Newly Georeferenced Maps in TrenchMapper

[WhiteStarLine]

Forum pal @Howard has found a small collection of Gallipoli maps in the National Library of Australia, now available on TrenchMapper.  We probably need to revisit the zoom level of 2 of them but the collection is superb and covers more than the ANZAC area.  As always, use the opacity slider to reveal the modern satellite imagery beneath the map.  Below the full list is a sample, arguably the highlight, a photomosaic with annotated trench names.  Who could ask for more!

In the new version of TrenchMapper, just click Menu, then Jump To, then Specified Map Id.  Noting that members can zoom in above level 15, the TrenchMapper team is always pleased to provide extracts for genuine researchers,  Paste in a map id value:

nla_0002 Plan of Trenches on Cheshire Ridge Anzac Trenches corrected to 10/11/1915
nla_0005 Anzac Trench Diagram No.6 Trenches corrected to 02/10/1915 Hill 60, Hill 100, Rhododendron Spur 
nla_0006 Anzac Trench Diagram No.6 Trenches corrected to 02/10/1915 Battleship Hill, Scrubby Knoll, Gun Ridge 
nla_0007 Trench Map from Quinn's to Lone Pine 
nla_0013 8th Army Corps Communications Trenches corrected to 28/12/1915 Based on GHQ survey and Aeroplane photographs 
nla_0014 8th Army Corps Communications Trenches corrected to 28/12/1915 De Tott's Battery, Skew Bridge, Vineyard Based on GHQ survey and Aeroplane photographs 
nla_0015 Trenches- Cornfield Trenches corrected to 31/10/1915
nla_0018 Map of Area Occupied by Australian & NZ Army Corps Point names Ari Burnu, Battleship Hill, Table Top Contours 
nla_0019 Anzac area Anzac area occupied between 25 April and 20th December 1915 Anzac area Layered 
nla_0020 Trench Map from Chatham's Post to Lone Pine
nla_0021 Anzac Trench Diagram No. 5 Quinn's, Russell's Top, Rhododendron Spur 
nla_0022 Map of Area Occupied by Australian & NZ Army Corps Ari Burnu, Battleship Hill, Table Top 
nla_0024 Diagram Showing Advanced Turkish Trenches and Communications Trenches corrected to 22/07/1915 Krithia 
nla_0034 Photomosaic of Anzac area Anzac area Shell Green, Lone Pine, Battleship Hill, Rhododendron Spur, No.1 Post 

Click images below to enlarge.  Full attribution is on the TrenchMapper web site.

[Howard]

Thanks Bill.

When georeferencing these and other Gallipoli maps the cartographic problem of the area becomes obvious- they fit where they touch and do not offer the planimetric accuracy of map of the Western Front.

That means trench locations between maps will differ somewhat. To be fair, some of the items are marked as a Trench Diagram not a Trench Map, good enough at the time to navigate down the labyrinth but not nearly good enough for artillery and the gunner’s need to shoot off the map. Nor is this accuracy enough for those wanting to use a GPS to walk the trench- for those people, some keen observation of local features will be required to assist the GPS tracks.

Even the trench layouts in famous places like Lone Pine are difficult to resolve map to map and that becomes worse in the steep gulleys. The 1:5,000 Şevki Paşa maps are the most accurate but even these do not quite fit the best of the latest batch, nla_0034, a photomosaic of part of the Anzac area.

Howard