Description:

GEN. FRANZ HALDER'S MAP OF THE EASTERN FRONT, JUNE 27, 1942
Highly important map from the personal files of German Gen. FRANZ HALDER (1884–1972), titled: 'Ubersichtsskizze 11 - Ostfront vom 28. Juni bis 24. September 1942' ('Overview sketch 11 – Eastern Front from 28 June to 24 September 1942'), 12.5 x 23 in. drawn at 1:4,000,000 scale in India ink and colored pencil, on coated heavy drafting paper 12.5 in. x 23 in. The map shows the entire Eastern Front, from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Caucasus and Caspian regions in the south, with the German front line on 25 September 1942 drawn as a heavy black line. All of the principal fronts are illustrated, including Leningrad, Wolchow-Front, Nordwest-Front, Smolensk, the Kalinin-Front, Orel, Kursk, Briansk, etc. and including positions of the 2nd Hungarian Army and 8th Italian Army, as well as the Stalingrad front with 4. Pz. Armee and 6. Armee deep in that region and the German 1. Pz. Armee and 17. Armee are shown advancing toward oil-rich areas and mountain passes. This map represents the front line three months into Operation Fall Blau, showing the maximum southern advance of German forces in 1942 as forces in the north and center hold their positions. Of great significance is the 6th Army and 4th Panzer Army shown engaged in the Battle of Stalingrad as Army Group A (1st Panzer Army and 17th Army) advances deep into the Caucasus toward oil production facilities, and all this as Italy, Hungary, and Romania hold critical sectors. This original, hand-drawn map is a direct visual record of the German High Command's strategic situation at the height of their 1942 campaign in the Soviet Union. It documents the culmination of Fall Blau, with German forces split between the Stalingrad siege and the Caucasus drive. The overextension of Axis forces across a massive front as the German sought to seize oil fields concurrent with the desperate effort to take Stalingrad would lead to ruin within a few months. From a military strategy standpoint, the map captures the turning point where tactical successes masked strategic peril. Within weeks, Soviet counteroffensives would encircle the 6th Army in Stalingrad and force a retreat from the Caucasus. This map shows the Wehrmacht at the point of its greatest territorial reach while simultaneously on the brink of disaster, with forces fatally split between seizing Stalingrad and driving deep into the Caucasus oil fields. Halder recognized Hitler's grossly overambitious plan and fell out of his favor in the autumn of 1942. He had long warned of exactly the events which would soon unfold, but Hitler was fixated on capturing both objectives simultaneously for their symbolic and economic value. Halder's concerns were renounced as overly cautious or defeatist. The disagreements reached a breaking point in September 1942, just as the situation shown on this map solidified. Halder was dismissed on 24 September 1942 — literally one day before the 'Lage am 25. September' date on this map — making this document a direct snapshot of the military reality during Halder's final hours as Chief of the General Staff.

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

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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$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