A fascinating and highly unusual original Second World War manuscript map, hand drawn by RAF trainee K. Haigh during the summer of 1944.
This listing contains a unique double-sided sheet carrying two hand-drawn maps. The main German map is drawn on one side of the sheet, while the principal section of a hand-drawn map of Poland is drawn on the reverse.
The two maps therefore form part of the same original sheet, with Germany on one side and Poland on the other.
The Polish map continues onto a further separate page, which is included with this listing. Two additional original pages are also included: one containing the key to the German map together with further handwritten notes, and another containing the key to the Polish map together with the continuation of the Polish map.
These are not printed or officially issued military maps. They are original, unique manuscript maps, drawn by an RAF trainee as part of his geographical studies during the Second World War.
The historical significance of these maps is considerable.
The German map depicts the heart of Nazi Germany and includes cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich and Nuremberg, as well as neighbouring countries and territories.
The Polish map is particularly evocative. It includes Warsaw, Krakow, Lublin, Radom, Bialystok, Lodz, Poznan, Katowice and other important locations, as well as areas extending towards Lithuania, Czechoslovakia and Hungary.
Many of these places became synonymous with the occupation of Poland, the Holocaust and some of the darkest events of the Second World War. Warsaw, Krakow, Lublin and other locations represented here have an especially powerful historical resonance.
It is important, however, to view the map as a contemporary geographical study, rather than as a map specifically recording those events. Its significance lies partly in the fact that these places were being studied and mapped by an RAF trainee during the war itself, at a time when the outcome of the conflict in Europe was still unfolding.
The maps therefore provide a remarkable contemporary snapshot of European geography during 1944, when the Allied invasion of Normandy had begun the liberation of Western Europe and the eventual advance towards Germany was underway.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this material is its personal nature.
Unlike the commercially produced military, escape and campaign maps that were issued in quantities to servicemen, this is a hand-drawn working document created by an individual RAF trainee.
The maps retain the original handwriting, drawing style, colouring, annotations and corrections of the person who created them.
The Polish section is particularly visually striking, with its use of coloured shading to distinguish geographical features, seas, borders and high country, while the German map is rendered predominantly in black ink.
Together, the maps provide an unusually intimate insight into the geographical training undertaken by an RAF serviceman during the Second World War.
The maps come from an original RAF Geography Exercise Book belonging to K. Haigh, whose name and training details are recorded in the book.
The notebook contains extensive handwritten geographical and aviation-related notes, together with dated entries from June and July 1944. These provide contemporary provenance and establish the period during which the maps were being produced.
Images of the notebook, its cover and selected dated entries are included in this listing for provenance and reference purposes only.
The notebook itself is not included with this listing.
This listing includes:
The main sheets are approximately 20.5 × 16 cm.
The Polish map extends onto the additional page, measuring approximately 20.5 × 21.5 cm overall when the continuation is included.
The maps and accompanying pages remain in very good original condition considering their age and provenance.
The original handwriting, drawings, colouring, annotations and markings remain intact. There is some expected age-related handling and light wear to the paper, but overall the material presents exceptionally well for an original wartime document.
Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.
This listing is for the original Germany and Poland maps and the additional pages shown in the photographs only.
The Germany map and the main section of the Poland map are drawn back-to-back on the same sheet. They are therefore not two separate sheets.
The original RAF exercise book, its cover and any other pages or maps shown for provenance purposes are not included.
This is an original and unique wartime manuscript, not a printed military map or later reproduction.