12th Armored Division Campaign Map

The 12th Armored Division’s route begins late in the war, but its campaign quickly moved from severe setback to rapid exploitation. Arriving in France in November 1944, the “Hellcat” Division entered combat along the Franco-German frontier, where its first operations took place near the old Maginot Line and the approaches to the Saar.

Its hardest early test came at Herrlisheim in January 1945. Fighting around the German bridgehead over the Zorn River cost the division heavily and marked one of the most difficult armored actions faced by the unit. After regrouping, the 12th Armored took part in the reduction of the Colmar Pocket, helping eliminate the last major German foothold west of the Rhine in Alsace.

In March, the division crossed the Rhine and drove into southern Germany. Its route carried it through Würzburg and across Franconia, then over the Danube at Dillingen after the capture of an intact bridge sped the advance south. In the final weeks, the Hellcats crossed the Lech and pushed toward Austria as organized German resistance collapsed. The map shows a campaign of recovery and acceleration, from a costly baptism on the frontier to the fast-moving end of the war in southern Germany.

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.