Kolgujew/Karskije-Worota R 39/40 [Nova Zembla, Soviet Union]

“Special Edition” (Sonderausgabe) German Army map from World War II.

German military map focused on the Island of Nova Zembla, then part of the U.S.S.R. Published in Berlin by the German Army General Staff Directorate for War Maps and Surveying in 1940 as part of the Internationale Weltkarte [International World Map] series. Stamped Special Edition! For Official Use Only!

Issued at a small scale of 1: 1,000,000, the image provides a strategic overview of a large region in the Arctic Circle. Elevation is depicted using color. Settlements, transportation routes, geographic data, and military infrastructure are noted according to the legend in the margin.

The German Army was especially prolific at creating maps during World War II; with surveying units ultimately issuing over 500 million sheets throughout the war. Tens of thousands of these were returned to the United States for distribution to select American institutions via an official Army Map Service program. Many others made their way to the States tucked into the duffle bags of G.I.’s, useful as souvenirs from the war.

For further information, check out the captured German War Map Collection available at the UC Berkeley Library, the University of Buffalo Library, and Acquisition of World War II Captured Maps: A Case Study by Julie Sweetkind-Singer.