Sheet F35 East - Eiker
Sheet F35 East - Eiker
Sheet F35 West - Flesberg
Sheet E35 West - Rjukan. Interestingly this one has been stamped in the top left corner post production ‘F, G & H’
Sheet E35 East - Tinnsjö
Sheet F34 East - Tyristrand. This map is not marked
Sheet E34 West - Maar
Looks like I’m going to have to buy some books. I have found that in Heroes of Telemark: Sabotaging Hitler's atomic bomb, Norway 1942–44 the author David Greentree makes reference that the saboteurs were issued with ‘silk maps, button compasses and Norwegian money sewn into their uniforms’.
Having spent some time cross referring the maps with Google maps I have found the Vemork hydroelectric power plant which is marked with a faint red cross. All of the other red crosses correspond with either a bridge or a narrow or tight bend on a road. The yellow lines are a little more difficult to decipher other than the fact that they would appear to be the shortest (distance wise) routes between the red crosses, although they appear to be mainly cross country rather than following particular roads or topography.
The maps are actually quite difficult to read and decipher as there is a lot more detail written on them than is shown on Google maps and many of the place names appear to be written in old Norwegian.
That was my thought. Also the maps are in near mint condition and don’t appear to have ever really been folded, certainly not enough to have any serious creases. Whilst they are still a very exciting find I can’t imagine that they were used on Ops for the reasons that you give and their condition. Interestingly they came from the same source as the other very rare GSGS 4090 Norwegian maps. Why they are marked is somewhat of a mystery, however, given that these maps are so rare I can only imagine that they are linked in some way to the heavy water sabotage. But for what reason I don’t know. These maps are copies of paper ones so if the operation was being tracked in the U.K. you think they would be using paper maps. I guess one possibility is that they have been marked by someone involved post operation or post war to show the route used.
I have now had the chance to lie them out flat and join them together (as best possible without causing creases). The line actually starts / finishes at Vemork and then goes off of the edge of the map (not finishing at Atraa as I initially thought). I have tried to show the line and crosses as best possible by highlighting them.
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