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Impressive, exciting, and evocative victory map showing the advances of the Fourth Armored Division through Europe in the closing stages of the Second World War.

The map shows the events of the war in a metaphorical and artistic fashion. Their exploits at Bastogne (the Battle of the Bulge) are signified by the breaking of a ring around the city. As they advance eastwards, they approach a cloud of darkness with only a hammer and sickle and a hazy V for light.

In all, the map is impressive and represents one of the more visually impressive victory maps we have seen. The map was made by one of the 4th Armored Division's own, Christopher Williams.

The Fourth Armored Division: Patton's Best

The Fourth Armored started its European campaign by spending six months training in England. The Division landed on Utah Beach on July 11th, after which the Division began its long and arduous campaign through France. The division first aimed to seize the strategically important port city of Lorient, located in the region of Brittany. Though it successfully encircled the city, the Germans held out in Lorient until the end of the war. Therefore, the division couldn't completely capture Lorient and had to move forward leaving the port under siege.

Following Lorient, the 4th Armored Division played a crucial role in the Allied breakout from the Normandy beachhead, known as Operation Cobra. The division raced across France towards Orleans, liberating the city in mid-August 1944. Its speed and aggression earned it the nickname "Patton's Best," in reference to their famous commanding officer.

The division's most well-known engagement was the Battle of the Bulge, where it was instrumental in relieving the besieged 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne, Belgium. On December 26, 1944, the lead elements of the 4th Armored Division broke through the encircling German forces, ending the siege and contributing to the ultimate Allied victory in the battle.

From Belgium, the 4th Armored Division moved into Germany, crossing the Rhine in early 1945. They kept pressing eastward, and by the end of the war, they had advanced as far as southern Bavaria.