And two more pics to show that the front areas, where the artillery barrages fell, were very different from the untouched countryside areas:





The design of the trenches, with many curves to avoid shrapnells, is also here very visible.



P.S: Btw, Laon pics coming :-)

Note the tree lines in the upper part of the first picture and that second picture is priceless - perfect!!! Can you pin-point these locations?

I unfortunately don't know the location, but as these two pics were in a stuff of pics around the Laon area, it could be supposed it was in this area. But anyway, the arrangement of the trenches is pretty typical.

Btw, as promised, the Laon cathedral with plenty of details :-)

Question to Viks: have you thought to use Zbrush for the baking of the ground textures? It could be amazing for the trenches and the holes.

Btw, more of Laon coming :-)

I'm not sure if these webpages have been linked before, but they have a nice selection of aerial photos, aerodrome shots, front line views, artillery/armor pics, as well as some showing architectural details too:

http://www.omaha-beach.org/WWIPic/WWI.html

Here'a a nice panoramic photo taken near Lens:

http://users.telenet.be/aok4/dose/ballon.htm

And to it's website "the History of the German 187th Infantry Regiment in the WWI" (be sure to use the arrows at the page bottoms to advance the materials, or the theatre URL links for more coverage):

http://users.telenet.be/aok4/ir187_1.htm

Some good WWI aerial views of trenches areas here:

http://albindenis.free.fr/dossiers/page3.2.html

Excellent site... many thanks

Gengoult US94 squadron AF?

It was a home field of US94 squadron, and it looks like it was somewhere close to Toul?
Where is it located on map?

Thanks!

A little bit NE of Toul. place is actually a commercial center

48°41'43"N
5°55'05"E

On your EM map (10m version), from the NW corner, coordinates are approx:
X: 29000
Y: 26000

I'll send you tomorrow the map with the exact perimeter added.

Some background info I found on Gengoult Aerodrome:

The 94th Aero Squadron was the first American pursuit squadron to fly patrols from Gengoult Aerodrome, starting in April 1918, which was the headquarters of the First Pursuit Group of the U.S. Army Air Service, eventually comprising the 94th, 95th, 27th, and 147th Aero Squadrons, and all under the control of the French Sixth Army at the time. The 95th Aero Squadron joined the 94th at Gengoult Aerodrome in May 1918, and was located at the far side of the field with facilities identical to the 94th's accommodations. There was also a French photographic squadron located at Gengoult, very close to the 94th.

Gengoult Aerodrome was located around 2 miles east of Toul, near the base of Mont St. Michel, and the quarters there were sturdily built of cement, and included finished two-man rooms, enclosed sanitary facilities, and showers with hot running water. The landing field was long, flat, and grassy, the roads were good, mud was nonexistent, and the surrounding countryside was beautiful.

Here's a link to a picture of the 95th Aero's Nieuport 28 fighters lined up at Gengoult Aerodrome:

U.S. 95th Aero Squadron at Gengoult Aerodrome with Mt. St. Michel in the background

More pictures of Gengoult Aerodrome can be seen in the book First To The Front, by Charles Woolley (and The Hat in the Ring Gang also by Woolley), which show some ground and aerial views of the buildings there.

Here's a link to the aerodrome's location and general airfield shape during the 1930's:

Michelin Guide to Aerodromes and Seaplane bases

Finally, an evocative arwork by Frank Wootten titled First Victories for the 94th, depicting Lt. Douglas Cambell's downing of a Pfalz D.IIIa right over Gengoult's airfield on April 14, 1918:

Frank Wooten's Gengoult aerial combat scene on Over The Front cover

VikS, I'll also send you what I can.