Important: these maps were made for Darkest Hour Kaiserreich, and as such, represent pre 0.6 rework lore. Most notably, the Ukrainian, Polish and Italian borders have changed considerably since then. We hope to one day offer an updated HOI4 KR map!
By the artist:
The Cordon Sanitaire: German Client States in Eastern Europe, 1936
Made in 2016 as a way to illustrate German presence around the Baltic immediately before Black Monday. After the Peace of Brest-Litovsk ended the Weltkrieg in the East, Germany's satrapies in the former territory of the Russian Tsar have slowly consolidated, but in widely different directions. This map, essentially, was made in order to accentuate this. Whilst the Ukraine remains a somewhat independent client state, the United Baltic Duchy is a de jure constituent part of the Kaiserreich – serving as a magnet for German immigrants.
After the collapse of the Russian Empire, the victorious Kaiserreich established several limithrope (buffer states) along it's Eastern border. This map gives a closer look at the precarious balancing act of the new Eastern-European states, balancing both Austrian and German influence with the threat of Russian resurgence.
Uploaded by requested, these are poster versions of Milites' iconic maps. Printed on thick heavy-matte paper.