World War II Military Cartography: German Operational and Strategic Maps of Britain, Czechoslovakia, and Western Europe, 1939 1945
MAPS
Sold by Max Rambod Inc, Woodland Hills, CA, U.S.A.
Association Member:
AbeBooks Seller since February 5, 2021
Sold by Max Rambod Inc, Woodland Hills, CA, U.S.A.
Association Member:
AbeBooks Seller since February 5, 2021
Collection of German produced maps created during World War II documenting military geography, industrial targets, and occupied territories across Europe. Printed between approximately 1939 and 1945, the maps reflect the cartographic infrastructure used by the German military and administrative authorities during the conflict. They include operational target mapping of industrial facilities in Britain as well as broader geographic maps of Central and Western Europe produced during the period of German expansion and occupation. The materials illustrate the strategic importance of cartography in wartime planning, intelligence gathering, and territorial administration. Archive of ten German language maps printed circa 1939 1945. The group includes a German aerial bombing target map of the Chesterfield Tube Works in Great Britain dated December 1942, showing an aerial photographic image of the factory area overlaid with roads, bridges, and designated target points. The document bears the warning "Nur für den Dienstgebrauch," translated as "For Internal Use Only." The Chesterfield Tube Works produced industrial cylinders and compressors important to the Allied war effort, and German bombing raids targeted the factory and nearby rail lines; one recorded bombing attempt reportedly missed the intended target and struck a golf course several miles away. The archive also includes a map titled Karte der ehemaligen Tschechoslowakei ("Map of the Former Czechoslovakia") printed with red elevation markings and bearing the headline "Sonderausgabe!" ("Special Edition!"), produced during the period of German occupation following the annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938 and the subsequent occupation of the remainder of Czechoslovakia in 1939. Additional maps depict the city of Plze?, located at the edge of the Sudetenland and occupied by German forces during the war, along with maps of Köln (Cologne), Umgebung von Wien (surroundings of Vienna), and broader geographic overview maps labeled Deutsches Reich, Frankreich, and Italien. One large overview sheet titled Blatt Südost includes a color printed regional map with scale 1:1,000,000. During World War II the production of detailed maps formed a central component of military planning, aerial reconnaissance, and territorial administration across Europe. German cartographic units compiled aerial imagery, industrial intelligence, and geographic data to support bombing operations and to administer occupied territories. Maps such as the Chesterfield industrial target sheet demonstrate how aerial photography and cartographic overlays were combined to identify transportation networks and industrial infrastructure vulnerable to bombing campaigns. Other maps in the archive reflect the shifting political geography of Europe under Nazi occupation, including representations of territories incorporated into or controlled by the German Reich. The group contains ten maps of varying sizes, including large wall maps exceeding 50 inches in width. Several maps show signs of use including wear and annotations; the Plze? map lacks the original key section. Overall condition ranges from good to very good with occasional handling wear consistent with wartime cartographic materials. A substantial group of World War II German maps documenting both strategic planning and the geography of occupied Europe.
Seller Inventory # 14430
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