Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a very interesting original German WWII M35 black leather map and dispatch case, captured in France by Corporal Michael Tersillo of Headquarters Battery, 736th Field Artillery Battalion, during the fighting along the Moselle in November 1944. The underside of the flap carries a handwritten wartime inscription recording the location and date of capture, and the case is accompanied by a color copy of Tersillo’s original capture authorization covering this and several other souvenirs sent home from Europe.

The underside of the flap is inscribed:

German Officer’s Dispatch Case
Besserham - France
(Alsase-Lorraine)
Nov. 1944
Overlooking Mosselle River

The spelling has been retained exactly as it appears to have been written. The location efers to Basse-Ham, France, a town directly on the Moselle River north of Metz. The 736th Field Artillery Battalion was serving under XX Corps Artillery, Third U.S. Army, during the November 1944 operations against Metz, and U.S. Army records place the battalion in the campaign from November 2 through November 20, 1944.

Basse-Ham was directly involved in the Moselle crossing. Elements of the 90th Infantry Division crossed the river in the early hours of November 9, 1944, and Company C, 358th Infantry cleared Basse-Ham during the opening phase of the bridgehead operation. Contemporary operational records specifically describe the town, the Moselle crossing, and the fighting around nearby Fort Koenigsmacker.

The map case is not maker-marked that we can find. There is some moderate wear to the exterior finish. The belt loops on the back are retained with some wear.

The case is the standard German M35 Meldekartentasche, or map/dispatch case, constructed from black leather. The M35 pattern developed from earlier Reichswehr map cases and was used by officers, observers, messengers, artillery personnel, and other soldiers whose duties required maps, message forms, plotting instruments, pencils, and related field equipment. Surviving examples are documented in both brown and black leather and with several wartime construction variations.

The accompanying color copy of the capture certificate is particularly important to the history of the piece. It identifies Corporal Michael Tersillo and authorized this and other captured German items for shipment home. Independent records confirm a Michael Tersillo, U.S. Army corporal and WWII veteran, and another surviving captured German item associated with him has been documented with a copy of his March 29, 1945 bring-back papers.

The 736th Field Artillery Battalion was assigned to XX Corps Artillery, Third U.S. Army during the Metz campaign. A postwar U.S. Army study devoted specifically to the battalion describes its role in supporting the capture of Metz from November 2–20, 1944, including artillery support for river crossings and operations against the heavily fortified Moselle defensive line. The battalion received campaign credits for Leyte, Luzon, New Guinea, and Southern Philippines.

This example is particularly significant for the combination of its original German M35 leather construction, wartime handwritten capture inscription, association with Cpl. Michael Tersillo of Headquarters Battery, 736th Field Artillery Battalion, accompanying capture-paper copy, and identification with Basse-Ham during the November 1944 Moselle operations. Unlike an anonymous map case, its inscription and paperwork preserve a specific American veteran association and a geographically plausible connection to the Third Army’s advance through the Metz sector.