General Omar Bradley's D-Day + 1 Map for Operations Overlord and Neptune. 22.5" x 20" map printed in blue and black, titled: "Situation 2400 Hrs. 7 June 1944 Hq. Fusag [First United States Army Group]". Marked "Secret" which later was downgraded to "Confidential", it shows the position of U.S., British and German troops on the first full day of the Allied invasion that would lead to the liberation of Europe and the defeat of Hitler. These were produced by the 12th Army Group Engineering Department based on aerial reconnaissance ("Projection-Europe (Air) Conical Orthomorphic") on a scale of 1:500,000. We note the location of German tanks (Panzer Groups) both inland and along the lines of defense. Such maps were critical in developing a plan of attack and needed to be as accurate and up-to-date as possible. This map and the other two we are selling were part of a set of battle maps used by Omar Bradley in his capacity of commander of all U.S. ground forces taking part in the invasion. Four sets were produced in total, originally housed in a leather binder with the name "Bradley" stamped on front, as seen in period press photos. Minor edge roughness and toning, but generally in excellent condition.
The maps belonged to one of Bradley's senior G-3 staff officers responsible for their production and safekeeping. Starting in November 1944, he sent one set of maps to the National Archives where they remain today. After the war when the security status was downgraded, he was given permission to take one set back to the U.S. In 2011 the officer's estate was liquidated and the maps obtained by a military historian. The historian retained them until 2015 when our current consignor acquired them.
The maps were recently examined by the curator of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum in Ft. Lee, Virginia. In his letter dated April 7, 2017 (a copy of which accompanies the lot), Luther D. Hansen writes: "From my examination of these Omar Bradley WWII Headquarters FUSAG/12th AG battle maps, I conclude that they are original to WWII and one of only four original sets ever produced.... The Library of Congress has built a website showcasing their map set... the only website dedicated to battle maps within the U.S. government... I believe that this Omar Bradley map set is the only set in private hands. The maps show wear and use as well as aging, and yet they are of the highest quality and clearly show the most famous battles of WWII unfolding for us today as they did for General Omar Bradley in 1944. To view Bradley's maps 70 years later with the benefit of historical reassessment, we can see the omissions and intelligence failures that impacted his decisions and battle outcomes. Especially interesting is the map heading 'HQ FUSAG' on D-Day which represents the fictitious 'First U. S. Army Group' decoy Army Group from Operation Quicksilver. Omar Bradley's map headings changed to 'HQ Twelfth Army Group' after the enemy figured out the deception... in terms of rarity and historical significance, these maps are a perfect 10."
The General Bradley maps were also examined, certified and registered by the Historical Registry. The Historical Registry is a new company that will certify high-end artifacts, mark and register them in a permanent database. The certification report which will accompany the lot has all of the provenance with footnoted references. Photographs of Omar Bradley reviewing his "situation maps" are part of the report.