us-005578-irn60841-irn84700
type: RecordSet
archival history: The poster was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013 by Jamie Kirkebo, on behalf of the Estate of his father, James Edward Kirkebo.
biographical history: James (Jim) Edward Kirkebo was born on April 22, 1921, in Tacoma, Washington. He was the second of three children born to Gerhard and Irene Kirkebo. His parents were both born in Norway and immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s. Gerhard was a building contractor. In spring 1939, James graduated from high school and took a job as a shipping clerk. On September 14, 1940, he enlisted in the US Army. Following the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II. James was deployed for four and a half months with the Asia Pacific Technical Operations (APTO) unit, through December 1941. James rose to the rank of Sergeant, with a specialty in reconnaissance. On December 7, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor,a, and a few days later the US entered World War II. On May 11, 1942, James was selected to attend the Army’s newly formed Officer Candidate Course at Fort Benning in Georgia. In early August, Staff Sergeant Kirkebo, 2nd Training Regiment, 16th Co., graduated from the Officer’s Candidate Course and was reenlisted as a Second Lieutenant with a specialty in automotive maintenance and repair. In mid-August, the 11th Armored Division, the Thunderbolt Division, was activated, as part of the Third Army. James was made commanding officer of C Company, 21st Armored Infantry Battalion. The unit was deployed in September to Great Britain. In early December, his unit landed in Normandy, France, and moved north into Belgium. They entered combat on December 30, defending the road to Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. In January 1945, the Division spearheaded the Allied advance into Germany. On February 1, James received a field promotion to Captain. In February and March, the 11th Armored overran several cities, then crossed the Rhine River. In April, the unit turned south towards the Danube River and Austria. James was wounded by shrapnel on April 25, but continued fighting. On May 5 and 6, the Division liberated Gusen and Mauthausen con…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Double sided offwhite paper poster or foldable map. Covering one side is a map outline of the area of Europe with France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, and part of Austria and the top of Switzerland, with the names of towns along the unit's advance line near the top center of the map. At the top is the text, the B line with an armored insignia of a bee made from a hand grenade with red lightning bolts at the rear, and a tank gun as the stinger. At the bottom is a map legend identifying locations on holidays and places by date. The other side has 3 columns with several boxes with ink drawn illustrations depicting different activities and locations of the army division. The captions include Weymouth, Lavaselle, Breakthrough to Brohl, Fording Nahe at Kirn, Crossing the Rhine, Coburg, Bayreuth, Austrian Border, Mauthausen, The images reverse at the horizontal center fold so it could be viewed folded. The poster has handwriting in the center, multiple folds, tears and stains.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 1945 June
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: eng
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn84700
is or was included in: us-005578-irn60841
record resource extent: overall: Height: 23.250 inches (59.055 cm) | Width: 31.125 inches (79.058 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Double sided foldable poster with a map on one side and illustrations on the other received by 24 year old Captain James (Jim) Kirkebo circa June 1945 while serving in the US Army, 11th Armored Division, in Germany. Kirkebo, 19, enlisted in the US Army in 1940 and, in August 1942, 2nd Lt. Kirkebo became commanding officer, C Company, 21st Armored Infantry Battalion, 11th Armored Division. In December 1944, Kirkebo's unit landed in Normandy, defended Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and spearheaded the Allied advance into Germany. Kirkebo received a battlefield promotion to captain on February 1, 1945. On May 5 and 6, soldiers from the 11th Armored liberated Gusen and Mauthausen concentration camps. At Mauthausen, the unit was tasked with caring for 19,000 starving inmates. On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered. Kirkebo was awarded a Silver Star and 3 Bronze Stars for his leadership and heroism in action.
title: Two-sided Company B, 11th Armored Division, US Army, poster depicting the advance through Europe received by a soldier