How to read a map

[Pierre-Aldric]

Hello !
Amazing link! I'd never seen this video before, so I haven't looked any further on the Canadian War Museum website. It seems that.

I am looking for a maximum of photos of life camp of RCE companies in European Theater, lot of photos video ho show the differents uniforms worn in during the campaigns from England training to V day.

As i am a JEEP WILLYS owner, I would like to find a lot of photos of RCE jeeps. I have differents photos of a Jeep landed on DIEPPE in 1942 and which was taken by jerries on the beach after the raid.


Moreover, I saw in Frederic Jeanne's book "Hold The Oak Line" published few yaers ago, there are testimonies/ interviews from RCE members and the source was THE CANADIAN ENGINEERS MUSEUM. Do you think it is possible to find it ? on the website of the museum I can't find fo example Lt Bud PETO extract.

Thanks in advance, See you soon.

[Temujin]

Hello !
Amazing link! I'd never seen this video before, so I haven't looked any further on the Canadian War Museum website. It seems that.

I am looking for a maximum of photos of life camp of RCE companies in European Theater, lot of photos video ho show the differents uniforms worn in during the campaigns from England training to V day.

As i am a JEEP WILLYS owner, I would like to find a lot of photos of RCE jeeps. I have differents photos of a Jeep landed on DIEPPE in 1942 and which was taken by jerries on the beach after the raid.


Moreover, I saw in Frederic Jeanne's book "Hold The Oak Line" published few yaers ago, there are testimonies/ interviews from RCE members and the source was THE CANADIAN ENGINEERS MUSEUM. Do you think it is possible to find it ? on the website of the museum I can't find fo example Lt Bud PETO extract.

Thanks in advance, See you soon.

Pierre, here is the link to the Canadian Military Engineer website, as you requested. The staff at the website (I have contacted them before for help) can answer some of your questions or tell you where to get them.

http://cmemuseum.ca/index_e/visit_e/visi_m_e.htm

In respect to Photo’s of Willy’s Jeeps for Engineer Units…..there are some available on line in “massive” books of photographs taken by Canadian Military Photographers. These are what they called “contact sheets” (in the print photography use)……they are “prints” of the photo’s, very low resolution, and many of them on one sheet. They were done this way so the photographer (or staff behind the lines) could look at the quickly and decide which could be used by newspapers etc. When you look at these “contact sheets” you can see where they have but “check marks” (meaning these can be cleared for use) and rough drawn squares in the photo’s (meaning these photo’s can only be published with the photo cut down to that size)

IF……you find a photo that you would like permanently, you can contact LAC in Ottawa and request a high resolution print of the photo…..there is a “cost” to this service. SOME photo’s are already on line at “Faces of War” on the LAC website (put not as many as were in the Contact Sheet Books)……..and during the war literally THOUSANDS of photos were taken but not ALL of them are available on line or thru LAC

I’ll post a picture of “one contact sheet” so you can see what they look like. I have downloaded all 110 Albums of photos on my computer. Each Album has 100’s of photo’s

Cover Page of ALBUM 93

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And this is ONE page. You can see this pages has 10 photo’s, some pages have only 4 photo’s (which makes the photo’s a bit clearer). At the TOP of the page, is information on what is contained on the photo’s below, and who took the photo and the date. As you can see to “find” photo’s of Willy’s Jeeps and specifically Jeeps used by the RCE would be a BIG TASK in these books. I’ll see if I can find ONE

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[Temujin]

Pierre, here are photo’s I could find of JEEP’s, but I don’t know who they belong to……in this ONE ALBUM, these are the only photo’s of jeeps I could find……..so you can see to find RCE Jeep’s will be hard.

I give you the original page so you can see it, and I’ve taken ONE photo and blown it up. You can see the photo is not very clear……..BUT with the “NUMBER” on the side (sometimes bottom) of the photo you can actually contact LAC and see if you can get a HIGH REZ copy of the photo. NOTE: these are being unloaded and you can see LOT’s of jeeps on board. These have NO TACTICAL MARKINGS, so I would suspect they are “replacement vehicles” for issuing to units when they lose a previous one (to enemy actions, or break down etc)

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I’ve included a copy of RCE at work below (sorry, no jeeps) just to show you that you can find photo’s but they do NOT tell you the Unit they were with. In some cases, if you can get a photo that shows the Tactical Markings on them, you can then identify which unit it is.

You can also see if this page ONE of the photo’s is BANNED from publications…..I don’t know why?

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And finally, a bit clearer shot of a jeep……I don’t know who this Officer is or his unit

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[Temujin]

Here’s a HIGH REZ photo available at LAC for an example. With this type of photo, you can see the TACTICAL MARKINGS on the bumper of the jeep and be able to tell the Unit its from. I’ve included the whole page it was on, then a photo that you can download…..so you can see you can get HIGH REZ photo’s if you wish.

NOTE: I gave you this photo (of a jeep) because behind it you can see an RCE Armoured Dozer at work

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[Pierre-Aldric]

Hello,
Thanks a lot ! it will help me a lot to rebulid my jeep !
I have a Register number for my jeep, I take it in the war diary of 16th field coy RCE who mentionned a jeep lost in march 1945 (CM4232678)

I will search other photos in the large data base of the BAC LAC, currently I have 23 photos of canadian Jeeps but no RCE. it seems canadian jeeps have differences comparated to US or british but no specificities for RCE.

See you soon.

[Pierre-Aldric]

Dear Barry,
I need your help to understand something, Previously, We told together (I don't remember if it was per email or not) about a truck of RCE dédicated to cartography. I found maps in France but I am not sure they are issued by RCE, I think but i would like to be sure about the translation I make.
Can you look the following photos and told me what you think about this map: issued by RCE 3rd CID or not ? Thanks for your help.

[Temujin]

Dear Barry,
I need your help to understand something, Previously, We told together (I don't remember if it was per email or not) about a truck of RCE dédicated to cartography. I found maps in France but I am not sure they are issued by RCE, I think but i would like to be sure about the translation I make.
Can you look the following photos and told me what you think about this map: issued by RCE 3rd CID or not ? Thanks for your help.

Yes, this is map made by 3rd Canadian (Reproduction) Company

Here’s a link to Canadian Survey and Mapping Operations during WW2 and a small snapshot of information from the link:

https://www.project44.ca/intelblog/mapp ... -world-war

In May, 1943, the 1st Field Survey Company was disbanded to form the 2nd Canadian Field (Topographic) Survey Company, 3rd Canadian Field (Reproduction) Survey Company and 4th Canadian Field (Air Survey) Survey Companies with 1 Canadian (Army) Field Survey Depot being established to coordinate training and provide a map depot. 30 Air Survey Section, Royal Canadian Engineers was formed in June, 1943, as a highly technical unit to be employed on special assignments connected with air survey.

On 31 July, 1944, the field survey companies began their move from the United Kingdom to France in order to support the Allied campaign in Northwest Europe. The companies were again renamed for the final time in September, 1944, to 1 Canadian (Air) Survey Company, 2 Canadian (Topographic) Survey Company, 3 Canadian (Reproduction) Survey Company and 1 Canadian Army Field Survey Depot. Map production at this time was in support of ground operations and was primarily at scales of 1:25 000 and 1:50 000. As well, additional field survey tasks ranged from establishing radar site locations and azimuths, airfield surveys, to measuring gaps for assault crossings, to setting up the microphone grid used to locate German V2 rocket sites.


Just for your information, a Survey and Mapping unit sill exists in the Canadian Forces today. It’s called MAPPING AND CHARTING UNIT and is located in Ottawa. They still have the same functions as WW2 and they continue to “survey and produce maps” for the Canadian Forces.

[Pierre-Aldric]

Thanks a lot ! As usual, a very detailed answer ! THANKS !

See you soon