This page presents various index sheets related to
pre-WW2 and WW2 Polish maps and their German and British copies,
produced by Polish, German and British military cartographic services.
Please
note that the German index sheets, while attempting to provide accurate
information, are often contradictory in indicating which sheets were /
were not published, so they should be treated with caution.
Polish index sheets
1922
Index sheets for the "Operational Map" type by WIG
• SKOROWIDZ Map Operacyjnych 1:300 000
1924
Index sheet for the "Tactical Map" type by WIG
• SKOROWIDZ MAP TAKTYCZNYCH
1925
An
interesting index sheet dated 1925 or 1926, with a coverage of German
"Topographische Karte (Messtischblatt) in 1:25,000, east of the Oder
river. Please note sheet numbering is of the "old type".
• SKOROWIDZ MAP NIEMIECKICH 1:25.000
1927
Several
index sheets from a catalogue of maps and other publications by WIG"
(„KATALOG MAP I INNYCH WYDAWNICTW WIG ZE SKOROWIDZAMI I
WZORAMI”). It includes some interesting index sheets of the older WIG
1:25,000 maps (so-called "regions") and of a 1:300,000 road map series
by WIG. Scans courtesy of Podlaska Biblioteka Cyfrowa.
General / overview index sheet plus index sheet No 2 (Rejon Łuck and Rejon
Dubno-Krzemieniec), and the index sheet No 5 (Rejon Zagłębia Polskiego)
• „Szematyczne zestawienie odcinków skorowidza planów 1:25 000”
Index sheet No 1, covering several regions in the western Poland, mainly along Vistula.
• Rejon Pomorze, Rejon Wisła, Rejon Grudziądz, Rejon Bydgoszcz, Rejon Toruń
Index sheet No 3.
• Rejon Osowiec, Rejon Modlin, Rejon Brześć nad Bugiem, Rejon Dęblin + single sheets (military training grounds)
Index sheet No 4 (north-east / east)
• Rejon Wilno, Rejon Obozu Pohulanka (1 sheet), Rejon Obozu Leśna
• SKOROWIDZ Map Operacyjnych 1:300 000 (from the same publication)
• SKOROWIDZ MAPY SAMOCHODOWEJ RZECZPOSPOLITEJ POLSKIEJ 1:300 000
• SKOROWIDZ map przeglądowych w skali 1:750.000
• Arkusze Międzynarodowej Mapy Świata 1: 1.000.000 (Index sheet of the International Map of the World)
• SKOROWIDZ MAP TAKTYCZNYCH 1:100.000 STAN Z 1.IV.1927 R.
The same index sheet from the collection of British Military Cartographic Service, with annotations.
• SKOROWIDZ MAP TAKTYCZNYCH 1:100.000 STAN Z 1.IV.1927 R.
1928
Black-and-white index sheet published in the 1928 book on topography by J. Kreutzinger „Topografja. Pomiar i
zdjęcia kraju, kartografia i wojskowe znaczenie terenu...”
• SKOROWIDZ MAP 1:100 000 I MAP 1:300 000 STAN 1.IV.1928 R.
1930
Black-and-white index sheet, unknown source.
• SKOROWIDZ MAP 1:100 000 I MAP 1:300 000 STAN 1.IV.1930 R.
1931
Black-and-white index sheet, unknown source.
• SKOROWIDZ MAP 1:100 000 I MAP 1:300 000 STAN 1.IV.1931 R.
1932
Black-and-white index sheet, unknown source, marked with a stamp of "Map Section. Air Ministry".
• SKOROWIDZ MAP 1:100 000 I MAP 1:300 000 STAN 1.IV.1932 R.
3-colour edition, up-to-date as of 1st June 1932
• SKOROWIDZ MAPA 1:100 000 STAN 1.VI.1932 R.
1936
• SKOROWIDZ MAPA 1:100 000 STAN 1.I.1936 R.
1937
Index sheet attached to one of the issues of the "Wiadomości Służby Geograficznej" periodical.
• SKOROWIDZ MAPA 1:100 000 STAN 1.I.1937 R.
The same index sheet printed on the reverse of a cancelled 1:25,000 tourist edition sheet (Góry Świętokrzyskich, sheet:
Cisów).
• SKOROWIDZ MAPA 1:100 000 STAN 1.I.1937 R.
1938
Index
sheet attached to one of the issues of the "Wiadomości Służby
Geograficznej" periodical. Please note this file is is large (60 MB),
600 dpi.
• SKOROWIDZ MAPA 1:100 000 STAN 1.I.1938 R.
1939
An
index sheet to show the coverage of WIG maps (1:10,000 - 1:500,000),
with no reference to the "secret" sheets published on the adjacent
countries (so-called "for internal use").
• SKOROWIDZ MAP STAN 1.I.1939 R.
The
same index sheet printed on the reverse of a cancelled tourist edition
of a 1:25,000 map (Kraków-Ojców-Wieliczka, sheet: Kraków)
• SKOROWIDZ MAP STAN 1.I.1939 R.
1941
An
index sheet published in 1941 by the WIG in Scotland (in Edinburgh). It
is a black-and-white copy of a 1939 edition index sheet.
• WOJSKOWY INSTYTUT GEOGRAFICZNY SKOROWIDZ MAP
Unknown date
A
photocopy of a part of an index sheets with potential (most probably
never accomplished) coverage of WIG 1:100,000 maps in the east.
• SKOROWIDZ WIG - fragment wschodni
1946
Index
sheet published by the Cartographic Office of the Head Survey Office
(Biuro Kartograficzne Głównego Urzędu Pomiarów Kraju). Potentially an
"unauthorised" / competing institution, it has managed to avoid using
the word "WIG" in this index sheet.
• POLSKA. SKOROWIDZ MAP W SKALI 1:100 000
1947
• SKOROWIDZ MAP WIG SZTABU GENERALNEGO W.P.
The
most recognizeable post-WW2 index sheet by the "WIG Sztabu Generalnego
W.P." (WIG by the General Staff of the Polish Army). It shows extent,
but not necessarily factual, of 1:25,000, 1:100,000, 1:300,000 and
1:500,000 maps, as well as German 1:25,000 maps (TK, Topographische
Karte, Messtischblatt). The map also provides, in brown, numbering for
the large German 1:100,000 Grossblatt sheets.
• SKOROWIDZ MAP W SKALACH 1:25 000, 1:100 000, 1:300 000, 1:500 000
Skorowidze brytyjskie
1941
One
of the first war-time British index sheets demonstrating first extent
of the British copies of WIG 1:100,000 and 1:300,000 maps.
• INDEX TO POLAND 1:300,000 (GSGS 4177) AND 1:100,000 (GSGS 4172)
1944
One
of the annexes, an index sheet of Polish tactical map series, from a
GSGS publication from early 1944: „Notes on G.S.G.S. maps of Germany,
Denmark and Central Europe”.
• POLISH MAP SERIES
1945
An
index sheet with a complete pokazujący kompletne wydanie brytyjskich
kopii polskich map taktycznych WIG (1:100 000) i operacyjnych
(1:300,000).
• INDEX TO GSGS MAPS OF POLAND GSGS 4172, Poland 1:300,000; G.S.G.S. 4177 Poland 1:100,000
Please
note, British copies of GSGS 4172 series (Poland 1:300 000) were
replaced, back in 1944, by a 1:250,000 GSGS 4346 series. British
1:100,000 GSGS 4416 series was replaced in 1944 by a GSGS 4416 / AMS
M651 series.
German index sheets
W do not have any pre-WW2 German index sheets of Polish maps / map series.
1940
Index
sheets of German and pre-WW2 Polish maps, produced by the
Armeeoberkommando 4 for the publication „Polnische und Russiche
Kartenwerke”:
Pre-WW2 edition of German 1:25,000 maps of Polen,
which was based on re-scaled Polish 1:100,000 maps. This edition was
continued and re-printed throughout WW2, alongside the udpdated German
1:25,000 maps based on "proper" Polish 1:25,000 maps.
• Sonderausgabe Polen 1:25 000
An interesting index sheet showing the coverage of captured Polish WIG 1:25,000 maps.
• Übersicht zur Polnischen Karte 1:25 000
A simplified index sheet of Polish 1:100,000 tactical maps
• Übersicht zur Polnischen Originalkarte Karte 1:100 000
Index sheet of Polish operational maps (1:300,000)
• Übersicht zur Polnischen Originalkarte Karte 1:300 000
Index sheet of Polish operational maps (1:500,000)
• Übersicht zur Polnischen Originalkarte Karte 1:500 000
1941
Index sheets of German and pre-WW2 Polish maps, produced by the
Armeeoberkommando 4 for the publication „Polnische und Russiche
Kartenwerke” - almost identical to the one from 1940, but it does contain an updated index sheet (first one) of Sonderausgabe.
• Sonderausgabe Polen 1:25 000 (1941)
• Übersicht zur Polnischen Karte 1:25 000 (1941)
• Übersicht zur Polnischen Originalkarte Karte 1:100 000 (1941)
• Übersicht zur Polnischen Originalkarte Karte 1:300 000
• Übersicht zur Polnischen Originalkarte Karte 1:500 000
1942
An
index sheet included in the PhD thesis by Mr Werner Bormann "Beitraege
zur Entwicklung der amtlichen polnischen Kartographie 1919 - 1932...".
It is hard to indicate how reliable the index sheet is as it displays
significant discrepancies against other WW2 German index sheet of this
map type. Nevertheless the material was based on the resources,
including captured Polish maps, available at the Reichsamt fuer
Landesaufnaheme in Berlin.
• Übersicht zur Polnischen Karte 1:25 000 (1942)
1943/44
An
index sheet of German 1:25,000 maps from the „Länderweise
Zusammenstellung aller Karten und Mil-Geo-Artbeiten” (index sheet comes
from an updated version of this publication, as it's dated May 1944).
Please note that the colours are not applied correctly, as the
light-red indicates information based on original Polish 1:25,000 map
series, while this particular source should be presented in deep red
colour).
• Deutsche Heereskarte ehem. Polen 1:25 000 (esu 25)
1944
Index sheets from „Vademecum Osteuropa ehem. Polnischer Raum”, dated January 1944.
• Übersichtkarte 1:25 000 (Deutsche Heereskarte, Truppenausgabe)
Black-and-white index sheet of the German 1:25,000 series, very similar to the colour edition from the 1943/44 "Länderweise
Zusammenstellung..." and also similar to another colour edition („ehem. Polnisches Staatsgebiet” in „Planheft
Polen” from July 1944, available below).
• Deutsche Heereskarte ehem. Polen 1:25 0000
• Übersichtkarte 1:25 000 (Planmaterial)
• Übersichtkarte 1:25 000 (Koordinatenausstattung)
"Index
sheet of 1:25,000 maps suitable for directing artillery fire from the
territory of earlier Poland". Probably the index sheet refers to German
maps - but Polish sources. This index sheet was an annex No 5 to the
regular German mapping folder (Kartenbrief), No 28, dated February
1944, and it was printed on the reverse of the original Polish 1:25,000
sheet (Bereźne).
• Übersicht über die als Schiesskarte geeigneten Blätter 1:25 000 des ehem. polnischen Raumes
Several index sheets from a July 1944 publication „Planheft OSTEUROPA ehemals
Polnischer Raum”. Some index sheets are re-printed sheets from January 1944 publication.
Index sheet of pre-WW2, Polish 1:25,000 maps
• Spezialkarte von Polen 1:25 000
• Übersichtkarte 1:25 000 (Koordinatenausstattung)
3-colour
edition of „Deutsche Heereskarte ehem. Polen 1:25 0000”, previously
available in black-and-white version in a January 1944 publication.
• Ehem. polnisches Staatstebiet 1:25 000 (Esu 25)
Index sheet of Polish tactical maps (1:100,000)
• Polnische taktische Karte 1:100 000
Index sheet of Polish operational maps (1:300,000).
• Polnische Operationskarte 1:300 000