Roller Map, updated 06.11.2025
Marga von Etzdorf wrote in her book "Kiek in die Welt" on page 54 about problems with her roller map (Kartenroller):
"The cross-country flight took me over the well-known route Hamburg—Berlin—Hamburg. It was in November, the weather was cold
and foggy. My fuel gauge was unreliable, and it already indicated in Wittenberge that the fuel was running low. That was unpleasant.
Nonetheless, I continued my flight. Continuing, albeit with a feeling as if I were sitting on a powder keg, that at any moment might
explode into the air. Any second, the engine could stall; if that happened, I would simply have to descend onto the first available field.
I carefully circled around all the forests, skirting around like a cat on hot bricks, passing all the cities and staying as much as possible
over fields and meadows. I was so glad that I knew the route, because, on top of everything, my map was
stuck in the roller map
(Kartenroller) and wouldn’t budge, not even a centimeter, no matter how much I tried. With my November-cold hands, I couldn’t
open the roller to pull out the map. Anyway, the flight in this way was very eventful, and I didn’t find myself, as I sometimes did in
the past, complaining about boredom and monotony. I was satisfied when I finally managed to land in Tempelhof."
After some research, I found a description of the roller map in the L.Dv. 264, kindly provided by the Zentrum für Militärgeschichte und Sozialwissenschaften der Bundeswehr (ZMSBw). The image in the L.Dv. served as the basis for a reverse engineering of the map roller.
Below a 3D printed display item.
Here’s an advertisement for the roller map I found in the book “Die Luftfahrt-Navigation.”
Image below generated from the image above with google AI studio.
Below are some screenshots from these two silent movies, showing a modified roller map used as a writing board. The navigator uses it to note Morse radio transmissions and display them to the pilot.
Below are some screenshots from this movie, showing the Viator 1 roller map and a modified roller map.
II. Operating Instructions
A. Operation.
To insert the route map into the map roller, press the clamping spring to release and pull out the cellon disc. The two tube shafts are turned so that the slot in the tubes faces upward. The route map is inserted with one end into the slot and clamped by turning the tubes against each other. The entire map is now rolled out onto this tube shaft, and the second end is attached in the same way to the still free tube shaft. The cellon cover is then pushed back in, and the map roller is ready for operation.
B. Malfunctions and Their Remedies.
Care must be taken that the route map is about 5 mm narrower than the clear width of the frame, and that it is inserted straight when clamped, as otherwise the map may easily tear at its ends.
C. Spare Parts.
Cellon discs are to be kept in stock as spare parts.
D. Storage and Transport.
The device is to be stored in a dry place and protected from heavy shocks during transport.