Description:

GEN. FRANZ HALDER'S MAP OF THE BATTLES OF RZHEV
Original hand-drawn situation map from the personal files of German Gen. FRANZ HALDER (1884–1972) documenting the Rzhev–Vyazma salient near the end of winter 1941/42, executed using india ink on coated map paper, 1p. 4to. in size, the drawing titled: 'Skizze 1 – Lage am 30.3.42 und Angriffsrichtungen (Beisp.)' ('Sketch 1 – situation on 30 March 1942)'. The map is drawn on a scale of 1:1,000,000 with a 0–60 km bar. Terrain covered includes the Rzhev–Vyazma sector of the central front, with Rzhev to the north; Vyazma at the hub; Yukhnov to the south-east. The Smolensk–Moscow highway labeled 'Autobahn' runs west–east through Vyazma ('v. Smolensk' to the west, 'n. Moskau' to the east). Sector titles '9. Armee' (north) and '4. Armee' (south) show the two German armies holding the salient. From Vyazma several attack arrows radiate east and north-east toward the Rzhev axis and along the Autobahn—showing planned/considered thrusts rather than executed maneuvers. Dates indicated are earlier reference points for the road sector. This map fixes the spring 1942 situation in Army Group Center's salient and how the Germans viewed the Rzhev–Vyazma bulge at a specific moment—essential context for the heavy fighting that followed in 1942. The sheet records intended axes (from Vyazma toward Rzhev/Moscow), offering a primary-source glimpse of operational intent and priorities before the Germans' later actions. Operational geometry at a glance. By placing 9th Army and 4th Army around the Autobahn spine, it clarifies why Vyazma was the key road/rail node anchoring the salient. The map sits within the Battles of Rzhev (Rzhev–Vyazma operations) in 1942—Army Group Center's defensive-offensive struggle around the salient that later included German actions such as Operation Seydlitz (July 1942) and Soviet offensives culminating in Operation Mars (November 1942). A contemporaneous planning sketch of 30 March 1942 that captures the Rzhev–Vyazma salient and the attack directions the Germans were weighing from Vyazma—a valuable primary source for understanding the Rzhev–Vyazma operations of 1942.

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

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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