Copy of hand drawn map, Rainbow Division advance into southern Germany by division member
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 10.880 inches (27.635 cm) | Width: 17.380 inches (44.145 cm)
Creator(s)
- R.E. Gustafson (Designer)
- Romeo J. Fagiolo (Subject)
Biographical History
Romeo Fagiolo was born on January 29, 1922, in Washington, DC, the only son of Italian immigrants who had met and married in the US. His father was in the insurance business and Romeo had one sister. He graduated high school in 1941 and was drafted into the United States Army in February 1943. He completed basic training at Fort Hood, Texas. Romeo was selected to participate in the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP), at Texas A&M University, but it was disbanded after four months. He was reassigned to an anti-tank unit in the 42nd Infantry Division, the Rainbow Division. In November 1944, the division was deployed to Marseilles, France, and rushed to the front where they fought in the Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne. Romeo received a battlefield promotion from corporal to staff sergeant. Romeo and his division reached Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945. As he approached the camp gate, he passed dozens of railroad cars filled with corpses and surrounded by corpses. When he entered the camp, he saw the living dead. Romeo was one of the first infantry soldiers to enter the camp and he viewed the crematories and the bathing areas, where the filth and smell were intolerable. One of the division’s most difficult tasks was containing the prisoners who were mobile, as they were not allowed to leave the camp in order to prevent the spread of disease. Romeo left Dachau the next day as they were bringing in local townspeople to view the horrifying conditions. The Rainbow Division continued on to Munich, and then into Austria. When the Germans surrendered on May 7, 1945, the 42nd served as an occupying force in Austria through June 1946. At that point, it was deactivated and Romeo returned to the United States and resumed civilian life.
Archival History
The map was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2010 by Romeo J. Fagiolo.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Romeo J. Fagiolo
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Illustrated map of the combat route of the 42nd Infantry Division, the Rainbow Division, given to Romeo Fagiolo, a soldier in the Division, not long after the war. It was created by R.E. Gustafson, a colonel in the Division. This map depicts troop movements through Furth, Germany, to the crossing of the Danube from April 20 to April 26, 1945. The division landed in France in December 1944, crossed the German border in March 1945, and liberated Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945. Romeo Fagiolo, age 22, was assigned to an anti-tank unit. He was one of the first soldiers to enter Dachau on the day of liberation. The next day, his division continued on to Munich and after the war ended on May 7, 1945, served as an occupying force in Austria. This map is part of a series with 2010.130.1, .2, and .4 illustrating the campaign from Wingen, France, to Austria, north of Salzburg.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
Restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Paper copy of a rectangular hand drawn map with a light brown background. The area of the advance is enclosed within 2 curved, bold black lines moving vertically from the top to the bottom through Furth to Nurnberg, Donauworth, and Rain; there are breaks for blue lines marking rivers. Along the advance lines are 2 colored division insignias with adjacent arrows pointing south: left is a triangle with a 12, a canon and a lightning bolt with yellow, blue and red sections, 12th Armored Division; right is a red square with a yellow thunderbird, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. There are color coded troop advance lines for 4 units. There are dates of engagements with numbers and text in black ink. In the upper right corner is a rectangular map legend with black text on a white background. In the upper left corner is the title in black ink with the red, yellow, and blue rainbow insignia of the 42nd Division. There is a border of 2 thin, black lines; the edges are irregularly cut.
Corporate Bodies
- United States. Army. Infantry Division, 42nd
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Western Front.
- World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation--Germany--Dachau.
- Soldiers--United States.
Genre
- Object
- Information Forms