Compass Points - Different Maps

Take time to see which way to go.

Compass Points - Different Maps

Take time to see which way to go.

August 30, 2023

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To gain an understanding of the battlefield, going there in person is best. But the next best way to gain understanding is to get a map. Maps are very powerful. They provide structure and orientation. Studying a map helps a person define priorities, gain insight, identify obstacles, and grasp the best direction of advance.

On their website, the Financial Times has provided a series of maps illustrating the current fighting in Ukraine.

In their update of August 28, 2023, the Financial Times reports,

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          Ukrainian forces have penetrated the first line of Russian defences at a key pocket in the southern front lines, in a tentative sign that Kyiv’s grinding counteroffensive may be gathering pace.

Deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said on Monday that Ukrainian troops had fully liberated the hotly fought for village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region and were “moving south-east . . . despite fierce enemy resistance”.

The attack follows last Thursday’s raid by an elite squad of Ukrainian troops on Crimea’s western coast, according to Ukraine. This is the first time officials have confirmed an incursion into the peninsula that Russia has occupied since 2014.

[See full article and maps at link below]

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Of course, there are many kinds of maps. There are terrain maps, population maps, and satellite maps. There are oceanographic maps, atmospheric maps, and volcanic maps. Then there are those maps that do not seem like a map at all.

Compass Points reader Polarbear shared a story about a map he received before becoming an infantry platoon commander. The map he received from his father was not the kind of map that can be rolled up or one that can be folded and put in a cargo pocket. It was not a map you can view on a screen. Yet it was still a type of map because the gift from his father helped the young Platoon Commander "define priorities, gain insight, identify obstacles, and grasp the best direction of advance."

Polarbear describes the gift from his father,

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Best damn advice I ever received from a Marine.

When I finished up at TBS in 1974, I was given Orders to Oki and an infantry Battalion. I went home and dropped off my car and say my goodbyes to Mom and Dad. Dad a retired Marine SgtMaj (WW2 and Korean Vet) drove me over to the Philly Airport to start my first deployment overseas and an infantry platoon. We pulled up at the appropriate airlines entrance and Dad and I jumped out of the car and pulled my bag from the trunk. When my bag hit the ground, Dad shook my hand and said, "Son, take care of your Marines and they will take care of you."

Semper Fi Dad, — best damn advice I ever received from a Marine.

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To gain an understanding of the battlefield, going there in person is best. But the next best way to gain understanding is to get a map. Compass Points salutes all the experienced Marines -- past, present, and future -- taking time to provide maps of advice to younger Marines.

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Financial Times (ft.com) 08/28/2023

Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia in maps — latest updates

A visual guide to the war

https://www.ft.com/content/4351d5b0-0888-4b47-9368-6bc4dfbccbf5