us-005578-irn47278-irn61231
type: RecordSet
physical characterisitics and technical requirements: Double sided, square, hemmed, faded yellow silk topographical map of the September 1943 frontiers of Germany and the surrounding countries, most annxed into the Third Reich. Country names are printed in purple outlined block letters and cities and towns in black. The background is yellow with water in blue and mountains and elevated areas in dark and light orange. The scale is 1:1,000,000 with a kilometer and a mile scale. Longitude and latitude are numbered in the map border. The front is labeled sheet E, 43/E and depicts Germany (North), Protectorate (Bohemia and Moravia), Slovakia, Poland and Hungary (North). The back is labeled Sheet F and depicts Croatia (W & Central), Montenegro (West), Hungary (West), Slovakia (South), Germany (South), Italy (North & Central), Switzerland (East). The legend at the center bottom explains how frontiers are constantly changing, the system of boundary markings, and provides an elevation scale in meters and feet.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: approximately 1943 September
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: eng
has record set type: Item
history: Edward Henryk Herzbaum (later Hartry) was born on October 6, 1920, in Vienna, Austria. He was the only son of a Jewish couple, Dr. Alexander and Fanny Hermelin Herzbaum. Alexander was a chemical engineer, born in Tarnow, Poland, in February 1886 to Mendel (1855-1930) and Chana Ettinger Herzbaum, who married in 1882. They also had a daughter Gisela (1884-1912.) Chana died in 1886. In 1888, Mendel married Beila Lea Ettinger (b. August 22, 1864). Mendel and Beila had two children: Jakob (1888-1966) and Herman. Edward's mother Fanny was born in Boryslaw, Poland, near Lvov on May 30, 1890, to Samuel (d. 1922) and Chaje Sara Backenroth Hermelin. Fanny had four siblings, Rifke (b. 1883), Cirl (b. 1888), Zacharje (1884-1925), and Abraham (1885-1886.) In 1928, Edward's family moved to Poland and settled in Zawiercie. Edward had asthma and wore glasses, as he was very shortsighted. In 1934, they moved to Łódź. Alexander, 51, died in July 1937 of cancer. Edward graduated from high school in May 1938, and deferred his military service to enroll at the Warsaw Polytechnic, Faculty of Architecture. He had completed two semesters when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Edward joined the Polish Auxiliary Forces as a volunteer and was arrested by the Germans with other paramilitary youth a few days later. Edward escaped and returned to Łódź. The Soviet Union invaded and occupied eastern Poland. German occupying authorities in Łódź enacted oppressive anti-Jewish measures. At the urging of his mother, Edward, then 19, left Łódź on December 6, 1939, and went east to Lvov, which was under Soviet control. In Lvov, Edward lived with his maternal aunt and had an assortment of jobs, including office worker at a construction site, skiing instructor, and lifeguard at a swimming pool in a Soviet sports center. In June 1940, Edward was arrested by the NKVD (Soviet Security Police), tortured, and exiled to a gulag near Rybinsk on the Volga River. The prisoners logged and hauled trees in…
history: The map was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2012 by Krystyna Mew, the daughter of Edward (Herzbaum) Hartry.
identifier: irn61231
is or was included in: us-005578-irn47278
record resource extent: overall: Height: 30.000 inches (76.2 cm) | Width: 32.125 inches (81.598 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Topographical silk escape map of Germany with September 1943 borders owned by Edward Herzbaum, a soldier in the 5th Kresowa Infantry Division, 2nd Polish Corps, British Army, from 1942-1945. The front details the region between northern Italy and Germany; the reverse continues to Germany, including Poland, which is marked as German territory. Escape and evasion maps were issued to help troops find their way to safety if caught behind enemy lines. Silk maps were easy to conceal, could withstand wet weather and wear, and made no noise in use. Edward, age 19, left Łódź, Poland, after Germany invaded in September 1939 for Soviet controlled Lvov. In June 1940, he was exiled to a gulag by Soviet secret police. After Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, he was released in an amnesty of Polish prisoners. He joined join Anders Army, a volunteer Polish military unit. In August 1942, the unit left Soviet territory and became the 2nd Polish Corps, British Army. In February 1944, they joined the 8th British Army in Italy. The Corps fought its way north and was honored for heroism in the Battle of Monte Cassino. They were in Italy on VE Day, May 8, 1945, when the war ended. Edward learned that his mother died in Łódź Ghetto in 1943. He studied architecture in Rome until the British decided to allow Polish Corps veterans to immigrate to England in October 1946. He then served in the Polish Resettlement Corps for two years and completed his degree.
title: 2-sided silk escape map of Central/ East Europe owned by Jewish soldier, 2nd Polish Corps