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Re: Terrain Challenge #32 (Score: 1)
by pagskier on Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:36 am
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2 pics are the same place?




Re: Terrain Challenge #32 (Score: 1)
by mooxe on Sun Jul 04, 2010 9:52 am
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A then and now photo. Left photo shows a long trench and arty damage.




Re: Terrain Challenge #32 (Score: 1)
by Buck_Compton on Sun Jul 04, 2010 5:47 pm
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Judging on the posture of the NOW photo i'd say that this is about the farm in the centre with the Panoramia photo's.

the quite large trench system between the forest and the town might suggest that this was a location of some long term static fights. Looking to the western front in europe there wasn't that much long term static fighting. only in and around the Siegfriedline and Arnhem and Nijmegen.

I don't believe this to be arnhem area. Because the area shown on the aerials lacks wood...

May this isn't even a ww2 photo we are looking at... maybe we have to go furthermore back in time to a ww1 battle site. I remember a story about a British unit wich fought held and lost a small forest somewhere in france. I believe they even made a movie about it. But i'm not so familiar with ww1

Well I will keep looking around on google earth to see if i can find anything.

Cheers Buck




Re: Terrain Challenge #32 (Score: 1)
by Sapper_D on Wed Jul 07, 2010 8:15 am
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By the look of the wire, classic trench arrangement and shellholes I'm thinking this a WW1 site...probably an Allied position because of the alignment of the wire and trenches ie if it was German I would expect the wire and trenches the other way around. Location I suspect is France.. but where? Hmmm

Buck, are you thinking about the movie "the Lost battalion" which was about an American unit trapped behind the German frontline in the Argonne forest in 1918? There is also a movie about a British unit that 'disappeared' during the Gallipoli campaign...




Re: Terrain Challenge #32 (Score: 1)
by Sapper_D on Wed Jul 07, 2010 9:08 am
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Got It!!

So knowing that QM is an Aussie I started to think about what place it could be that was associated with the 1st AIF and what battle was well known. The alignment of the trenches and wire was stumping me because it would indicate an Allied position but the AIF was rarely attacked by the Germans and then it struck me that this was a rear position of the German frontline which made sense with the communication trenches heading north. So why would QM pick a position behind the German lines? because it is a site where AIF soldiers were buried by the Germans after a battle. What battle? The battle of Fromelles! So my guess is this image shows the edge of Pheasant Wood or Bois Faisan just north of Fromelles.




Re: Terrain Challenge #32 (Score: 1)
by QM on Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:02 pm
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Well done Sapper. The Battle of Fromelles indeed. The 1st AIF's most testing and bloody battle that still isn't really acknowleged much here in Aust. Sad.

The wood in the top centre is Pheasant Wood. The three pits you see are the actual pits where the Aust and British dead were buried together and forgotten until only just recently.

The fact that the 180 odd names were actually missing from any acknowleged resting ground proved to be the catalyst for the book Don't Forget Me Cobber by Robin Corfield. An excellent read and I highly recommend it.

DNA taken from thousands of living relatives recenlty have provided positive proof for the identities of over 70% of the remains IIRC.

An old Army cobber I served with has finally identified his Great Uncle as one of the fallen and lost.

The interesting fact was that this photo on the left has been available since after the Great War and that no-one even considered what the three pits were. Even despite the obviously unchanged terrain.

Congrats Sapper, took a GW ace to solve it. Thanks.