MAPS, Western Europe, U.S. Army

Western Europe, World War II. U.S. Army, [Lot of 2] XIX Corps from D Day (6 June 1944) to Germany [and] XIX Corps in Action from Siegfried Line to Victory, 1944-45 (dated). Printed Color. These World War II maps by Henry J. MacMillan were published in Le Tomahawk, the newspaper for the XIX Corps of the United States Army. After the conclusion of World War II, it was not uncommon for military units to commemorate their service with pictorial maps of the area where they fought. What makes the first map here so unique is that it was published in November 1944, while the XIX Corps was still engaged in combat. The map traces the XIX Corps' journey from Normandy through Belgium and Holland into Germany. Along the way, there are numerous black & white illustrations and notes detailing the unit's activity. The map was intended to boost morale, so there is plenty of levity amid the scenes of battle: Dinah Shore performs a USO show; an opera singer stands beside a funeral pyre with the text, "Last Acte - Now Playing - Die Gotterdammerung - Conducted by Eisenhower;" another note reads "'Deutschland Unter Allies' will be the 1944 edition of the German national anthem."

Published in May 1945, after Allied victory in Europe, the second map depicts the continuing saga of the XIX Corps in Germany. The illustrations on this map run the gamut from witches and werewolves alleged to live in the Harz Mountains to the horrors of the concentration camp at Langenstein. Both maps feature decorative title cartouches with descriptive text and text on verso reporting on the unit's movements.

LITERATURE: PJ Mode Collection #1320.01 & 2280.01.
Dimensions: 26.8 x 17.3 in
Condition Report: Both maps are issued folding with a few tiny splits at the fold intersections. There are some light spots on the first map. Grade: B+