snow

[shredward]

I'm looking for info on when there was snow, or snow on the ground on the Western Front, in 1915.

Hope you can help,

shredward

[truthergw]

Do you have a particular part of the Western Front in mind?

[shredward]

Do you have a particular part of the Western Front in mind?

We are gathering info for our flight sim "Over Flanders Fields". We would like to have snow on the ground and in the air, where possible, on the appropriate dates. Unfortunately, we can't restrict it to one area - but if there was snow, better to have it on the ground in the area affected - say - Neuve-Chapelle - with splashover to the Vosges in Alsace, than to have none at all. So, any info on snow on any area of the Western Front would be great.

Cheers,

shredward

[truthergw]

According to the Official History, January 1915, " January was a month of rain,snow and flood". It seems fair to assume that some days, parts of Flanders would have been white with snow. The high ground in the Vosges would be snowbound into March.

[shredward]

According to the Official History, January 1915, " January was a month of rain,snow and flood". It seems fair to assume that some days, parts of Flanders would have been white with snow. The high ground in the Vosges would be snowbound into March.

Thanks Tom,

What would be nice would be if someone has entries in a Bn War Diary or something saying - "14th Jan - snow last night" or the like. We can use any info we get, but dates would be good - we would like Over Flanders Fields to be as accurate as we can get it.

Cheers,

shredward

[Starlight]

Shredward, Doubtless there are hundreds of such diaries but one that I have read on the Internet (Edward Packe - http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/diaries/diary1915.htm ) mentions that snow fell on January 25th, February 12th and Novembeer 26th. Anyway it's a start for you.

Regards Steve

[Adrian Roberts]

We are gathering info for our flight sim "Over Flanders Fields".

I would be interested to know what sort of aeroplanes you are going to be using and what scenarios? If you mean literally a "flight sim" then 1915 could be very interesting, but to have a combat game set in that year could be misleading. In the early part of the year aerial combats were very infrequent and usually indecisive - I'm not saying no-one was ever shot down, but it was the exception. Hawker's "three-in-a-day" on 25th July was very exceptional. Even by the end of the year, there were no dog-fights or formation attacks as understood later in the war; stalk-and-strike attacks by the likes of Messrs Immelmann and Boelcke were the norm.

Adrian

[shredward]

Hi Adrian,

You are quite correct - aerial combat was in it's infancy in 1915. Until Roland Garros took matters into his own hands, mounted steel wedges on the back of his propeller blades, and a machine gun on his cowling, aerial warfare was not much more than the occasional exchange of pleasantries with pistol shots or rifle fire between a/c passing one another on their way to more pressing business. However, this is a sim, and we hope to, as far as possible, recreate the war as it was - in the air, and on the ground as seen from the air. We will have battles going on where and when they occurred on the ground, and the air activity will mirror that which took place. Admittedly, we are still short of a/c types, but we are working on it. We will soon have the Quirck, and the Parasol, which will be the base of our 1915 activity - reconnaissance and bombing. Boelcke and Immelmann will appear in mid-summer, and launch the Fokker Scourge.

Cheers,

shredward

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/forumdisplay.php?f=8

[shredward]

Shredward, Doubtless there are hundreds of such diaries but one that I have read on the Internet (Edward Packe - http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/diaries/diary1915.htm ) mentions that snow fell on January 25th, February 12th and Novembeer 26th. Anyway it's a start for you.

Regards Steve

Thanks Steve,

It will snow on those dates.

Cheers,

shredward

[Starlight]

Admittedly, we are still short of a/c types, but we are working on it. We will soon have the Quirck, and the Parasol, which will be the base of our 1915 activity - reconnaissance and bombing. Boelcke and Immelmann will appear in mid-summer, and launch the Fokker Scourge.

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/forumdisplay.php?f=8

Hi Shredward,

Though many aircraft types were involved in the conflict in 1915 and I realise that you are limited in the number of different aircraft you can use in your simulation please consider including aircraft like the two seater Vickers FB5 'Gunbus' which proved very successful in aerial combat from May '15 until late summer (by which time it was up against the Fokker) and also the Bristol Scout, which was flown to great effect by Lanoe Hawker from July onwards.

Regards

Steve

[shredward]

Hi Steve,

Our artisans are beavering away between piles of shavings and pots of dope on the factory floor. However, it seems to take almost exactly the same amount of time to build a computer model aeroplane as it took to build a real one in 1916. We will continue to build and add new models to the Order of Battle, but it does take time. We already have a Bristol Scout, and will soon have a Fee. However, we do need more two-seaters and early war a/c, and that will be our next focus. You can see what we are up to at

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/forumdisplay.php?f=8

Cheers,

shredward

[Adrian Roberts]

Don't forget the BE2b (for early 1915) and the BE2c (for later) - these were the most numerous British types.

For German two-seat equivalents, take your pick, there were dozens which only an expert can tell the difference between now, and Allied crews rarely could in the air - perhaps an LVG or Albatros or Aviatik B1 or C1. The Rumpler Taube would be interesting but was virtually out of the picture by the end of 1914.

For the French, the various types of Farman and Voisin were more numerous than the Morane parasol.

If you've already done a Parasol which could pass as Warneford's, how about Zeppelin LZ37?

[Starlight]

Thanks Steve,

It will snow on those dates.

Cheers,

shredward

Hi Shredward,

I've just been looking at another war diary and it appears that the week 14/03/15 - 20/03/15 was a difficult period for the pilots (in the Ypres area) with snow storms, hail, rain and strong winds.

Regards

Steve

[Paul Hederer]

shredward,

Has your desing team given thought to your simulation generating weather?

Your name sounds vaguely familiar-did you used to fly Red Baron online?

Paul

[shredward]

Hi Shredward,

I've just been looking at another war diary and it appears that the week 14/03/15 - 20/03/15 was a difficult period for the pilots (in the Ypres area) with snow storms, hail, rain and strong winds.

Regards

Steve

Thanks Steve,

I've dropped that in.

Cheers,

shredward

[shredward]

shredward,

Has your desing team given thought to your simulation generating weather?

Your name sounds vaguely familiar-did you used to fly Red Baron online?

Paul

Hello Paul,

I was a member of SWISSA, and among other things, was heavily involved with the Hell's Angels Patch. Stachel and I showed up as guests of Jasta 5 one night - it was great fun. However, I have never had the time to devote to being a member of an online squadron sadly - I've always been too busy modding, and the obsession continues....

Cheers,

shredward

[Paul Hederer]

Hello Paul,

I was a member of SWISSA, and among other things, was heavily involved with the Hell's Angels Patch. Stachel and I showed up as guests of Jasta 5 one night - it was great fun. However, I have never had the time to devote to being a member of an online squadron sadly - I've always been too busy modding, and the obsession continues....

Cheers,

shredward

Hello,

Yes, I remember you. Wow, does that seem like a long time ago. I flew for the now hibernating JG1--Jasta 10 to be exact. Before that I flew for Uhlan in Flik61J...those were good times.

Paul

[JohnBelcher]

187 entries for Snow in the Wiltshire and Berkshire war diaries according to the Redcoats in the Wardrobe site....That number is for the whole war period and every theatre though

e.g.

1st Wiltshire Friday 26th November 1915 Belgium, Ploegsteert Wood

In trenches. Rain and snow during day, frost at night. Very quiet day, patrols out at night, and on 25th examining enemy's wire, which is reported very strong. Men employed at parapets and CT trenches. Evening snipers vigilant, but scored no hits.

[shredward]

Great Find!

Many thanks John, those diaries are exactly what we were looking for. I'll enter the observations into the database.

Cheers,

shredward

[laughton]

May be a long shot but I have used it before for my environmental work. NOAA has historic weather records and maps from many countries and it appears from this link that they have to December 31, 1915. There is contact information for NASA on the page:

http://gcmd.nasa.gov/records/GCMD_NCL00161_163_168_234.html

The detailed records appear to cover Germany and Belgium but they seem to have forgotten about France? An occupied country perhaps: see link

The monthly normals for each of the parameters are also tabulated. The tables contain the following data: monthly mean pressure, temperature, wind speed, evaporation, cloudiness, and humidity; mean maximum and minimum temperature; monthly absolute maximum and minimum pressure, temperature, and 24 hour rainfall; monthly total evaporation, sunshine, rainfall, snowfall; monthly per cent of possible sunshine hours; monthly wind direction frequency; monthly number of days of temperature above or below a particular rain, snow, hail, fog, thunder, lightning, calm, cloudy skies, and clear skies.