788 Field Artillery Battalion Calendar

The WWII campaign history of the 788th Field Artillery Battalion.

This unusual and uncommon unit history map focuses solely on the six week combat operations of the 788th Field Artillery Battalion in the E.T.O., which lasted between March 5 and April 17, 1945. Ten different numbered boxes mark the unit’s path across Germany between Aldekerk and Weitmar. A variety of bright red symbols identify scattered enemy installations such as gun emplacements, supply dumps, pillboxes, and troop concentrations. Accompanying text (both printed and handwritten) at the bottom of the page provides further context not possible with the map alone.

The ‘official’ commentary focuses on the effects of the artillery on the ‘Heinies’ (slang for Germans) and the advance eastward. The manuscript details, added by a veteran of the unit, offer more personalized details about each stop, such as the lodging circumstances, individual responsibilities, and scope of action. One notable example from Lohberg reads (when referencing the printed caption) “He isn’t shitting we used charge two for direct fire on tanks about a mile away. Close for big guns.” Insignia of the 9th Army and XVI Corps (also labeled by hand) can be seen in the upper corners.

The map’s image is based on one created by the Geographical Section, General Staff of the British War Office. Reproduced in May 1945 by the 667th Engineer Topographic Company. Rare and unlisted in WorldCat or other online repositories as of June 2024.