1945 Leonhard Pictorial WWII Route Map of the 262nd Ordnance Battalion in Europe

This is an artistic World War II pictorial route map highlighting the campaign of the 262nd Ordnance Ammunition Battalion drawn by Walter Leonard.

A Closer Look

The map follows the 262nd from its activation at Park End, England, through combat in France, Belgium, and Germany, to occupation duty in Hohenbrunn Germany. Banners mark cities and towns where the Battalion established a command post, including St. Lo, Le Mans, and Aachen. Stacks of cannon balls of varying sizes mark the ammunition dumps that the Battalion operated. Famous landmarks mark other cities, such as the Parliament in London, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the rail car where the World War I (1914 - 1918) armistice was signed at Chalons, and cathedrals in Coln and Munich. A large swastika marks the Ardennes, where the Battle of the Bulge was fought. In the upper right, beneath the title, American, British, and Soviet flags are planted atop a swastika.

Verso Content - The History of the 262nd Ordnance Ammunition Battalion

A history of the 262nd Ordnance Ammunition Battalion fills the verso. The history begins with the Battalion's activation in England on January 10, 1944, its training, and its role in preparing for the invasion of Normandy. The Battalion did not reach France until July 5, 1944. The Battalion operated supply depots in northern France, followed the breakout across France to Le Mans and Soissons, France, and then into Belgium by mid-October. In mid-November (still in Belgium), the Battalion was supplying the battle to breach the Siegfried Line while sitting in the line of fire of the V-1s. The 262nd was in Belgium when the Battle of the Bulge began and found itself in the line of fire. The haste with which units needed ammunition quickly changed how the 262nd operated, and the direct fire from enemy aircraft caused delays and other changes. The 262nd moved into Germany in March 1945 and supported the fight across Germany. After V-E Day, the 262nd moved south to Bavaria and established the Hohenbrunn Ammunition Depot as part of the Occupation of Germany. In the summary, it is stated that 46 units were assigned to the 262nd Ordnance Ammunition Battalion during the war (all of which are listed on the left side). It handled hundreds of thousands of tons of ammunition and operated nine different ammunition depots.

World War II Route Maps

Maps tracing unit movements during World War II were created by both American and British forces during and after the war. As a genre, these maps represent a broad range of aesthetics, from the purely functional that labels places and provides dates to the artistic, even comic. Many combine the three and provide a visually striking but historically informative summary of the unit's peregrinations.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Walter Leonhard and published in 1945, likely in Munich, Germany. We note 2 cataloged examples: one is at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, and the other is at the Library of Congress.