The Internet is an amazing invention that provides a great window to the world. In the 1998 movie Small Soldiers, there was a moment when one of the toys discovered Encarta, Microsoft’s digital encyclopedia and a window to knowledge. Maps are another great invention that turn into interactive maps when combined with the Internet. This category includes maps that allow you to explore which historical figures were born in your hometown, track developing war conflicts, and even view Google Maps of the Roman Empire.
For World War II enthusiasts, there’s even a map where you can navigate important events of the conflict, discover monuments and lesser-known stories, and take a virtual walk through each location without ever leaving your house.
A Google Maps for World War II
The KilRoyTrip homepage describes itself as a “virtual guide to remembrance tourism.” This nonprofit organization, based in France, promotes the remembrance of places connected to World War II. You can access the map by going to en.kilroytrip.fr/ or downloading the Android or iOS app.
Now, let’s explore what this map has to offer.
This open project has 88 active contributors, nearly 3,400 points of interest with photos and descriptions, and a total of 13 categories. It’s essentially a vast encyclopedia, offering the choice to virtually visit historic buildings, museums, cemeteries, real vehicles at certain points, memorials, bunkers, and geolocated photographs.
The map’s categorization and division are great for finding specific places, organizing routes through Google Maps, and getting to know the most famous locations. However, the most interesting and captivating experience from home is to start exploring the map to witness the magnitude of the conflict.
You can find a map created with OpenStreetMap by going to en.kilroytrip.fr/map. From there, you have two options: Search for something specific (such as “Pearl Harbor”) to go directly to it, or scroll to explore. No matter the route you opt for, you’ll see different markers on the map. These are icons representing monuments or isolated events, as well as colored circles with numbers.
When you click on one of these circles, the image will enlarge automatically. At the bottom of the page, you can see important locations. For example, if you click on Omaha Beach, you can see monuments, the WN 62 bunker, an observation post, and memorials. Clicking on any of these points allows you to see more information and more detailed photographs, and you can even take a virtual walk using Google Maps.
For instance, if you click on the WN 62 bunker, you’ll learn that it was an observation post for artillery, had four positions for MG42 machine guns and mortars, and was defended by 40 men. You can also view its characteristics, like its length of about 330 meters (1,083 feet), and you can explore the perspective of the area using the virtual tour on Google Maps.
On the same page, nearby locations and a series of tags allow you to jump to other related information. This setup is very reminiscent of the legendary Encarta.
There are many points of interest spanning from the UK, France, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. However, there’s also information about the U.S., Norway, North Africa, Austria, Stalingrad, the Eastern Front, Italy, and Japan.
A World War II Interactive Map
The Google Maps-esque World War II project offers a wealth of content to explore. For more specific content, the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) provides a very interesting interactive world map with a user-friendly interface.
You can access it here. The buttons at the bottom of the page allow you to easily filter events by time (pre-war, 1939 to 1945, and post-war). The map uses different colors to show Allied-controlled, neutral, and Axis zones, as well as key milestones, so these can vary depending on the time period you choose.
If you click on one of these milestones, a detailed map of the battle is displayed, along with a video with a related historical fact and a small legend that tells you the history of the battle and the factions involved.
In addition to the map view, you can see the events as a chart in a timeline. In this case, clicking on any event will also display more information and a video. You can easily switch between both views at the bottom left at any time.
KilRoyTrip’s and ABMC’s maps are two very interesting ways to relive the main events that occurred during World War II. While the interactive map is similar to an animated Wikipedia, KilRoyTrip’s option allows you to take virtual walks using Google Street View through the actual locations of the battles. This way, you can see both the monuments and the perspectives both sides had of specific areas during the conflict.
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