My understanding is that the Kent County Council provided these historical aerial photographic images to Google.
And I hope that Kent County made a good profit doing so!
Google can afford to pay good for this, to stay competitive. Google has my attention, once again, for such things.
Oh! yeah! I gotta look around here.
Looking at West Malling airfield, the hangars and the buildings behind them. Ben made it look just like this when he remade the airfields for v2.12.
These aerials are assembled as a "patch work quilt" but they all fit together pretty well.
Google date stamps this all.. as December 31, 1939, but what the hell do they know!? Some are 1939 or 1940 and more are other years to 1945, as I see and know.
I built Manston airfield for v2.12 from a righteous & big res 1939 aerial photo, and had to took a look at it, here in Google, to confirm that I made it OK.
The east side of the airfield, and buildings there. I see one hangar and and another aircraft shed bombed out, as well some other buildings behind them.
When I made Sheerness Naval Base last year, these Kent County aerials were not available, and in close up zoom looks.
I could have done a bit better placing building types if I had, rather than just working from some good hi res maps.
Hah! Rats Bay! Fitting for a naval base dock-side place. I love some English place names.
Had to zoom in real close and see the ships, boats, lighters and barges, as well some buildings around the dry docks.
I could stuff some more boats, etc. in what i previously made. Base looks real busy.
Of course, if ya'all know me, then you'll know I am not just an ex-sailor, but also one of them crazy American "gun nuts"!
So I had to look around and see some Anti Aircraft Command Heavy AA Troop (four 3.7" guns) layouts.
Not all are shown here in Google, but many are that I ain't never seen before. I am interested in how they were laid out, and what direction they were "pointing".
Most were pointing to south east, as expected, but some were pointing south or east, depending on location and expected threat approach.
This Troop is a Thames & Medway South Troop, called TS1 Scrapsgate (there is another lovely English place name!) that is southeast of Sheerness Naval Base.
Pointing east by north-east to the North Sea. I have this one placed in v2.12, and firing.
Also an unusual HAA site, of which most were placed in open farm fields, this one was hidden in a farmer's apple orchard.
"You boys eat all the apples you want, just don't let the Huns get here and eat 'em!"
Speaking of ground troops, I see "factories" in BoBII that are called as use of "Industry".
These are Canterbury, Maidstone, and Faversham.
I often wondered what type of manufacturing Industry was in those places, and found no factories that produced things.
Then I saw that "Industry" means producing Royal Army riflemen and machine-gunners! OK Royal Army Regimental Depots.
I've had my eyes on these Targets for a year, now.
Canterbury is one Target that I want to reproduce, and after a lot of research, I know where it is, what it did, and what it looked liked.
Blue dot is the Infantry Barracks, red dot is the Artillery Barracks, and the yellow dot is the "old" Cavalry Barracks.
OK, back to real factories, which is my current concern and priority to reproduce.
Right now I am looking at the Shorts Brothers Factory and the Pobjoy Engine Works.
I know where the Shorts Brothers were producing sea planes on the Medway River at Rochester, before WWII. In 1940 producing Stirling bombers.
I've a lot of detailed maps and plans of this riverside factory.
Seems that this place was interlaced underground with all kinds of tunnels that had work shops and other facilities down there.
The Kent History Forum, which has a wealth of information there, showed me. Those Kent History Forum folks are serious history buffs about their County!
Then, in 1934, Shorts Brothers purchased some land just south of Rochester at the Rochester Airport.
Also bought the Pobjoy Engine Works that was there before Shorts built a new factory right butt-up next to it.
So.. here is another aircraft factory with an airfield right with it. I'm no longer surprised.
Shorts Brothers & Pobjoy Engine Works at Rochester (airport). Notice the camouflage on factory buildings and the two hangars.
The same Shorts brothers factory with the older Pobjoy Engine Works in the left corner of pic. Hangars and old Pobjoy buildings are camouflaged here.
Picture and explanation from the Kent History Forum, once again. Those guys know their County history!
I am now working on reproducing these 2 (or is it 3?) factories to resemble what they actually looked like.
I don't know how much it costs, but in case you're interested stickman here is the page:
