A RARE "SECRET" WW2 "BATTLE OF THE BULGE" era map entitled "MONSCHAU" with an overprinted red layer of GERMAN DEFENSIVE POSITIONS at the highly detailed scale of 1:25,000.

Produced on a 'greyscale' British War Office template by the US Army's 654th Engineer Topographic Battalion.

Records German positions around MONSCHAU which is situated in the centre of the map, surrounded by the 'FORST MONSCHAU' (MONSCHAU FOREST).

This was the only US Sector which did not yield to the Germans' surprise Ardennes Offensive, but without a precise printing date, it would require further research to pinpoint whether these Defensive Positions relate to the initial Allied capture of the town, or the subsequent recapture following the failed German counterattack which had briefly managed to retake it.

It's interesting to note that there is a much thinner assessment of the German defences in the direct vicinity of the town itself, indicative of a lack of reliable intelligence information that is generally associated with heavily wooded areas or the chaos of ongoing fighting. As the area concerned is actually one of the more open areas on the map, it may be a result of the latter, which could also explain the lack of the usual formalities, such as a printing date etc.