1943 U.S. Army Map of Nürnberg

Last week I shared my dad’s account of his arrival at Liverpool by ship in 1944, just before he sailed across the English Channel to France. Soon after he entered the Battle of the Bulge.

I am fortunate that my dad, Herbert Miller, and his family saved many of the letters that he sent home during his WWII service in Europe.

Another item they saved is this 1943 Nürnberg map.

1943 Nürnberg Map

1943 Nürnberg Map

My dad sent this map to his parents, Carl and Gertrude (Brewster) Miller, RR #1, Willshire, Ohio, in October 1945. The map had to pass inspection and was certified that it did not contain government property. That was certified by Stankey K. Brooke.

1943 Nürnberg Map, addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Carl Miller, Willshire, Ohio.

1943 Nürnberg Map, sent to Mr. & Mrs. Carl Miller

This 1:100,000 Nürnberg map measures 36 x 25 inches. It is a First Edition-AMS2 map, written in English, for use by the War and Navy Department Agencies.

Nürnberg, also spelled Nuremberg, is a city in Bavaria, in southern Germany. Nürnberg is Bavaria’s second largest city, after Munich, and is located on the Pegnitz River. I am not sure if my dad ever was in Nürnberg, but he was in Heidelberg, about 140 miles away.

1943 Nürnberg Map, city of Nürnberg

Looking over the map, I recognize the names of a couple towns on the left side of the map, to the west of Nürnberg, the towns of Ipsheim and Windsheim. My maternal great-great-grandfather Friederick Schinnerer was from Ipsheim, which is about 35 miles from Nürnberg.

Towns of Ipsheim & Windsheim on 1943 Nürnberg Map

Some of my other ancestors were from a little south of Ipshiem, but these towns are not shown on this map. Crailsheim, the home of the Ruecks, is about 66 miles from Nürnberg. Ruppertshofen, the ancestral home of the Schumms, is about 100 miles from Nürnberg. Bierbach, where my great-grandfather Jacob Miller was born, is farther away, about 219 miles from Nürnberg.

1943 Nürnberg Map

Written on the map:

Germany 1:100,000, Sheet U-5, Nürnberg
For use by War and Navy Department Agencies only. Not for sale or distribution.
First Edition-AMS 2
Compiled by the Army Map Service (GD), U.S. Army, Washington, D.C., 1943.
From German General Staff maps of Germany.

Scales 1:25,000 1923-1938., 1:100,000 1933, and 1:2000,000 1910-1911. Partially revised from 1941 1942-1943 aerial photography. Road widths shown by figures between wedges from Strassenkarte, 1:300,000 German General Staff 1938.

First Edition 1943

Note: Officers using this map will mark herein corrections and additions which come to their attention and mail direct to the Chief of Engineers, Washington, D.C.

A.M.A. M641 (G.S.G.S. 4416)
Army Map Service, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C. 133777
1944
Nürnberg, Germany
N4915-E1020/30s60

It is an interesting item from WWII. The war was over when my dad sent the map home and I wonder if maps like these were left over after the war. Or, perhaps my dad used this map during combat.

Unfortunately I will never know.

2 comments

  1. Wow, Karen. So interesting! I’ve started reading historical fiction related to WWII. Have particularly enjoyed Kristin Harmel’s books–Loved “The Book of Lost Names.”

    Uncle Rex Bollenbacher was in WWII, in Paris on his 21st birthday. (He married Mary Catherine who was named after “Mary” Secour, and Fred’s wife Kathrina, and their baby girl who died and is buried in the Kessler Cemetery with the tombstone that has the little bird matching the one on Mary Secaur’s locket.

    For fun, I am fine-tuning Shadows again. Somehow, I keep getting new ideas about ways to tie it together. I can make small changes on Amazon and resubmit it which hopefully I will do again soon. My husband has had more health issues. I haven’t made it back to the Ft. Wayne Library to do more research. Hoping to someday soon!

    Thanks again for all of your help and insights. Hope you are doing well.

    Sharon

    1. Great to hear from you and that you are doing well. I hope your husband is doing better. WWII history seems to be more interesting and relevant when you know someone that served in the war. A couple WWII books, true stories I read last year that I found very interesting: Trapped in Hitler’s Hell, by Anita Dittman, and The Nazi Officer’s Wife-How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust, by Edith H. Beer & Susan Dworkin. I couldn’t put them down. Take care. Thanks for writing.

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