The Freytag & Berndt hand maps of Western and Eastern Russia at a scale of 1:2,000,000 represent a significant chapter in German military cartography during World War II. These colored folding maps were indispensable tools for planning and executing Operation Barbarossa and subsequent operations on the Eastern Front between 1941 and 1945.

The Viennese publishing house Freytag-Berndt und Artaria, founded in 1770, had established itself as a leading cartographic publisher in the German-speaking world since the 19th century. Following the Nazi seizure of power in Austria in 1938, the company became increasingly involved in military war preparations. Production of maps of the Soviet Union intensified from 1940 onward, as concrete planning for the attack on the USSR began.

The scale of 1:2,000,000 was optimally chosen for overview maps: one centimeter on the map corresponded to 20 kilometers in reality. This representation enabled officers at division and corps level to survey large operational areas, plan strategic movements, and grasp the enormous distances of Soviet territory. The maps displayed transportation routes, cities, rivers, terrain formations, and other militarily relevant information.

The division into Western Russia and Eastern Russia reflected the operational necessity of cartographically capturing the vast Soviet territory. Western Russia typically encompassed the area west of a line roughly from Leningrad to Moscow to Stalingrad, while Eastern Russia depicted territories extending to the Urals and beyond. This division also corresponded to Wehrmacht military planning, which initially aimed at conquering the European part of the Soviet Union.

The format as a folding map was designed practically for military deployment. When folded, the maps fit into map cases and could be quickly consulted in command posts or vehicles. The colored execution enabled faster orientation than black-and-white prints, with different colors used for elevations, water bodies, vegetation, and settlements.

The production of such maps was based on various sources: existing Soviet cartographic material, aerial reconnaissance, intelligence findings, and older German and Austrian maps from before World War I. The Reich Office for Land Survey and the Wehrmacht's War Mapping and Survey Service coordinated the procurement and processing of cartographic material.

On the Eastern Front, millions of such maps were distributed. Every troop commander required current map works, and constant wear from weather, combat operations, and losses necessitated continuous reproduction. The described specimens with tears and rips testify to intensive practical use under field conditions. Such wear marks are typical of authentic front-line maps and distinguish them from archival copies.

The missing publication year complicates precise dating but was not unusual for military maps. Often editions were continuously updated and reprinted without each edition receiving a new date. Based on the designation and style, such Freytag-Berndt maps can typically be dated to the period 1941-1945.

After the war's end, many of these maps were confiscated by Allied troops, destroyed, or taken as captured material. Surviving copies are found today in military archives, museums, and private collections. They serve as important sources for military-historical research on the Eastern Front and the history of cartography.

The historical value of such maps lies not only in their military function but also in their testimonial value for German warfare, the logistical challenges of the Eastern Front, and the cartographic development of this period. They document how the Wehrmacht perceived and utilized the geography of the Soviet Union for its operations.

Today, these maps are significant military-historical artifacts that provide insight into the planning and execution of one of the most devastating campaigns in world history.