1945 WWII Pictorial Route Map of the XXI Corps in Europe

This is a 1945 World War II pictorial unit route map of the XXI Corps in Europe. One of the Corps' attached units, the famed 101st Airborne Division, reached Berchtesgaden (Hitler's infamous 'Eagle's Nest') on V-E Day, May 8, 1945.

A Closer Look

Coverage embraces from Metz, France, to Berchtesgaden, Germany, the map follows elements of the XXI Corps from their arrival in Phalsbourg, France, on December 28, 1944, to Degerndorf, Germany, where part of the Corps spent May 5-12, 1945, and celebrated the end of the war. Red and green arrows highlight troop movements. Towns are numbered 1 through 27, each likely representing one of the Corps' command posts. Larger surrounding cities are also marked, including Nancy, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, and Karlsruhe. Comic vignettes provide levity and illustrate moments nearly every GI could relate to, including bouncing along in the back of a truck, sitting on a bench on leave (probably hungover), and capturing Nazi prisoners. An eagle in its nest appears just below Berchtesgaden and screams in German, 'Hitler Kaput!' (This is a reference to the Eagle's Nest.) The whole is overlaid on a swastika, through which the route of the XXI Corps boldly cuts, a potent illustration fall of Nazi Germany.

The XXI Corps During World War II

The XXI Corps was activated on December 6, 1943, at Camp Polk, Louisiana. It entered combat on January 17, 1945, in Alsace, France as part of the army that ultimately collapsed the Colmar Pocket in January and February. It crossed into Germany on March 20, 1945, after breaching the Siegfried Line. The Corps fought through southern Germany into Austria, with some elements entering northern Italy. The XXI Corps Headquarters was inactivated on September 30, 1945, in Germany.

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, which labels places and provides dates, to the artistic and 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 created by an unknown artist and published c. 1945 for members of the XXI Corps, likely in Europe. We note a single cataloged example in OCLC, which is part of the collection at Texas A and M University. It is scarce on the private market.