1945 WWII Route Map of the Nazi German 4th Mountain Division in Eastern Europe

This is a July 1945 World War II route map of the Nazi 4th Mountain Division in Eastern Europe. The map depicts from southeastern Germany to the Caucasus and follows the Division's movements through the Balkans and during Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Illustrations mark the Division's farewell in southern Germany and also depict tanks, soldiers, and views across southern Ukraine and the Caucasus.

A Closer Look

This map follows the Division's movements beginning in Egingen, Germany (south of Stuttgart) on March 15, 1941. The Division left by train and traveled to Slatina in Romania, where they fought in the Yugoslavia campaign from March 22, 1941, until the end of April. After leaving Belgrade by train in late April, the Division arrived in Slovakia in June 1941 before marching to the Soviet border to participate in Operation Barbarossa as part of Army Group South. The Division crossed the border on June 23, the day after the start of the invasion, and fought its way across southern Ukraine, reaching the Donets River by November 1941. In July 1942, the Division moved south to participate in Operation Edelweiss, the invasion of the Caucasus. The objective was to reach Baku and its oil fields. The Nazis made it as far south as North Ossetia before being turned back. In 1943 the Nazis established a defensive line known as the Kuban bridgehead in the Taman Peninsula, between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. This is where the map stops following the movements of the 4th Division.

The History Not on the Map

After Operation Edelweiss failed (which is referenced on the map), the Division was pushed back to the Kuban bridgehead, then through the Crimean Peninsula, western Ukraine, Hungary, and Slovakia. At the end of the war, the Division surrendered to Soviet forces near Olomouc in Czechoslovakia, and the Soviets took the majority prisoner.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by an unknown individual and dated July 1945. We are aware of only one other example, which is in private hands.