morrisc8 Posted 30 July , 2018 Share Posted 30 July , 2018 (edited) I have bought some recon Air Photographs, I think they might be French, is there any way I can ID the areas/trench from the info on the photos, I have 11 photos. Date taken 19/12/15 all have VI/4 number ,14,15/467 photo 207 and 208 for these two photos. Hight taken 1500. Thanks for any help. Keith Edited 5 August , 2018 by morrisc8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrisc8 Posted 31 July , 2018 Author Share Posted 31 July , 2018 (edited) Two more, front lines not to far apart 209 and 211 Edited 5 August , 2018 by morrisc8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 31 July , 2018 Share Posted 31 July , 2018 The numerals on the photographs look British rather than French. I suspect they may be from the Loos sector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heid the Ba Posted 31 July , 2018 Share Posted 31 July , 2018 (edited) As IanA says, the “7”s look British rather than continental. If the arrows point north then the front runs roughly east - west with the deeper trench system on the south in some photos, particularly 209. Is it likely that a BEF trench system would be more complex than the Germans’? I can’t think offhand of anywhere the BEF was attacking southwards in late 1915. Edited 31 July , 2018 by Heid the Ba Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrisc8 Posted 31 July , 2018 Author Share Posted 31 July , 2018 (edited) Two more 215 and 216 Edited 5 August , 2018 by morrisc8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fetubi Posted 31 July , 2018 Share Posted 31 July , 2018 According to my book The Sky Their Battlefield II, 5 Squadron RFC mounted Photographic Reconnaissances on the morning of the 19th, in support of ground forces on the VI Corps Front... (note - "VI Corps" !). One of the aircraft directly involved in this - a Vickers FB5 Gunbus, was in combat and shot up over Houthulst Forest, before they probably shot their attacker down, and other FB5s met the enemy. I suspect it's 5 Sqn, and the "VI" on the photos will refer to the VI Corps. So... where exactly are the photos of...? Trevor By the way - great photos Keith! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fetubi Posted 31 July , 2018 Share Posted 31 July , 2018 And at the time, 5 Squadron were at Abeele, in 2nd Wing RFC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrisc8 Posted 31 July , 2018 Author Share Posted 31 July , 2018 (edited) On 31/07/2018 at 14:25, fetubi said: And at the time, 5 Squadron were at Abeele, in 2nd Wing RFC. Thanks Trevor for the info, just need to find a trench map that looks like the trenches in the photos. Keith Edited 5 August , 2018 by morrisc8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrisc8 Posted 31 July , 2018 Author Share Posted 31 July , 2018 (edited) Just looked up in the book Shooting the Front after page 224 there are a few colour pages and it shows two French air photos one has the same type of info on the photo VI/4 + the same layout as the rest, so I still think it is French. Also 11/468, 6/468, 16/467, 15/467, 14/467 it says in the book are coordinates of photographs, I have just found out. Keith Edited 31 July , 2018 by morrisc8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fetubi Posted 31 July , 2018 Share Posted 31 July , 2018 Good research - I'm sure you're right. I'm still struggling with French Map Refs after 30 years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrisc8 Posted 2 August , 2018 Author Share Posted 2 August , 2018 (edited) Close up, were the trenches dug in chalk ? as it looks white above the trench. The last photo shows a round thing, could it be a shell hole or dug out, bunker? The trenches look close on last photo. Keith Edited 3 August , 2018 by morrisc8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrisc8 Posted 4 August , 2018 Author Share Posted 4 August , 2018 (edited) I thank the guys on this French website [ see links ] for the help and the info on the air photos that they have given me to be able to ID the photos. They have put the history back on them. Keith https://forum.pages14-18.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=68997 https://forum.pages14-18.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=68997&start=10 Edited 5 August , 2018 by morrisc8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fetubi Posted 4 August , 2018 Share Posted 4 August , 2018 Well discovered! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrisc8 Posted 5 August , 2018 Author Share Posted 5 August , 2018 (edited) Here are the other two air photos, the North arrow should point at the top on all of the photos. Keith Edited 5 August , 2018 by morrisc8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrisc8 Posted 6 August , 2018 Author Share Posted 6 August , 2018 Here is a link to the French forum that I sent the photos to, page 3. The the first to links are in post 12 page 1 and 2. They have done a great job adding the photos to the maps. Keith https://forum.pages14-18.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=68997&start=20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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