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Three (3) vintage World War I-era maps of France - U.S. Military Postal Express Service related
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DESCRIPTION –
Three
paper maps, all unique pieces of postal and
military history.
Map
1 –
Large
civilian (French) map of France, showing routes traveled by Postal Express
Service veteran and signed by him on the reverse; undated WWI-era
Map
2 –
U.S.
Military Postal Express Service (MPES) map of France, showing cities and
villages, APOs, RPOs, MTS routes, and railways; dated 1919
Map
3 –
U.S.
military map of Meuse-Argonne Offensive, showing lines of advance during the 3
phases of the battle, German defensive locations, participating U.S. Army
divisions, AND
a “sightseeing” route through the battlefield taken by a soldier, a MPES
veteran; dated 1919
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Map
1:
NOUVELLE CARTE
DE
FRANCE
BELGIQUE, BORDS DU RHIN, SUISSE, ETC.
CARTE
ROUTIERE POUR AUTOMOBILISTES & CYCLISTES
English
translation –
NEW MAP
OF
FRANCE
BELGIUM, BANKS OF THE RHINE, SWITZERLAND, ETC.
ROAD MAP FOR MOTORISTS
& CYCLISTS
The
LARGE color map of France bears the name of “Albert R. Davis” hand-written in ink on
the reverse, above “Postal Express
Service / Paris, France”.
On
the map itself, various routes between cities in France (and Great Britain and
Germany) are highlighted.
In
the upper right margin are hand-written notes by Davis stating locations and dates
he left and rejoined “the train” (RPO* train assumed); example - “left train at Chateau-Thierry Apr. 15”; “rejoined train at Soissons Apr.
15”. Since one of the final entries reads “left train at Coblentz [Koblenz]
Apr. 21”, and Coblenz is in Germany,
these are 1919 dates.
*
Railway Post Office
** ©nasa21 – do not copy **
When
compared with the routes depicted on the second, official MPES map, it is
apparent that these highlighted routes are RPO lines the map owner/veteran
traveled. Additionally, a “side trip” to tour the Meuse-Argonne battlefield is
depicted, which is shown in more detail on Map 3.
Another
note is scrawled in the bottom right margin; it appears to be a first name and
U.S. street address [Glen / 610 west 82d
St].
The
Nouvelle Carte de France (New Map of
France) is undated, produced in France by A. Taride in Paris. Text is in
French.
The
map includes, in addition to the whole of France, the south coast of England, the
southern portion of Belgium from Anvers south, Luxembourg, western portions of
Germany and Switzerland, and the northern border area of Spain.
The
map also depicts French colonies in Africa, Indochina, and the South Pacific.
The
LARGE map measures 41 inches wide by 34 inches high.
This
map is in GOOD
condition, with some separation at fold junctions, and some creases, but no
missing sections. And NO musty or unpleasant odor.
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Map
2:
The
unique second map of France indicates
the locations of U.S. military mail transfer stations and A.P.O.s (Army Post
Office), R.P.O. (Railway Post Office) rail lines, French railways, and Motor
Truck Service (M.T.S.) routes in France and into Germany through Metz to
Coblenz.
Includes
the area from Brest and Biarritz in the west to Coblenz, Belfort, and Monte
Carlo in the east, from Dunkerque (Dunkirk) and Reuters in the north to Pau and
Marseille in the south.
R.P.O.
lines are listed on the left with their associated codes, eg. “Brest – Paris … B-P”.
Map
title in upper left:
FRANCE
Printed
in the right lower corner of the map:
POSTAL
EXPRESS SERVICE
TRANSPORTATION
DEPT. ** ©nasa21 – do not
copy **
Printed
at Base Printing Plant 29th Engrs. [Engineers]
U.S.
Army. 1919
Printed
in English.
Cities
and camps are shown with their associated APO, eg. “Issoudon (724)”.
The
black and white map measures 23 inches wide by 20 1/2 inches high.
This
map is in VERY GOOD
condition, with no separation at folds. There are some stains on the left
margin and sun- or light-bleaching and purple discoloration on the reverse. The
discoloration shows through to the front only in its darkest areas of color.
There
are no missing sections. No musty odor.
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Map
3:
This
map is unique not for its origin but for
its use.
Marked
on the official map is a route through and around the Meuse-Argonne battlefield
followed by the Postal Express Service veteran during his time in Europe,
“sightseeing” after the Armistice.
MAP TO ILLUSTRATE
THE
MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE
FIRST,
SECOND AND LAST PHASES
To
Accompany Report of the Commander-in-Chief, November 20, 1918
A
LEGEND follows, with different colored
lined depicting:
American
Daily Lines of Advance
Numbers
Indicate Divisions in Line
French
Colonial Troops
Enemy
Defenses
Railroads
Printed
at Base Printing Plant, 29th Engineers, U.S. Army
1918
The
final battle of the American army in France that ended WWI is the subject of
the map.
The
map depicts rivers, road, and towns, and includes the territory from Mezierers and
Sedan in the north to Verdun in the southeast, from Suxy in the northeast to
Hurlus in the southwest.
The
veteran’s three day tour of the battlefield began at Clermont-en-Argonne on
April 17, 1919, thence to Vouziers, then north to Sedan, ending at Verdun on
April 19, 1919, where he boarded the train for the ride to Coblenz.
The
battle having ended only 5 months previous, just imagine what he saw …………
The
map is printed in English.
The
overall dimensions of the map are 29 inches wide by 30 1/2 inches high.
This
map is in POOR to
FAIR condition as it was used by the
veteran in his travels, folded and re-folded many times. The lower one-third of
the map has separated from the upper portion. There are major separations at
several folds.
NO
musty or unpleasant odor.
An
identical, un-marked upon map of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive is featured in a separate listing.
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These
items were included in a group of newspapers and maps used and/or collected by
a WWI veteran of the U.S. Military Postal Express Service. These included maps
of France used by the veteran during his service, many, many WWI and post-WWI
issues of The Stars and Stripes
newspaper, many issues of civilian in-theater newspapers (both French and
U.S./British), and several issues of immediate post-WWI U.S. Army unit, base,
and/or Army of Occupation newspapers.
According
to data in the book The Doughboys: The
Story of the AEF, 1917-198 by Laurence Stallings, Postal
Express Service officers and men constituted only 0.15% of U.S.
personnel in France during WWI, or about 3,000 out of nearly 2 million soldiers
and Marines.
Thus,
the rarity of the maps, especially the personalized large map of France, should not escape
the collector.
Sold
together as one lot ONLY – will not separate.
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These
items are located in the United States.
All
measurements are approximate.
Please
carefully review the photographs included with this listing and ask appropriate
questions if necessary.
Every effort has been made to accurately describe this item, including any defects.
The
watermark (©nasa21) is on the photos ONLY, not
on the item(s).
All
items are subject to prior sale, unless a bid is placed.
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mpes rms clerk envelope postmark postcard censor
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