World War Two German Atlas (of cables) for the Southwest Pacific Theatre for navigation
 
The title of this book is "Atlas der Funktelegraphie und Seekabel im Weltverkehr". Herausgegeben von Hermann Behner This tells only a small part of the story. On the title page is a pencil inscription "pinched from German captured submarine". An examination of the associated information with the book makes this quite possible. Attached (glued) to the front paste down and front and back of the free-front page are 8 coloured maps covering Burma, Malaya, Borneo, Dutch east indies, Phillipine Islands, New Guinea, Japan and China. On each map there is printed "copyright C. Barrass.
Putting all this together. Obviously it is unknown how these coloured maps were obtained. The main book was printed in 1923 in Berlin as a world reference for the location of telegraph and cable lines. Meanwhile Clive Barrass (an Australian cartographer) had created the colour maps seen here and featured in some Australian books (one being published in 1942). 
Presumably with the outbreak of war in the Pacific, these pages were cut and pasted in to this German book to provide  some contemporary maps. It is quite conceivable this atlas and its additions were needed on a submarine to navigate the Pacific.
 
The boards are worn and there is some relatively light soiling internally. The maps of the main atlas are in very good condition. The pasted coloured maps show some light soiling and a few wrinkles but are bright and complete. The binding is tender but holding. This book represents a rather fascinating piece of naval was history.
 
It is a large thin book, 400x280mms. It will be insured by me for postage.