1945 Glueck Pictorial Map of the 813th Tank Destroyer Battalion in the U.K. During WWII

This is a 1945 Robert Gluekstein pictorial map of the 813th Tank Destroyer Battalion in the United Kingdom during World War II. The map is a visual summary of the time the Battalion spent in the U.K.

A Closer Look

The Battalion arrived at Greenock on August 17, 1942, from the United States and again on November 28, 1943, from Algiers. A large arrow and cartoonish illustration of disembarking soldiers mark these events. Arrows trace the Battalion's movements throughout the U.K., marking stops in Carlisle, Tidworth, Salisbury, Packington Park, and Birmingham. A flagpole with a banner that reads 'Picadilly Circus' marks London. A soldier accompanied by a woman suggests that London as a place of rest and relaxation. A large flagpole rises from Birmingham and declares the Battalion to be 'tea drinking dart throwers.' An inset in the upper right corner illustrates a few blocks of a British town. (We think it is Birmingham, and we found a pub called the Golden Eagle that was popular there in the 1940s, but we have not found any more information that can confirm this.)

The 813th Tank Destroyer Battalion during World War II

The 813th Tank Destroyer Battalion was formed from 4 different Field Artillery battalions and activated on December 15, 1941. The Battalion left New York on August 6, 1942, and landed in the United Kingdom on August 17, 1942. It trained in the U.K. until it embarked for North Africa on January 6, 1943, where it fought in Tunisia under British, French, and American commands. Part of the Battalion participated in the invasion of Sicily and, a few months later, the invasion of Italy before the entire Battalion was sent back to the U.K. in early November 1943. While in the U.K., the Battalion was re-equipped with new M-10s and trained constantly for the upcoming invasion of France. The 813th landed in France at Utah Beach on June 27, 1944, D+21 days. It was assigned to the 79th Infantry Division and fought across Europe, participating in every European campaign. The Battalion ended the war near Berchtesgaden, Hitler's mountain retreat in the Alps.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Robert Gluekstein and published in 1945. This is the only known cataloged example. The 813th published 3 different route maps commemorating their time in Europe: one of the U.K. (the present map), one of North Africa, and one of continental Europe. Gluekstein signed only the U.K map.