hoolaman Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Google Street view doesn't help one bit. The landscape has totally changed there. Also, many of the pictures were taken in autumn or winter. Really, the only thing are roads and sometimes settlements. In rare instances you can guess or see were the bocage was in the past. I don't agree at all. I also found the same spot and while the winter vegetation doesn't help, it is pretty easy to see the patches that are still in something like their original condition. Just to the east and south there are a lot more intact hedgerows too. If you can see in some places where the bocage is the same as it appears on the 1946 photos, just extend it to the other bits that look like that. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadsword56 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I admire any mapper dedicated enough to get even the high or low bocage types placed exactly as they were. My approach is to assume that in Basee Normandy, both types existed, and to mix the two types all over the place -- no particular pattern, except that I might tend to do more low bocage and hedge closer to settled areas and farm building compounds. But in Mortain, where the bocage started to lighten up, I suppose I'd increase the proportions of low bocage and hedge. But I'd still mix a few tile of high bocage every now and then, just to keep it interesting and mix the LOS challenges. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadsword56 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 You mean those light dots indicate where apple trees used to be? Yes. Single D trees on a grid seem to give the best effect, IMHO, especially when you leave lots of gaps and even replace some trees with a large bush representing an immature tree. I sometimes even put stumps where the missing trees would be. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rokko Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 You sure? I reckoned that apple orchards were usually sited only adjacent to settlements. If light dots in regular pattern mean "former orchard", than there would be many of them in the middle of nowhere. Also, can we know when the orchards disappeared? I mean, does it mean they still existed in 1944? I initially thought, these light spots were haystacks, but that seems a little bit implausible now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadsword56 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 You sure? I reckoned that apple orchards were usually sited only adjacent to settlements. If light dots in regular pattern mean "former orchard", than there would be many of them in the middle of nowhere. Also, can we know when the orchards disappeared? I mean, does it mean they still existed in 1944? I initially thought, these light spots were haystacks, but that seems a little bit implausible now. Yes, in the 1940s there were many orchards all over, not just adjacent to settlements. (Actually, if you think about it, an orchard is easier to grow "in the middle of nowhere" because it requires less frequent tending than a crop field). Even in the 1947 aerial photos they show clearly as rows of dark dots. Orchard and pasture were the primary agricultural uses of the region. Then some occasional crop fields and grain fields that feed the people and farm animals. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rokko Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 wait... Now I'm thorougly confused. Are you talking about those dark spots that have a striking resemblance with trees seen from above, or are you talking about those small almost white dots you can also see on the picture I posted on top of this page? That the former ones form orchards is obvious, and you'll find those mainly near settlements! What I am actually wondering about are those said white dots, whether they are haystacks or remnants of orchards that were chopped down in favor of crops or cattle. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadsword56 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 wait... Now I'm thorougly confused. Are you talking about those dark spots that have a striking resemblance with trees seen from above, or are you talking about those small almost white dots you can also see on the picture I posted on top of this page? That the former ones form orchards is obvious, and you'll find those mainly near settlements! What I am actually wondering about are those said white dots, whether they are haystacks or remnants of orchards that were chopped down in favor of crops or cattle. In the modern color image, those light spots could very well be apple trees that happened to be in blossom at that time of year, which would make them appear white from above. Haystacks are the least likely possibility, because modern farming hasn't stacked hay in the field that way for decades. The hay gets rolled up in giant spiral bales by machines. The dark spots in rows I'm referring to appear 1947 French aerial photos, which should be your main authority. I only use modern color imagery as an aid to understanding the crop types, and in helping to identify/understand the features that still survive from the 1940s. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rokko Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 I see. I never use the modern imagery though. Only for guessing how villages might have looked backed then, since the quality of 1947 pictures is often not good enough to tell. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadsword56 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Yes, the modern photos help a lot for seeing the details of surviving buildings. Roads seem to show up better, too. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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