city plans; its military-historical part contains 299 maps and 206 battle plans. The geographical coverage proceeds from the universe and world themes to regional maps, with particularly detailed treatment of Central Europe and Czechoslovakia and larger scales for strategically important areas. The reviewer highlights geomorphological, transport, medical-geographical, and integrated economic maps, and examines the detailed representation of relief, hydrography, settlements, communications, and military-relevant facilities. Fine lettering, differentiated colors, and careful layout receive praise; missing geomorphological maps of Asia, Africa, and Australia and inconsistent placement of some maps receive criticism. The military-historical part organizes warfare by socioeconomic formations, from antiquity through the transition from capitalism to socialism. Overview maps, battle and operation plans, introductory diagrams, and explanatory texts emphasize Czech and Slovak history, Russian and Soviet warfare, the world wars, partisan activity, national-liberation movements, and postwar military alliances. The reviewer praises the historically adjusted geographical bases and endorses the maps’ portrayal of the balance between socialist and capitalist systems. The review gives the atlas’s design and printing its highest praise, connects it with earlier military-atlas traditions, and recommends its broad content as a scientific reference and teaching resource for specialists and general readers.