1946 Atlanta Map of Occupied Germany in English, Russian, French, German

This is a 1946 Atlanta Service map of Germany delineating the Allied Occupation Zones after the defeat of Nazi Germany.

A Closer Look

The Oder-Neisse Line, the basis for the border between Germany and Poland, is in bold. The Occupation Zones, administered by the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union, are divided and shaded accordingly. Former Eastern Germany is highlighted to indicate that it was now part of a reconstituted Poland, and its allegiance to the Soviet Union. Berlin, as the capital of defeated Nazi Germany, was divided between the major Allied powers. An inset in the lower-left depicts the divided Berlin, illustrating neighborhoods and occupation zones.

The Allied Occupation of Germany

The United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union agreed to divide conquered Germany into zones of occupation at the February 1945 Yalta Conference. The more comprehensive plan to create four separate zones was ratified at the subsequent Potsdam Conference. Unfortunately, the cordiality between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union began evaporating soon after the war, and by 1947 efforts to govern Germany jointly floundered. The British and American zones merged on January 1, 1947, creating the jointly administered 'Bizone'. This entity was soon joined by the French zone, necessitating a name change to 'Trizone'. In May 1949, these zones merged to form the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). In October 1949, the Soviets established the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The occupation in West Germany continued until May 5, 1955, when the General Treaty transferred governance from the Allied military governments to civilian German leaders. Soviet East Germany remained until 1990.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by Atlanta Service and approved for publication by the Military Government of North-Rhine-Westphalia on September 27, 1946. Three editions were published, the main difference being language. Since the title of this map varies in order only, it is extremely difficult to know which edition is held in which institutional collection.