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Historically Significant Archive of General Omar Bradley's Situation Maps for the Invasion of Europe, June 9, 1944 to April 1,...
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Sold on Jun 19, 2023 for:
$42,500.00
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Description
Historically Significant Archive of General Omar Bradley's Situation Maps for the Invasion of Europe, June 9, 1944 to April 1, 1945.An archive of 84 individual maps, each measuring 22-1/2 x 20-inches, printed in blue and black. Each is marked "SECRET" with the later "CONFIDENTIAL" red stamp as their classification was downgraded. These were produced by the 12th Army Group Engineering Department based on aerial reconnaissance ("Projection-Europe (Air) Conical Orthomorphic") on a scale of 1:500,000. Each indicates the position of American, British and German troops as of 1200 hours on the day of issue. The majority are labeled 12th ARMY GROUP OUTLINE MAP and up until July 15, 1944 with "HQ FUSAG", which represents the fictitious "First U.S. Army Group" decoy Army Group from Operation Quicksilver. The maps include the following dates:
June 9-29, 1944, inclusive
July 1-24, 1944, inclusive, lacking July 25, 1944, July 26-31, 1944 inclusive
August 1-2, 1944, lacking August 3, 1944, August 4-12, 1944
September 24, 1944
October 1, 1944
November 13, 1944
December 14-22, 1944, inclusive, lacking December 23 and 24, 1944, December 25-29, 1944 inclusive
January 1-2, 1945
HQ 12th Army February Situation map
HQ 12th Army April Situation Map
We have previously sold the June 6, June 7 and June 8, 1944 maps. The December 30, 1944 map showing Patton's relief of Bastogne is in this current auction. This large archive will give the daily situation for important engagements such as the battle for Caen (June 6-August 6, 1944), the battle for Cherbourg (June 6-July 1, 1944) and the battle for Carentan (June 10-14, 1944).
The maps belonged to one of Bradley's senior G-3 staff officers responsible for their production and safekeeping. Starting in November 1944, he sent one set of maps to the National Archives where they remain today. After the war when the security status was downgraded, he was given permission to take one set back to the U.S. In 2011 the officer's estate was liquidated and the maps obtained by a military historian. The historian retained them until 2015 when our current consignor acquired them.
The maps were recently examined by the curator of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum in Ft. Lee, Virginia. In his letter dated April 7, 2017 (a copy of which accompanies the lot), Luther D. Hansen writes: "From my examination of these Omar Bradley WWII Headquarters FUSAG/12th AG battle maps, I conclude that they are original to WWII and one of only four original sets ever produced.... The Library of Congress has built a website showcasing their map set... the only website dedicated to battle maps within the U.S. government... I believe that this Omar Bradley map set is the only set in private hands. The maps show wear and use as well as aging, and yet they are of the highest quality and clearly show the most famous battles of WWII unfolding for us today as they did for General Omar Bradley in 1944. To view Bradley's maps 70 years later with the benefit of historical reassessment, we can see the omissions and intelligence failures that impacted his decisions and battle outcomes. Especially interesting is the map heading 'HQ FUSAG' on D-Day which represents the fictitious 'First U. S. Army Group' decoy Army Group from Operation Quicksilver. Omar Bradley's map headings changed to 'HQ Twelfth Army Group' after the enemy figured out the deception... in terms of rarity and historical significance, these maps are a perfect 10."
Condition: Excellent. Occasional mild toning at the edges.
Auction Info
2023 June 19 Arms & Armor, Civil War & Militaria Signature® Auction #6271 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2023
19th
Monday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 11
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 912
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