Description:

GEN. FRANZ HALDER'S MAP OF 'OPERATION RAUBTIER'
Original hand-drawn situation map from the personal files of German Gen. FRANZ HALDER (1884–1972), executed using india ink of coated map paper documenting part of 'Operation: Raubtier' ('Beast of Prey'), 1p. 4to. in size, the drawing titled: 'Skizze 1 – Lage der 18. Armee am 26.3.1942' ('Sketch 1 – Situation of 18th Army on 26 March 1942'). The drawing is on a scale of 1:1,000,000 and includes a 0–60 km bar. It depicts the Leningrad sector from the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga, down the Volkhov (Wolchow) River to Novgorod and Lake Ilmen and includes Mga, Tosno,Lyuban, Chudovo, Novgorod, Pogostye, and the Volkhov crossing points. The legend indicates a rail/road off-loading area and contemplated attack directions. The map itself shows 18.Armee in control of the front south and east of Leningrad with corps/army designations shown around Lyuban–Mga. Two areas labeled 'Kessel' show intended/possible encirclements. Arrows point from German lines toward Lyuban/Mga and around the Volkhov bend, showing planned pincer directions. This German staff overview of the Leningrad–Volkhov front in late March 1942 shows Army Group North's 18th Army weighing offensive options to cut off Soviet forces in the Lyuban–Volkhov bridgehead east of Leningrad—i.e., where the Red Army had pushed across the Volkhov to try to relieve Leningrad. The sketch lays out intended encirclements ("Kessel") around the salient and records likely axes and off-loading zones for a renewed attack. It captures German planning to crush the Soviet 2nd Shock Army bridgehead, the campaign that led a few weeks later to the
encirclement and destruction of much of that force near Myasnoi Bor. This is primary-source planning, not hindsight as made clear by the legend's 'contemplated attack directions' and the
penciled Kessel outlines showing how 18th Army intended to fight, and offering a strategic context for the siege of Leningrad. Valuable evidence for how Army Group North conceived the spring 1942 operations that culminated in the Volkhov/2nd Shock Army disaster, and for understanding the siege's southern approaches.

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April 21, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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