Allied map coordinates

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

Chris Goss
La Vallee
Thu Dec 4 22:10:06 2003
80.40.79.44

1(H)/10 was stationed at La Vallee in Dec 40 and was still there in Mar 41 by which time it had switched from Hs 126 to FW 189. Where exactly is La Vallee?

[Richard T Eger]

From further within the thread on TOCH!:

Pierre Renier
prenier@guernsey.net
GSGS listings for La Vallee
Sun Dec 7 03:09:40 2003
195.226.129.139

Hello Chris

According to an Allied gazetter dated December 1943 there are six La Vallee listed:-

a) La Vallee aux Bleds GSGS4042 NW France Sheet 5 Grid O14
b) La Vallee d’Oudalle GSGS4042 NW France Sheet 4 Grid L62
c) La Vallee (Dreux) GSGS4042 NW France Sheet 7 Grid R24
d) La Vallee (Rochefort) GSGS2738 France Sheet 24 Grid T50
e) La Vallee (Vendee) GSGS2738 France Sheet 20 Grid N70
f) Lavallee (Bar le Due) GSGS4042 NW France Sheet 9 Grid U22

All grids relate to the map series at 1:250,000 scale. You may have already seen it but if you refer to the following website you can use the above grid references to give a Lat/Long reading.

http://www.echodelta.net/mbs/eng-welcome.php

If you use Nord de Guerre Zone for a), b), c), & f) and use French Lambert Zone 2 for d), & e). Hopefully you’ll be able to pin down the airfield you are searching for. I believe the prefix for each is the letter V, and you will have to expand each to a four number grid e.g. O14 become vO1040.

Hope it all helps.

Could I possibly ask you to contact me off board concerning your investigations into the "Tip & Run Raids" of 1942/3? I have a question about the navigation methods used. My e-mail is prenier@guernsey.net

Regards
Pierre

(The website noted by Pierre gives a very detailed explanation of the "Modified British System" and its relationship to other systems. A coordinates translator is also available to convert map coordinates described by this system into conventional geographic coordinates.

Regards,
Richard)

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

Chris Goss
La Vallee-Feedback
Sat Feb 21 12:34:03 2004
80.40.93.134

For those who helped me, I have found out for certain that 1(H/10 was based at La Vallee which was a Feldflugplatz 10 kms SW of Lille. Seek and yea shall find!