71st Infantry Division Campaign Map

Entering combat in March 1945 after relieving the 100th Infantry Division near Ratzwiller, the Red Circle Division pushed through the West Wall, captured Pirmasens, and crossed the Rhine at Oppenheim at the end of the month.Once across the Rhine, the 71st Division moved quickly into central Germany. It helped eliminate a bypassed German force near Hanau, cleared toward the Fulda and Meiningen areas, and followed the 11th Armored Division in a rapid drive toward Coburg. By mid-April, the division was cutting major road and rail lines and fighting through Bayreuth, one of the harder urban actions along its route.

The final phase of the campaign carried the 71st south and east through Bavaria. It cleared Amberg, crossed the Naab and Danube, captured Regensburg, and then moved toward the Isar and Inn. In early May, the division entered Austria, secured crossings and dams along the Enns, and made contact with Soviet forces east of Linz as hostilities ceased. The map captures a compressed drive from the Rhine into Austria.

This classic map of the World War II operations of the 71st Infantry Division was drawn by Emil Albrecht and Roland Wille in 1946. Albrecht served as a draftsman in the headquarters section of the 71st Infantry Division.

PAPER & PRINTING

Printed on archival-grade, acid-free matte fine-art paper with a natural surface for crisp detail, accurate color, and lasting display quality.