Guess what my Bro sent Ken and I?

**CappyTom** · 07-07-2014 16:41

You'll never guess...a map!

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Yep, it's a deck of playing cards that you can put together and make a map to escape. It's a reproduction of some they sent to our boys through the Red Cross.
Thanks Mike love them.

Thomas

**clipper1801** · 07-07-2014 17:47

Way cool! I'll have to start looking . . .

**Naharaht** · 07-07-2014 20:34

Just don't cut up my playing mat to make cards.

**Marechallannes** · 07-07-2014 22:12

Nice idea & present.

I know about the maps printed on scarfs, but not about those cardgames.

**milcoll73** · 07-07-2014 23:36

it was an oss and MI6( i think) thing. the original you had to split the cards to reveal the map. they had all kinds of "dirty tricks", .22 cal smoking pipe pistol, weapons and gold coins concealed in shoe soles,compass' in shaving brush-pen-pipe-button,explosives disguised as goal, pen detonator. all kinds of fun little toys. very cool gift!

**Jager** · 07-08-2014 00:40

Neat find, Tom. A nice piece of history.
But why do you and Ken want to escape Ohio?
Karl

**Flying Officer Kyte** · 07-08-2014 01:04

Great piece of history Tom.
What a thoughtful gift for you to have as a keepsake.
I had never heard of the card maps either.
Rob.

**CappyTom** · 07-08-2014 02:51

Yeah guys these are great. Now in the original ones you had to soak the cards in water and peel them apart.
During World War II the United States Playing Card Company joined forces with American and British intelligence agencies to create a very special deck of cards. This deck was specifically created to help Allied prisoners of war escape from German POW camps. This deck of cards became known as the "map deck". It was made by hiding maps of top-secret escape routes between the two paper layers that make up all modern playing cards. The original decks would peel apart when soaked in water to reveal hidden maps that allowed escaping prisoners the ability to find their way to safety.

Thomas