--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 14:38:20 -0000
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: Gelandebefahrbankreitskarten - terrain trafficability maps
<f wd>
Sender: [log in to unmask]



Mary (and others nearer her over there who will be able more easily to
supply the goods requested by her geography faculty member):-

There is such a thing (simply 'Befahrbeitskarte' in the case of Egypt) to be
found occasionally in the series of octavo-ish format portfolios
'Militaerische Angaben ueber [country name]' produced by the Generalstab des
Heeres [ = General Staff of the Army].  The  'Aegypten' portfolio
("Abgeschlossen am 20. Juni 1942") has 2 sheets : 'Blatt 1 : Matruch' &
'Blatt 2 : Kairo' at 1:500 000.  The 'Nachtraege zu Suedost-Europa :
Donauraum und Balkanhalbinsel :ein militaerischer Ueberblick' ("Stand vom
1.12.1940") includes a 2-sheet 'Militaergeographische Operationskarte' at
1:1 000 000 that is coloured for "Gangbarkeit" and for "Hinderlichkeit"; the
legend for this glorious (or lurid) technicolor production advises on, e.g.,
"Hinderlich fuer Fahrzeuge, besonders bei lueckenhafter Bodenbedeckung und
Flugsandbildung" and on "Dauerndes Hindernis fuer bespannte Fahrzeuge und
motorisierte Verbaende".

If English-language products are preferred one could turn to 'Egypt 1:100
000 'Goings' overprint',  series MDR 466 ('Going' information collected and
collated by 7 Armed Division), for the Western Desert (1942); or the 'Libya
1:500 000 : 'Goings' overprint', series MDR 125 ('Going' information
collected by Long Range Desert Group [et al.]) on 24 sheets (October
1941-December 1942).  Obviously, these North Africa 'Goings' overprints
series were especially important for sand landscape warfare by the British
(eventually joined by the Americans!) versus the Italians and Germans.

Francis Herbert (Curator of Maps, RGS-IBG)
[log in to unmask]
http://www.rgs.org [see 'Collections']

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Johnnie Sutherland [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 29 January 2002 20:58
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Gelandebefahrbankreitskarten - terrain trafficability maps
> <fwd>
>
> --- Begin Forwarded Message ---
> Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 13:40:40 -0800
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Gelandebefahrbankreitskarten - terrain trafficability maps
> Sender: [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
>
> (the spelling is probably wrong
> at some point in that phrase)
>
> I've had an inquiry from a geography
> faculty member here about these maps,
> which were made by German military
> during World War II; apparently
> they were of Germany and perhaps
> other European countries through
> which the war was fought. The object was
> to show best route for tanks (e.g.,
> avoid tall, closely planted trees).
> Does any map library have any of
> these, and if you do, may I get
> a photocopy of at least a portion
> of one of them?
>
>
>
> Mary Lynette Larsgaard
> Assistant Head, Map and Imagery Laboratory
> Fund Manager: Geography; Geology; Military Science
> Co-Manager for Map and Imagery Laboratory Fund
> Davidson Library
> University of California
> Santa Barbara CA 93106
> 805/893-4049
> fax 805/893-8799
> [log in to unmask]
>
> --- End Forwarded Message ---
--- End Forwarded Message ---