1945 87th Infantry Division WWII Campaign Route Map of Western and Central Europe

87th Infantry Division during World War II.

This is a 1945 campaign route map for the 87th Infantry Division in western and central Europe during World War II. The map was issued as a souvenir campaign map in the immediate wake of WWII to chronicle the Division's movements and battles from its arrival at Le Havre, France, until V-E Day near the Czechoslovak border.

A Closer Look

The map depicts from eastern England and Le Havre, France, east to Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, and from the (unlabeled) Netherlands to eastern France south of Strasbourg. Berlin appears off the main map in the top-right corner. Red text and arrows highlight the Division's movements and important engagements. However, very little detail is provided other than dates and arrows pointing to specific towns. A red star with the Soviet hammer and sickle appears on the right near Marienberg, where the Division contacted the Red Army. Black arrows illustrate the Division's non-combat movements, and cities and towns are labeled along the route. A few major cities not on the route (Calais, Amiens, Antwerp, Brussels, Düsseldorf, etc.) are labeled. Brown lines illustrate the highway network. A text box in the upper right lists the regiments and battalions that made up the 87th Infantry Division and their commanding officers, including infantry regiments, field artillery battalions, the engineer battalion, and the medical battalion. The Division's commanding officers appear below the title at the top center, and a table of Army and Corps assignments occupies the lower left corner.

The 87th Infantry Division

The 87th Infantry Division had existed during World War I (1914 - 1918) and was part of the Organized Reserves beginning in 1921. It was activated for World War II (1939 - 1945) on December 15, 1943, at Camp McCain, Mississippi. The Division spent nearly the next year training in the United States before departing for Europe on October 17, 1944. It arrived in England on November 12, 1944, and arrived in continental Europe on November 28, 1944. Elements of the 87th entered combat on December 5, 1944, near Metz, France, and the Division's first attack took place on December 11, 1944. On December 23, the 87th Infantry Division received orders to head to Belgium in response to the Germans' Ardennes Offensive, now known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 87th entered combat near Bertrix, Belgium, on December 29 and fought in Belgium until January 13, 1945.

On January 15, the Division moved to Luxembourg, where it rested, trained, and received replacements. The Division's next orders arrived on January 27 to reenter combat and take part in the assault on the Siegfried Line, and it remained on the line until mid-February. The next attack commenced on February 26, 1945. On March 16, the Division crossed the Moselle River and began the battle for Koblenz, Germany, which ended two days later.

The Division crossed the Rhine River on March 25, 1945, and was given the mission of advancing east as quickly as possible. The 87th covered over 100 kilometers in the following weeks, capturing many cities and towns, including Plauen, Germany. The 87th was nearly in Czechoslovakia on V-E Day.

By early June 1945, the 87th Infantry Division was already being redeployed back to the United States to be resupplied and redeployed to the Pacific for the invasion of Japan. However, by the time the entire Division was back at their new station (Fort Benning, Georgia), both atomic bombs had been dropped, and the Japanese surrendered a few days later. The war was over before the Division was redeployed to the Pacific, and it was inactivated on September 21, 1945.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by an unknown artist and published/printed by the 665th Engineer Topographic Battalion in June 1945. We note two examples cataloged in OCLC which are part of the collections at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center in Madison, Wisconsin, and the Donovan Research Library/Armor School Research Library at Fort Benning, Georgia. An example is part of the World War II Service Maps collection at Texas A and M University. Examples appear on the market from time to time.

Cartographer

The 665th Engineer Topographic Battalion (December 17, 1943 - December 1946) was part of the U.S. Army during World War II and provided technical support in the form of surveying, drafting, and map production. Activated on December 17, 1943, at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, the battalion initially consisted of twenty-eight men and an officer from the 650th Engineer Topographical Battalion, and five other officers from other units. Members of the unit had participated in the Army Specialized Training Program and had experience in topographical survey and mapping processes along with photomapping and reproduction techniques. The battalion was also supplemented with personnel who had received the necessary training as civilians. The unit spent the almost all of 1944 training in the United States, which included marksmanship drills, chemical warfare, and demolition instruction, along with winter training exercises in Wisconsin testing the army's newest winter clothing. The battalion embarked for Europe in New York City on December 8, 1944, and arrived two weeks later in Avonmouth, England. It left for the Theater of Operations from Southampton on January 30, 1945, and deployed to Belgium where it set up operations in Altembrouck, Belgium, and Castle Mheer in Mheer, Holland. Once their equipment was ready, the battalion began creating topography mapos from aerial photographs and ground survey information for the Ninth Army. It produced over 3,000,000 impressions in the first month. They moved to Hoensbroek, Holland, with map storage and distribution staying in Maastricht, Holland. Two weeks later the battalion moved to Mönchengladbach, Germany. The unit moved several more times in March and April 1945 to remain near the Ninth Army headquarters. After the war in Europe ended, the 665th continued making maps and conducting surveys for the Occupation forces. By mid-June the battalion had moved back to France in preparation for redeployment to the Pacific. However, the war in the Pacific ended before they left France. Some of the men in the unit (those with enough points) were discharged starting in October while the rest were transitioned to Occupation duty. The unit was deactivated in December 1946.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Light wear along original fold lines.

References

Texas A and M University G5721.S7 1945 .R5. OCLC 705942107.