Did WW1 pilots use trench maps?

[Guest Gary Davidson]

For aerial navigation along the Western Front, am I correct to assume pilots and their commanders used trench maps as their primary reference? I would assume aerial navigation maps made specifically for that purpose came on the scene at some later point.

Cheers,

Gary

[Killratio]

Gary,

Not as such, I wouldn't think. "Trench Maps" per se, are 1:10000 and cover too small an area to be useful for navigation (although for a point attack on a section of trench they may be useful). A "standard" patrol area might contain twenty such maps or more.

Of more use (and I have seen them marked for navigation) would have been the 1:40000 area maps.

Pilots were expected, however, to memorise their patrol area. Navigating over unfamiliar territory takes concentration. Concentrating on the ground gets you bitten!!

Part of the Observer's brevet early on (not sure about later) was to be able to draw their "area", from memory, complete with emplacements, trenches, towns, dumps, etc.

Hope this helps

Darryl

[Alan_J]

Through an RAF friend I have seen some of the items for No. 1 squadron dating from the First World War, including pilots log books, flying gear and other items. One was a map of around Amiens, dated I think 1918, it was certainly not a trench map, more like 1:40. So certainly by that time they had maps for thr RFC, and did not use trench maps.

Sorry my recollection is not better, but he showed me these items after we had attended a ball the night before and got to bed at 4 a.m., up again at 7.30 with the kids (plus a rather large hangover)!

If we get up there again I plan to look through the items they have in more detail, I wasn't really up to it last time.

Alan

[CROONAERT]

"Trench Maps" per se, are 1:10000

...or 1:20,000.

Here's an example of a RFC stamped trenchmap from my collection. This is a 1:20,000 trenchmap of the north of Arras area with good detail of German trenches.

I've never come across a 1:10,000 RFC stamped map, but seen a few 1:20,000.

Dave.

[bkristof]

Weren't trech maps to dangerous to get in enemy hands when the pilot was shot down?

[CROONAERT]

Weren't trech maps to dangerous to get in enemy hands when the pilot was shot down?

Not really, especially with the 1:20,000 ordinary (as opposed to "secret") editions. These only showed (until 1918) a dotted line to represent the British frontline. It was the German trenches that were shown in detail, information that the Germans already had!!!!

Dave.

[CROONAERT]

These only showed (until 1918) a dotted line to represent the British frontline. It was the German trenches that were shown in detail, information that the Germans already had!!!!

...as can be seen from this snippet from the above map...

[bkristof]

indeed, nothing interesting for henry the hun!

[Guest Biplane pilot]

Given the typical distance flown in a 2-hour mission (radius versus range), presumably front-line pilots only needed maps showing the area within 50 miles or so of base, assuming the hop involved "time on station" versus a straight-line course to wherever. But since it would have been impractical to produce maps for each possible airfield, larger areas were displayed.

I cannot find the source, but evidently it wasn't unusual for some pilots/crews to draw maps of their own OpAreas with significant details. Makes sense to me.

And, FWIW, I can attest after some 600 hrs in open cockpits that the human thigh is the finest map holder yet devised!