[Maps of the 383rd AAA Battalion]

Rare set of WWII unit history maps owned by a veteran.

This colorful collection of five WWII route maps was designed by Edward Polefko of the 383rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Battalion. Each sheet uses basic pictorial features, pastel colors, and printed text to describe the various actions of the unit from its activation at Fort Bliss, Texas in 1943 to occupation duty on Mindanao in late 1945. Each map is briefly described below:

• The 383rd State-Side (22.4″ x 16) – A map of the United States that traces the training of the 383rd from coast to coast (almost). Participation in the Louisiana Maneuvers is noted, along with several vignettes that reflect the optimism of the early war years.
• The 383rd Overseas (7.9″ x 12.8″) – A broad overview of the regional activity across the South Pacific, following the unit from Australia to the Philippines. Signed by a previous owner, T/4 Sgt. James F. Baur.
• The 383rd AAA At Aitape, New Guinea (22.25″ x 19.75″) – A fascinating diagrammatic overview of the disposition of specific elements of the 383rd around an airstrip on New Guinea. The Australian Air Force catches some flak with its pictorial depiction, while important events are listed in the upper right.
• The 383 in Morotai (19.75″ x 22.5″) – Another schematic map showing the distribution of AA guns across the southern tip of Morotai in Indonesia. Text in the lower right describes two successful encounters with enemy planes, albeit at the cost of 383rd casualties. LST-447 is shown off the coast, but the ship was sunk by a kamikaze attack in 1945.
• The 383rd in Mindanao (19.75″ x 22.25″) – Military content is replaced by largely civilian vignettes on this map, which covers the end of the 383rd’s service in the Pacific Theater. Pockets of ongoing Japanese resistance are shown, along with a basic transportation overview. A list of events is provided at the bottom, concluding (appropriately) with SWEATING IT OUT!