Battle of Kharkov 1942 Situation Maps

Battle of Kharkov 1942 – German OKH Situation Maps is a complete primary-source record of the Second Battle of Kharkov, charting the decisive May 1942 encirclement on the Eastern Front exactly as it unfolded. This archive presents a continuous, day-by-day sequence of original German operational situation maps produced during the fighting, covering the period from 11 to 30 May 1942. Rather than post-war interpretation, these maps reflect operational reality as reported to higher command at the time.

The collection documents the Soviet offensive south of Kharkov, the German counter-stroke, and the rapid encirclement and destruction of Soviet forces in the Barvenkovo salient—one of Germany’s last major operational victories before Operation Blau and Stalingrad. The maps clearly illustrate manoeuvre warfare, pocket formation, command decisions, and the collapse of formations under encirclement pressure, making them especially valuable for understanding Eastern Front operational doctrine.

You receive 21 original German OKH situation maps, including one campaign overview and twenty dated daily operational maps, presented as a complete chronological sequence. All files are supplied as high-resolution colour JPEG scans, unrestored and unaltered, with original wartime symbology intact. The archive is delivered on a physical USB drive (digital download available on request), with files clearly named by date for straightforward reference, research, and high-quality printing.

This archive is ideal for WWII historians, academic researchers, Eastern Front specialists, military authors, wargamers, and collectors of authentic German operational material. As part of the Piemags Historical Archive Series, it offers a rare, coherent daily visual record of the Battle of Kharkov—capturing the campaign as it was fought, not as it was later explained.