Battle Relic:  United States Army 1:100 000 scale 1944 map of area of operations for 101st Airborne Division during Operation "Market Garden".
Used during deployment by a veteran of 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (101st Airborne Division) with provenance.
Introduction: From Battledetective Wilbert, featured in numerous previous articles by this agency, we were given a paper tactical map on loan, issued to and used by a World War Two veteran of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, whose identity will not be disclosed in this publication but known to this agency.

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We own a pristine copy of the same map in question, a US Army 1:100000 scale map of the area around the Dutch city of 'S HERTOGENBOSCH; capital of the province of North Brabant, and were given ample opportunity to compare it with one used by a true combat veteran.

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Item Description: Both the map owned by this agency and the one on loan are designated by its manufacturer as follows:
Holland   1: 100 000 For use only by
War and Navy Department Agencies Only
Not for sale or distribution
‘S HERTOGENBOSCH THIRD EDITION AMS- 1 SHEET 5
G.S., G.S. No. 2541
Published by War Office 1913.
3rd Edition 1943.
Revised and Reproduced by Ordnance Survey 1943
ARMY MAP SERVICE U.S. Army WASHINGTON, D.C. 135431
 
‘S HERTOGENBOSCH,
HOLLAND
N5130–E500/30x60
AUTHORITIES
Partly revised from Dutch maps of 1936-39
Communications revised from G.S., G.S. 4138, 4238
Autokart Van Nederland
Intelligence reports up to 1942

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The map Sheet 5 ‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH is part of a series of 7 maps published by the Directorate of Military Survey of the British Army, reprinted by the US Army Map Service.

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This map is printed on a 30’ by 60’ inch (65 x 90 centimeters) sheet of thick paper in color print.
The map shows an area of the Kingdom of the Netherlands ranging from the town of VIANEN (province of Utrecht) in the top left corner to the city of ARNHEM (province of Gelderland) in the top right corner and the city of TILBURG (Province of North-Brabant) in the lower left corner to the town of VENRAY (Province of Limburg) in the lower right corner.
The copy owned by us is unfolded and uncut. It still bears its five (black, yellow, red, green and blue) print proof color samples in the top corner.
The veteran’s copy has been cut to the issue standards and was folded to the area of operations of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment AND to fit in the pockets on the type M43 US Army jacket, made standard to US Army infantry units as of August 1944.

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(reenacted photo with copy of map
and original M43 jacket)

This map was issued to paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Airborne Division in a combat leading role during Operation “Market Garden”.
Battledetective Wilbert has known the veteran who was issued this map since a very young age. He grew up in the same street as the veteran in the state of New York and got to know him as his grandfather. On January 29th 1998, Wilbert was given the map with an accompanying note saying:
Dear Wilbert,
[...]

I am sending you the map that I carried with me when we parachuted into Holland on September 17th, 1944. The map is folded as I carried it that day. I landed near Zon and was at the Wilhelmina Canal when the Germans blew up the bridge. The next day, September 18 I was in Eindhoven, a great day for everyone.
When or if I get to see you at your home, perhaps I can talk about and see the places I will never forget. We spent many weeks on the dike across the river from Arnhem. The dirty part of the map at the top is the way it was folded then
."

EXHIBITIONS: The veteran-owned map undoubtedly shows folds, wear and dirt attached to the map section in the area where the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was deployed in the later stage of Operation "Market Garden"; the "Betuwe"; known by the Allied soldiers as "The Island" because of its locations between the rivers Rhine, Waal and Lek.

(click for an enlargement in Adobe PDF-format)
 

Because of the way the map was folded, the area of the initial objectives of the regiment in Son and Eindhoven was left relatively unexposed and it is therefore assumed that the map was used more extensively on The Island. In this area of operations the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment spent more time under enemy fire and sustained more casualties during the 72 day deployment in Holland than in the first 6 days of Operation "Market Garden".
 

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