EAW WW1 - ground objects

[Moggy]

Ray

Regarding machine guns as AA guns:



My dad, Biggin Hill, sometime in late 1940.

[rotton50]

One of these day I have to pull out my father's photos from on board the Fletcher class destroyer he served on for 18 months.

His primary role was chief torpedoman but he spent a lot more time manning a 40mm AA battery.

Some of his photos include kamikaze dives and Japanese men being rescued from the water.

I really ought to scan and preserve this stuff. If only I could catch up on EAW requests.

[Moggy]

I really ought to scan and preserve this stuff. If only I could catch up on EAW requests.

You really definitely do.

Not at the expense of getting this project done of course



I'm up to Tmod200 ingetting the object folders sorted with screen shots.

[EdLaz]

I know it's a lot, but I've seen the objectives and an interesting one came to mind: to protect or destroy them, depending on which side you choose.

It would be forts like Vaux and Douaumont.


Fort de Douaumont was the largest, strongest, and most modern fort in the ring of defenses protecting Verdun, France. Built in the 1880s–1890s, it featured thick concrete armor, rotating gun turrets (155 mm and 75 mm cannons), underground galleries, and space for hundreds of troops. It was seen as nearly impregnable.
The Battle of Verdun began on February 21, 1916, when the Germans launched a massive offensive to "bleed" the French army dry by attacking this symbolically important area.

February 25, 1916: German troops captured the fort almost without a fight. Due to a French strategic mistake (they had removed most guns and garrison troops, believing fixed forts were obsolete in modern war), only about 57 men were inside, and the fort was poorly maintained and unguarded. A small German patrol entered through an unsecured entrance and took control easily. This was a huge embarrassment for France.
The Germans then used it as a shelter, observation post, and ammunition depot.
May 8, 1916: A catastrophic internal disaster occurred. German soldiers (likely cooking coffee or warming food with improvised flames near flamethrower fuel) accidentally started a fire that spread to stored grenades, flamethrower fuel, and ammunition. This triggered a massive chain-explosion inside the fort. Between 650 and 679 German soldiers died instantly from blasts, fire, smoke, or collapsing tunnels. The explosion created a huge crater and destroyed much of the interior; the bodies were later sealed in a gallery that became a memorial chapel/ossuary.
For the next months, the fort endured relentless artillery bombardment from both sides (French heavy guns up to 400 mm tried to retake it).
October 24–25, 1916: French forces, under generals Pétain and then Nivelle, launched a successful counterattack and recaptured the ruined fort after intense fighting.

The extreme destruction in the lower photo resulted from:

Months of continuous heavy shelling by both armies.
The huge internal explosion in May.
The muddy, cratered terrain of Verdun turning into a wasteland.

The Battle of Verdun lasted until December 1916, causing around 700,000 total casualties (killed, wounded, missing) with no decisive strategic winner. Fort Douaumont became a powerful symbol of the war's horror and futility.

[rotton50]

You really definitely do.

I had an idea.

My daughter is engaged to a retired navy chopper pilot. (Second marriage for both and two kids each).

Right now he's still looking for a second career, probably as a civilian project manager at the Norfolk Naval Base (Largest in the world and about 15 minutes from his home).

I'm going to ask him if he'd do some scanning for me while he's waiting final word.





Just curious, are you finding many appropriate TMOD's?

[Moggy]

Ed - saw the pictures of these forts, and also wondered if we could set up something like that. Verdun being good example.

Ray

Just curious, are you finding many appropriate TMOD's?

Yes, quite a number will be useful. Some may need some light editing for period - trucks for example.

[rotton50]

I've been thinking about ships too. I mean how much difference would there be between a WWI and a WWII cargo ship?

Maybe size or more smoke stacks, which would be an easy edit.

Even some of the capital ship models might not take much editing.

Heck we could turn the USS Long Island into the HMS Argus pretty easily. Now THAT would make a great addition.

[EdLaz]

An example of at least some aircraft carriers from that era; at least I can get a list of them right now.

United Kingdom

• HMS Furious

• HMS Argus

• HMS Campania

• HMS Engadine

• HMS Ben-my-Chree

• HMS Vindex

• HMS Nairana

Germany

• SMS Ausonia (not completed as an aircraft carrier)

Italy

• Italian seaplane carrier Europa

Russia

• Orlistat seaplane carrier

France

• Seaplane carrier Foudre

[EdLaz]

Ed - saw the pictures of these forts, and also wondered if we could set up something like that. Verdun being good example.

I have no idea, but we can do what we did with the zeppelin hangar, or something similar; we can buy the skins or make them and stick them directly onto the structure like Rotton did.

I've been thinking about ships too. I mean how much difference would there be between a WWI and a WWII cargo ship?

[Moggy]

Sorry Ed, accidentally knocked out a bit of your text when editing the post. Re ships etc.

I'm sure you and Ray are right. Marginal differences between basic appearance of WW1 and WW2 ships etc.

[EdLaz]

Sorry Ed, accidentally knocked out a bit of your text when editing the post. Re ships etc.

I'm sure you and Ray are right. Marginal differences between basic appearance of WW1 and WW2 ships etc.

It doesn't matter.

Minor differences in the material's echoes, low speed, and the lack of protection to maintain them aren't a big difference; they're just minor things.