Lot 461

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Description:

D-DAY 'TOP SECRET' MAP OF EUROPEAN GERMAN DEFENSES
Map used in the planning of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, from the files of Lt. Col. William B. Gara, commander of the crucial 1st Engineer Combat Battalion and among the first to land on Omaha Beach. The 22 x 29 in. map., headed 'TOP SECRET - BIGOT', is titled: 'ORDER OF BATTLE MAP FRANCE & LOWLANDS', is dated April 20, 1944, and is signed by Gara in block letters at the top. It shows the presumed locations of over two dozen German infantry, motorized, and tank divisions from near Amsterdam, along the coast, to Tours and Redon. Fallschirmjagers troops are shown, as well as the SS Div. 'Hitler Jugend', as well as those defending the Cotentin Peninsula and region about Calais. Original folds, file holes at the left margin, else very good. Obtained directly from Gara's estate. WILLIAM B. GARA (1917-2001) was an American Army Lieutenant Colonel, commander of the 1st Engineer Combat Battalion, 1st Infantry Division. Gara was a genuine war hero by any definition. He led his 700 men from North Africa to Sicily, he landed among the very first soldiers on Omaha Beach, was heavily engaged at the Battle of the Bulge, and fought into Germany until the end of the war. His most valiant service was at Omaha Beach where the 1st Engineers were tasked with landing minutes after the infantry, clearing obstacles to allow more landing craft to safely arrive, and continuing to clear barbed wire, mines, anti-tank obstacles and ravines, etc. from the beaches to a point a few miles inland to clear the path for infantry, tanks, and then truck transports. Under intense enemy small arms and anti-tank fire, Gara's engineers, along with elements of the 37th Engineers Battalion, opened the first and most important exit from Omaha Beach, E-1, allowing American GIs to flank the German defenses and begin their drive inland. By war's end, Gara had received two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars.

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January 25, 2023 10:00 AM EST
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
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$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000