Description:

"SECRET" AFTER-ACTION REPORT OF THE THIRD U.S. ARMY
Immense, richly detailed and illustrated document, "After Action Report, Third U.S. Army, 1 August 1944-9 May 1945" (Washington, D.C.: 652nd and 942nd Engineer Battalions), 1945, two volumes, a chronicle of U.S. General Gorge S. Patton''s advance across Europe at the head of the Third Army. The first volume, approx. 800pp. folio, provides a day-by-day narrative of the movements divided into twelve chapters, actions and engagements of the entire Third Army, from its pre-deployment training in Britain, to its advance across northern France into Belgium, it''s participation in the Battle of the Bulge, the crossing of the Rhine and the push through Germany to Czechoslovakia and Austria at war''s end. Each section is lavishly illustrated with many hundreds of photographs, the majority actions shots, with many others showing German prisoners and destroyed equipment as well as line drawings, maps, graphs comparing American and German losses, and more. Various appendices reprint the orders issued by the Third Army, tactical air campaign reports, an outline plan for Operation Overlord, and much else. Bound into the volume at the rear is a pouch containing fourteen 1:500,000-scale maps depicting the Third Army''s areas of operation in Europe. The second volume, approx. 900pp. folio, compiles reports from the Third Army''s various sections, including "Command", "Artillery", "Chemical Warfare", "Finance", "Medical", "Ordnance", "Public Relations", and all other subservient departments. These contain a wealth of minute detail addressing the day-to-day operations of all aspects of the Third Army throughout their European campaigns. Most of the penultimate section, "Tank Destroyer", and all of the final section, "Air", appear to be absent. Accompanying the set, and presented as an appendix to Volume II, is a bound portfolio containing seventy 1:100,000-sclae maps, depicting the Third Army''s area of operations as shown in the map supplement to Volume I, albeit in much finer detail. Volumes I and II both bear an ink stamp ordering the cancellation of the report''s classification, dated March 23, 1948, and bearing the confirmation signature of an officer. The covers of both volumes also bear an adhesive mailing label forwarding the set at the request of a Lt. Col. Hess. Apart from the missing pages to Volume II described above, each volume shows some missing binding bolts, scattered soiling, bumps and chips to the covers and pages, with some splitting to the portfolio containing the map supplement. Nevertheless, it remains the authoritative account of the European Front as experienced by the Third Army, and with only 289 copies produced, one of the rarest.

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April 17, 2018 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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