1945 LeDonne Map of Europe and the 1115th Engineer Combat Group During World War II

This is a monumental and impressive 1945 John A. LeDonne route map of Europe tracing the movements of the 1115th Engineer Combat Group during World War II. It is the largest and most impressive 'Route Map' to emerge out of World War II (1939 - 1945).

A Closer Look

Areas shaded gray highlight the scope of the 1115th's operations: from Normandy through northern France, Belgium, and Holland before traversing Germany to the Elbe River. The dashed line follows the 1115th 'route of march'. Underlined towns accompanied by dates likely refer to the 1115th's establishment of command posts as it fought across the continent. 100 numbers in circles mark where units attached to the 1115th built bridges. These correspond with an index on the sixth sheet, which notes the type of bridge built, its length, the date of construction, and the nearest town. Some bridges were built at the same location twice, suggesting they were destroyed and rebuilt. Major cities are included to provide geographical context.

Pictorial Vignettes

Like many World War II route maps, LeDonne uses pictorial vignettes to highlight wartime experiences. Many depict children asking for candy, chocolate, cigarettes (supposedly for their father), or other things. The Eiffel Tower appears below the route of march, suggesting the men dreamed of seeing Paris. References to local alcohol (calvados and cognac) appear next to comic caricatures of inebriated soldiers.

'Be Wise Don't Fraternize'

One of the most common themes in these maps, fraternization, appears in a few places here. A portrait of a French woman appears next to the Eiffel Tower and exclaims, 'Oo! La, La!!!' while looking at the tower. Further east, a wide-eyed and very excited G.I. stands nose to nose with a woman and says, 'Did I just liberate you?', obviously hoping for a show of amorous 'gratitude'. The third reference, firmly in Germany, is a woman walking away from a disappointed and confused G.I. Between them, a sign reads, 'Be Wise Don't Fraternize'.

World War II Route Maps

Maps tracing unit movements were created by American and British forces both during and after World War II. The genre is aesthetically broad, ranging from the purely functional with just placenames and dates to the artistic to the comic. Many combine the three, engendering a visually striking and historically informative summary of a unit's peregrinations.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Sergeant John A. LeDonne and checked by Major F. J. Hutta. We note a single cataloged example in OCLC, which is part of the collection at Texas A and M University. We know of a second example in an institutional collection and one other example in private hands. Rare Book Hub notes a single instance of this map at auction.