1945 Buchan Route Map of the 5th Armored Division in Europe World War II

Drafted by Robert G. Buchan, this is an all-business history of the 5th Armored Division’s drive across Europe. Red lines mark the division’s progress, sometimes day-to-day, naming towns and cities visited. Information about the division’s movements, such as their claim to have been the first American division in Germany, as well as the first division to breach the Siegfried Line, are in red. Dates when the division was pulled off the line and when they crossed the Rhine River are also given. Exhibiting an impressive dedication to detail, the route is sometimes divided between the ‘CCA’ (Combat Command A), ‘CCB’ (Combat Command B) and ‘CCR’ (Combat Command Reserve or Headquarters). Comparable in size to brigades or regiments, combat commands were newly established within the 4th, 5th, and 6th Armored Divisions in 1943. The 2nd and 3rd Armored Divisions maintained their original organization until the end of the war.

Publication History and Census

This map was drafted by Robert G. Buchan and published by the Office of the Division Engineer on June 22, 1945. Three examples are cataloged in OCLC and are part of the collections at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and Texas A and M University. An example is also part of the collection at Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania.