Beschreibung:

WORLD WAR II] Complete set of six Neptune Bigot Assault Maps for the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach . April 1944: published (and marked Top-Secret) for the HQ 1st Infantry Division. This is (according to the text at the foot of the maps) recension 1350 5/44 668E 133, presumably updated to reflect intelligence gained since that April (revisions were made in various printed forms right up to the commencement of the invasion, as new data on enemy forces and defenses became available). The set consists of the maps for 1. Vicinity of Collevile Sur-Mer. 2. Vicinity of La Ruguet 3. Vicinity of St. Laurent Sur-Mer 4. Les Moulins 5. Vierville Sur-Mer 6. Vierville Sur-Mer. Folded as originally issued (except for the fourth, which has been laid-down to card), sheet sizes vary slightly, but most are approximately 19 x 26 inches (48 x 66 cm). The maps are printed in black ink with symbols in red, map key printed on verso. Some time-stain, one sheet laid down as noted with minor staining, one sheet with a minor pale dampstain in the lower margin. These are the original Top Secret battle maps for the landing at St. Laurent Sur-Mer, i.e. Omaha Beach, on D-Day. It was issued for those with "Neptune Bigot" clearance (which is printed at the head of each map); in other words only those who were privy to the naval operations surrounding Operation Overlord were allowed access. The maps provide highly detailed information on all the known obstacles that had been charted in a series of aerial sorties (conducted with enormous courage by a dedicated group of pilots) between 15 March and 19 April of 1944, as listed at lower left. The map includes (printed in red) a vast array of obstacles to the invasion force, including fortifications, gun emplacements, minefields, signal installations, etc. All of the planning represented by these maps ended in the largest amphibious operation in history, on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Thomas B. Allen in the June 2002 issue of National Geographic Magazine, wrote an absorbing article on the Neptune Bigot maps: "One simple word, BIGOT, is stamped in big letters across the Operation Neptune Initial Joint Plan of February 12, 1944, and from then until June 6, that stamp appeared on all supremely secret pieces of paper handled by D-Day planners. If any of those papers or maps had fallen into enemy hands, the invasion would have failed or been scuttled. BIGOT was a code word within a code word, a security classification beyond Top Secret"... Surviving sets of the map appear to be very rare, understandable given that context. Accompanying these official maps is a large patchwork of several map sheets of the French coast, with a printed date of 1944 that, based on crayon markings, was probably carried into action by an officer; some of the notations are obscure (possibly relating to concentrations of opposition) but the coastal assault zones of "Dog", "Easy" and "Fox" are clearly marked, as are the various "Transit Areas." In all, this group of maps is an extraordinary survival, reflecting the vast effort of planning and the extreme secrecy that enabled the success, against considerable odds, of the Normandy landings. C