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To Belgium and Back |
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Through France
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To the Rhine |
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Over The Rhine
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Steve Kalihan (after)
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Series of four maps showing the movement of the U. S. Army 79th Infantry Division, under the command of Major General Ira T. Wyche during the final months of World War II. Each map features illustrations of troop movements and is bordered by names of the towns and cities they passed through. The series begins with the D-Day landing in Normandy in June 1944, and documents the push west over the next several months, through France, Belgium and the Rhine Valley, ending on Victory in Europe Day. After April 13, the division went on occupation duty in the Dortmund, Sudetenland and Bavarian areas until its return to the U.S. These maps were printed in Dortmund, evidently while the 79th Infantry was still there.
The maps are embellished with illustrations of military vehicles and landmarks, as well as some larger pictures such as soldiers in a foxhole in To Belgium and Back and a battlefield littered with destroyed vehicles in To the Rhine. Captions appear throughout the series giving dramatic historical accounts of events, such as the following: "At 2130 on the darkest, rainiest Aug 19 on record the division received orders to cross the seine. By 0300 the 313th had one battalion across-the first allied troops over the seine. The Luftwaffe came in swarms but the 463 AAA BN made the homeward flight a lonely ride. The division artillery's murderous fire made a continuous pattern of death." Condition: Generally very good with the usual overall toning, wear and soft creases. Some irregular toning lines. Scattered wear and few short tears to edges. Reference: "79th Infantry Division." CMH Online. 30 November 2001. http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/lineage/cc/079id.htm (12 May 2003). |