World War I

Map

Ca.1918-1919

D RDD

An unusual, period map of the Italian front on the eve of the Battle of Vittorio which ended the First World War in Italy, owned by a member of Pershing's staff

An unusual, period map of the Italian front on the eve of the Battle of Vittorio which ended the First World War in Italy, owned by a member of Pershing's staff

Printed map, CARTA DELLA ZONA DI GUERRA, with black and red overprint, 37; x 27;, 1918, showing the Italian Alps and the Po River Valley. Expected folds with a small separation at one intersection, a few minor creases, tear at lower right hand corner, else very good condition.

An unusual map depicting the situation on the Italian front just prior to the Battle of Vittorio Veneto (October 24 to November 3, 1918), showing the positions of the Ist, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 7th Italian Armies just as the final offensive against Austria Hungary began. The strong Italian offensive forced the Austrians to beg for an armistice which was signed on November 3. By that point, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was in full collapse. The present map was part of a collection kept by General Robert C. Richardson

(1882-1954).

By the time the United States entered the First World War, Richardson, a captain, assisted in the rapid buildup of training of the American Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.) bound for France. Fluent in French, Richardson served as an aide and observer with foreign armies before being assigned to the Operations Division, General Staff, A.E.F. as a liaison officer in June 1918. In that capacity he was involved in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives. Following the Armistice of November 11, 1918, Richardson served on the Reparations Board of the Peace Commission in Paris and then as part of U.S.

Army occupation forces in Germany stationed at Coblenz and later at Mainz. Richardson, a career Army officer was a member of the West Point Class of 1904, serving in the Philippines and as an instructor of modern languages at the United States Military Academy. During the Second World War, Richardson served as Commanding General of the Hawaiian Department, and was instrumental in training American troops in the fundamentals of jungle warfare and amphibious assaults.