Aerial photograph airfield symbols

[mimithem]

Hello friends,

recently I purchased some aerial photographs taken by italian a/c after the fall of Greece (May-October 1941) depicting three Greek airfields, formerly used by the RAF and the Hellenic RAF during the operations 1940-1941.

Looking at the photographs I found some very strange symbols shown as to be on the ground of the airfields.

The symbols are just as the following ones:







As you can see yourselves the first symbol is an angle, the second one looks like a comb, while the last is a cycle. The angles appear on every imaginable corner of airfield, while the combs seem to follow the fictious line which connects them to the angles, thus creating the imaginable limits of every airfield. The are just like in the following image:



They seem to be somehow on the ground of the airfield. They did not exist during the days of operations. Could the Italians have put them on the ground itself?

Any idea of what they are and their role? Are they painted signs? They are all the same on all three airfields...

[Larry deZeng]

Mimithem -

Is it possible that these markings were applied to the negative of the film during processing, maybe for photo interpretation or analysis purposes?

L.

[mimithem]

Yes Larry, this is the most probable origin of these markings. Thank you very much for your response!

Themis

[Jaap Woortman]

Here a page of the Dutch Algemene Gids voor Luchtvarenden (NOTAM) 1938 with airfield markings.

Jaap

[Snautzer]

Thank Jaap, that would certainly explain the symbols
Rough translation:

Landing circle.
For public traffic opened aerodromes, which may have landed safely in all directions, the center of the box reserved for countries and ascends part of the area indicated by a whitening circle whose diameter are at least 15m and rim width is at least 1 m.
2 Limit Indication of the landing area.
The boundaries of the landing area are indicated by red and white signs mark or white markings.
As a rule, use is made of red-white mark signs as shown in Fig. r.
Angle Teekens: length of the legs on the outside of the legs 5 m width 0.75 m.: ^ .. Boundary signs: length 3 m, width 0.75 m.
Note: The dimensions of signs are minimum dimensions.
The limit signs are located at distances of 100 m counting of each of vertices and start left-handed (on the left hand flying).
For the case, that, to bring adjacent omen, after the beginning of the latter along one of its edges in accordance with the foregoing, 3o m or less of that side would overshoot, this border symbol will be omitted.
3 Obstacles to the landing area.
To avoid parts of the landing area are usually one or more white crosses, comprising two lanes of 6 m long and 1 m wide, marked. (Fig. 3). For smaller portions of these crosses can be omitted.

[Larry deZeng]

Very interesting. I have never encountered these international airfield markings before, at least not that I recall. I wonder if these marking instructions were: (1) subsequently rescinded; (2) ignored by many or most airfields; or, (3) erased or covered over as soon as the war started to conceal the existence of the airfield. It would seem undesirable to advertise one's airfields with garish markings in time of war.

L.

[SES]

Hi,
I think they were rescinded, but the boundary triangle markings were replaced by red lights in a triangle.
Please see quote from this link: http://www.sci.fi/~fta/nightftr.htm

The illumination of the air-base was as follows:

- the obstacles outside of the base were marked by red lights,

- the borders of the base were marked by groups of red lamps, arranged with their tip pointing to the base,

- the landing direction was shown by accumulator lamps placed in a line at 50 m intervals,

- the arrangement of lamps in the landing direction was: three red lamps, followed by white lamps for the entire length of the landing area, then at the end 4 to 5 more red lamps. At a safe distance in from the border, a line of red lamps was located at the end of, and perpendicular (crosswise) to the main line of landing lights. On the left side of the first white lamp of the line, and about 20 m away, was another white lamp showing that the landings should be made on the right side of the line. If that lamp was located on the right side, the landings then had to be made on the left side of the line. The earliest point of touch down was to be made abeam the first white lamp and the latest, abeam the fourth white lamp. All taxiing was done on the opposite side of the line than the take offs and landings. The last 4 - 5 red lamps marked the end of the runway, and it was not permitted to taxi over the line of red lights that crossed the end.

- the take off controller`s position was located left of the first white lamp, and circled by red lights,

- located on the border of the airbase, on the left side of the light line, was a searchlight,

- the place for refueling, all obstacles, parked aircraft and aprons were marked by three red lamps,

- outside of the airbase, on the approach line, was a searclight transmitting the light code (changed from time to time) of the airbase,

- most of the airbases had a horizontal line of 10 to 15 lamps, located 1 to 10 km outside of the base, on both ends of the main runway (depending on terrain), pointing to the base. The objective was to create an artificial horizon to make the landings and take offs easier.

And a German map of Grove:
http://www.gyges.dk/fliegerhorst_grove9.htm
about 2/3 down
bregds
SES

[ouidjat]

Hi Guys,

While in Tchad in 1991 and member of local Air-club we decided to get another field strip 300kms northern of N'Djamena.
The field had been established by Lybians Air force during the 70s and did measured 1400m.
After the end of the civil war, the strip had been cut in two parts by a new tared road, living 900m on western part; the other part being used as earth source for the road enbankments. That was the situations in 1991.

Chadian administration gave us the autorisation to use the 900m remaining part for our purpose but we had to build some flat concrete slabs, painted in white, ground leveled with due legal dimensions.

And we did exactly that is on photo upper... To delimitate earth/grass aviation fields.

Regards, Franck.

[Aviator]

Hello Mimithem,

On which greek aerodromes are these signs on the ground?

Regards,

Aviator

[mimithem]

Paramythia and both of Ioannina (Yannina north and Katsika)