1973 GUGK Commemorative Map of the Battle of the Dnieper, World War II

A rare and visually impressive piece of persuasive cartography and war commemoration, this 1973 map by the Soviet Union's Main Administration of Geodesy and Cartography covers the 1943 Battle of Dnieper (Dnipro), when the southern portion of the eponymous river, including Kiev (Kyiv), was recaptured by the Red Army.

A Closer Look

Published on the 30th anniversary of the Battle of Dnieper, this large sheet is divided into four sections. A 'main' map at left displays the Soviet advances in the autumn and early winter of 1943, with the various units labeled (Soviet army groups as fronts - фронт - and equivalent German units as 'army groups' - группа армий). Aside from military maneuvers, including airborne and naval operations, noted in a legend at bottom-left, waterways, railways, cities, and other features are also noted. The Dnieper River stands out at the left side of the map, with a string of cities noted, including Kiev (Kyiv), Zaporizhzhia, Melitopol, Dnipro (here as Dnipropetrovsk), and Kherson. Further east, the cities of Donetsk (here as Stalino), Kramatorsk, and Kharkov were on the front lines of the initial phase of the battle.

A smaller map at right depicts the operations around Kiev (also known as the Second Battle of Kiev), when the city was liberated. At top-right are medals reflecting the city's reception of the title of Hero City of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin. The war utterly devastated the city, which was largely destroyed, and its civilians, including thousands of Jews and others who were massacred by the Nazis at Babi Yar. Blue arrows at left indicate German counter-attacks, which slowed the Soviet advance but failed to drive back their bridgeheads over the Dnieper.

At bottom-right is a section containing statistical tables. Within this section, at top, in red text, is the order of the General Staff of the Armed Forces to commence the attack. A column of statistics at left shows the balance and ratio of forces at the start of the battle, along with general statistics on the number of fronts, armies, awards given for heroism, and numbers of Communist Party members ('the soul' of the army) involved. Below is a second group of statistics relating specifically to the battle for Kiev.

Finally, at bottom-left, a battle scene portrays fierce close-quarters fighting as the Soviets launched an amphibious crossing of the Dnieper River, a critical moment in the wider battle. This very well may be a reduction of a larger panoramic painting of the sort that adorns the walls of museums and memorials to the Great Patriotic War.

Battle of the Dnieper

The Battle of the Dnieper, fought between August and December 1943 during World War II (1939 - 1945), was one of the largest operations on the Eastern Front, involving more than 4 million combatants spread across a 1,400 km front. Following major victories at Stalingrad and Kursk (Курск, towards top-right), the Red Army, advancing westward, sought to liberate territories along the Dnieper River from German occupation and to establish bridgeheads on the river's western bank. Facing fierce resistance and difficult terrain, the Soviets eventually succeeded in crossing the river, establishing multiple bridgeheads and driving the German forces back. At the staggering cost of over one million troops dead or missing, and many more sick or injured, the Soviet victory paved the way for the subsequent liberation of Ukraine and demonstrated the growing might of the Red Army.

Publication History and Census

This map was compiled, designed, and prepared for printing by the Scientific and Editorial Map Compilation Unit (Научно-редакционной картосоставительской частью) of the Main Administration of Geodesy and Cartography of the Soviet Union (Главное управление геодезии и картографии, or GUGK) in 1973. A large team of roughly a dozen historical consultants, editors, and technical editors, named at bottom-right, contributed to its production. The map is not known by us to be held by any institution and is very scarce to the market.