cassh Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 I'll get the ball rolling... Mezze International Airport in Damascus Google Earth 33 29'00.00" N 36 13'46.00" E Looks like foxholes and communication trenches dug in on the grass between the apron and taxiways! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudel.dietrich Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 The Golan is a real treat to look over. Dug in tanks, AT minfields acres in size, AT ditches, barbed wire, dragons teeth, bunkers, pillboxs, etc etc etc Too bad Google Earth limites civilians to low rez images 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSColonel_131st Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 That airport looks very...interesting. If these are trenches and foxholes, they are all over the place and don't seem to make a lot of tactical sense. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oren_m Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Just look at the Syrian side of the border with the Golan, you'll see tall mounts, they are called "Pittas", find one "Pitta" and look at it, see how many dugged AT positions are in there, also there are many AT trenchs. Oren_m 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdstrike Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Originally posted by RSColonel_131st: That airport looks very...interesting. If these are trenches and foxholes, they are all over the place and don't seem to make a lot of tactical sense. Could be some kind of walls or fence, but this is not making a lot of sense neither. Maybe something to keep the sand from being blown onto the taxiway? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSColonel_131st Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 I'll run this by a friend who's working for the army image analysis "department" - he should be able to make more of this. Gonna take two weeks, though. There sure are an awfull lot of these earth works to be seen, but their random nature makes really zero sense. One thing for sure, the airport is dual use military/civilian - but you guys knew that I guess. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassh Posted September 19, 2006 Author Share Posted September 19, 2006 Mount Qassyoun (Qassioun) http://www.damascus-online.com/Photos/sham/DSCN3531.jpg Google Earth 33 32'07.41" N 36 16'25.52 E Overlooks the entire city! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassh Posted September 19, 2006 Author Share Posted September 19, 2006 Good online map of central damascus http://www.syriantours.net/Maps/Cities/damascus_big.jpg 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellfish Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 I could see sector D3 being a total nightmare. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassh Posted September 19, 2006 Author Share Posted September 19, 2006 That's the old city - and yes it would be a nightmare - especially with the likes of the Al'Umawi Mosque (probably the third or forth most important one in Islam) in the potential combat area - any damage to that an the Islamic world would be seriously pissed off. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudel.dietrich Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Originally posted by cassh: an the Islamic world would be seriously pissed off. As to opposed to now them being just slightly pissed off? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Toleran Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Just north, Assad's palace is a pretty interesting little piece of work too. It's the one with all of the pretty tiles and rows of trees. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellfish Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 33°16'23.66"N 36°26'42.12"E A military airfield with tunnels dug into mountain side. Might be a fun place to fight in, even if Steve is rolling his eyes at the suggestion of it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpl Steiner Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 In all the arguments about whether Battlefront should have gone with a WWII setting again or a modern setting, I don't remember Google Earth ever being quoted as a factor. Now I'm convinced Battlefront have made the right decision! Just think of the potential for user-created maps using Google Earth. You could divide Syria up into 1km grid squares and then just allow people to pick a square to map and upload it to an online map database. Two or more maps for the same square? No problem, just store them all as variants. I imagine you would end up with an awful lot of squares - but with enough map designers you might still be able to do the whole country. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Warrior Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Goggle Earth is certainly a great resource. I am thinking that the map builder could be desirned to take advatage of Goggle Earth. This can be achieved by making it so that the CM map builder can import the KML file formats that are generated by creating in Google Earth by insertion of map pushpins. That way one could place pushpins into the Goggle Earth map (e.g. at road interecections or the corners of buildings, label them with text so that one can remeber what they are) and then import the pushpin locations (and text) into the CM map builder as reference points. Thus the map builder would need only to 1. be able to read the KML file format (which is just Keyhole's extension of XML) and 2. then convert the lat and longs to game map coordinates. It would also be cool tobe able to do the reverse and create a push pin in the CM map and then export it as a google Earth push pen. Also, (as a cool extra)Google Earth has free downloadable building builder software, now what would be really cool is if one could build building in Google Earth using it and then import them into CM. However,I think that would be a bit more ambitious from a software standpoint. However, the points in the building are really not that different than the run of the mill Google Earth pushpins in that they are just lat,longs, and elevations with some extra connectivity info attached to them. I am thinking that apart from the initial investment in software development time to interface with Goggle Earth, going that route may actually in the long run save game companies development time because they can leverage off of the work that Goggle Earth has sunk into their mapping product. edit: fixed a few typos. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carbon-14 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I'm actually suprised Google earth is as detailed in the Golan as it is. Can make out both Israeli & Syrian positions and the technical fence. I can even make out my old barracks in Camp Faouar/Ziouani. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassh Posted September 22, 2006 Author Share Posted September 22, 2006 I think it is clear that Google Earth presents us with a level of information and detail with regard to topography that military war gamers could only fantasise about five years ago. However, it still has its limitation. I really wanted to have a look at Krak des Chevaliers (famous castle just north of Lebanon border) to plan a novelty scenario, but Google Earth's res is too low to give any topographical detail at CM level. As the urban areas are the best covered by aerial photography though this ties in nicely with the reality of modern conflicts - being mostly MOUT. Campaign Planning Main centres of gravity: </font>Damascus</font>Aleppo (Halab)</font>Homs</font>Hama</font>Euphrates valley</font> Critical vulnerabilities </font>Damascus</font>Aleppo (Halab)</font> By land we have entry via Turkey or Iraq? Iraq most likely in current situation with two thrusts - one up the Euphrates valley with Aleppo as the target, the other south west toward Damascus. If Turkey were to give access clearly as short thrust over the border to Aleppo is preferable. This is less likely and will require a decent back-story to make plausible... Because of the numerous mountain ranges that dissect the country there are many critical passes and choke points we need to draw up a short list of if we are to create meaningful, realistic, and probable locations for engagements. e.g. south of Manin on the road to Damascus - no theological intent implied! [ September 23, 2006, 12:00 AM: Message edited by: cassh ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudel.dietrich Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 If a serious war did break out I think the US would strike from Iraq and Turkey would grant NATO foroces access to launch an attack out of their border. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpl Steiner Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 Originally posted by rudel.dietrich: If a serious war did break out I think the US would strike from Iraq and Turkey would grant NATO foroces access to launch an attack out of their border. Just tell Turkey it will be bombed back into the Stone Age if it doesn't grant access. It's worked before! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 cassh, Krak was featured recently on the New History Channel series "Lost Worlds." The footage was spectacular both inside and out. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiaros Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 I was wondering while I can see Damascus why I can't see my house on Google Earth.. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassh Posted September 28, 2006 Author Share Posted September 28, 2006 John - thanks, i'll look out for that. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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