Description:

GEN. FRANZ HALDER'S MAP OF THE EASTERN FRONT, MAY 7, 1942
Highly important map from the personal files of German Gen. FRANZ HALDER (1884-1972), titled: 'Ubersichtsskizze 9-Ostfront von Mitte Februar bis 7. Mai 1942, Lage am 6. Mai 1942' ('Overview sketch 9-Eastern Front from mid-February to May 7, 1942, situation on May 6, 1942', 13 x 21.25 in. and drawn 1:4,000,000 scale in India ink and colored pencil on coated heavy drafting paper. This situation review map from the Eastern Front illustrates the Germans' worsening Eastern Front situation between mid-February and early May 1942. It was included in the war diaries (Kriegstagebuch) of Generaloberst Franz Halder, the Chief of the German Army General Staff, making it an official German operational map. This map covers the vast area between the Baltic Sea and Leningrad in the north down through Moscow, the Donbas, and Crimea, ending at the Black Sea and Caucasus oil region, depicting the Wolchow-Front (north), Nordwest-Front, Kalinin-Front, West-Front (center), Sudwest-Front, Sud-Front (south), and the Krim-Front (Crimea). It also includes the three major German Army Gruppes engaged at the time. The positions of the Soviet and German forces are displayed, with solid and dashed lines indicating different sectors and contested areas. It also includes notations for Soviet armies, areas of partisan activity, and regions under enemy threat. The map specifically shows the German 11th Army besieging Sevastopol and the continued hold over the Kerch Peninsula against Soviet attempts to break through. Cities shown include Leningrad, Moscow, Smolensk, Kharkov, Rostov, Sevastopol, Stalingrad (marked far east on the right side of the map). Some slight marginal chipping and very light folds, else very good. This map captures a critical transitional phase of the Eastern Front in 1942: German forces had by this time endured the Soviet winter counteroffensives of late 1941 and early 1942 and had now stabilized the front and were preparing for renewed summer operations. Preparations were also ongoing for Case Blue ('Fall Blau'), the German strategic offensive aimed at capturing Stalingrad and the oil fields of the Caucasus. This map shows the front lines just before these operations began. At the same time, the 11th Army under Manstein was finalizing the siege of Sevastopol, a key stronghold whose capture in June 1942 freed up forces for the southern offensive. Marked areas of partisan activity show the growing threat to German rear areas, especially in Army Group Centre's sector. This is not just a situational map, but a staff planning tool, used by Halder and the German High Command to assess force positions, enemy deployments, and strategic opportunities. Because it originates from Halder's Kriegstagebuch and covers a precise operational window, it is a rare primary source for historians and collectors, offering insight into the German military's own understanding of the Eastern Front balance before the fateful summer of 1942. This map is further historically significant as it documents not only precise front-line positions but also operational boundaries, army group structures, and Soviet deployments at a pivotal moment between the winter counteroffensive and the German summer push towards Stalingrad...and ultimate defeat.

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

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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