Terrain question for the Europeans - Houses in Western Theater

[Sinewgrab]

Along these same lines - was chainlink/cyclone fencing used in Europe in the 30's and 40's?  I know it was in use in the US, though it really exploded in the post-war 50's, but I was wondering if fencing in small garden plots could be cyclone fencing, or if it needed to be wooden or wrought iron.

[fred]

I'm sure I have seen photos of the Arnhem area with chain link fencing. I'm not sure what cyclone fencing is, its not a term used in the UK (or at least not one that I'm aware of).

[Plynkes]

I'm sure I have seen photos of the Arnhem area with chain link fencing.

There were tennis courts inside the British perimeter at Oosterbeek, I think they had chain-link fences around them.



Is that chain-link fencing, do you reckon? Not sure, but it might be.

[fred]

That looks like chain link and would be typical around tennis courts - but I was thinking about stuff that look like garden fencing - only waist high.

Edit:

After quite a lot of looking found this one


Lots of pictures of cast iron railings, and fences, and some of simple wooden poles with wire stretched between them.

[Marine0846]

Here you go Neal.
When I set up my Normandy games I try to put 3 to 5 rows of bocage per four feet of table.
I like the look, forget the ground scale, if not it will drive you crazy.
Here is a photo that may be of use.
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/JzvByDb.jpg?1" title="source: imgur.com" />
Take a look on the internet, lots of neat photos.

[Sinewgrab]

I'm sure I have seen photos of the Arnhem area with chain link fencing. I'm not sure what cyclone fencing is, its not a term used in the UK (or at least not one that I'm aware of).

Cyclone was one of the most prominent US manufacturers, so it became synonymous with chain-link, much the same same way Kleenex is facial tissue or Perspex is clear acrylic.

[fred]

Cyclone was one of the most prominent US manufacturers, so it became synonymous with chain-link, much the same same way Kleenex is facial tissue or Perspex is clear acrylic.

Aah! that makes sense, that its a brand name. I was thinking it was some kind of special fence designed to survive cyclones! In the photo I linked to, that kind of wire mesh fence would be known as chicken wire in the UK.

[has.been]

1) Remember there is a lot of 'Europe' that is not Bocage or Market Garden. Paris, just to give one example.
    Inspired by a Peter Sarsted song I 'Strolled down the Boulevard 'St. Michelle'. I found placards next to bullet holes in
    the walls (all along the 2 miles I walked) saying 'Here fell a hero of the resistance....' during the liberation of Paris.
2)Like others have said, 'he can always make some himself' (The person who never made a mistake, never made anything)
3) You did the right thing by asking. My first wargames used adobe buildings for Romans v Britons, why? because the only
    book in our city library, for wargaming, had a (black & white) picture of Romans formed up beside an adobe building.
    Talking, yesterday, to the nice guy who is 'Charlie Foxtrot Models' (For those who don't know, he does lots of lovely
    MDF buildings, which I highly recommend) He has some new American buildings, I could work out the Mansion house,
    but I was puzzled by several of the smaller buildings. He patiently told me the story, an American customer was feeding him
    pictures of historic buildings in the USA. One was a kitchen, one a smoke house & the third (Beautiful laser cut detail)
    was a 'covered well' the 'building' stops all the leaves getting into the well. Now I have heard of you Yanks putting rooves
    over your bridges, but until yesterday I had no idea about covering the wells.   
    It just goes to show you it pays to ask. 

    In the end is the answer to the following question 'yes'  (if it is, then to heck with everything else)
    Do you enjoy your games?

[Sinewgrab]

We do enjoy the games - and I am well known for taking liberties here and there to allow for terrain to be used for more than one genre - most of these Sarissa and TTcombat buildings I have are going to be dual purpose for both WW2 and post-apocalyptic, and even some pulp and VSF as well.

I found a relatively inexpensive chainlink fencing kit, and was trying to decide if I wanted to use it on some small garden plots I am creating to go behind the houses to fill space and create both interest and cover. Maybe I will stick to picket fences and such.

In today's separatist world, I am just glad to be part of a community that is more interested in sharing than hoarding, even if that is just information on our hobbies.

[levied troop]

I have some of that paper to try out, looking at it in the flesh it seems fine, haven't used it yet.  Alcal had some tremendous results with it in his Stalingrad thread, but I think the photos went west in the photobucket disaster.

Now restored:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=99176.0

[Elk101]

I've spent a fair amount of time in parts of Normandy, mainly around Domfront,  Flers, Mortain area. The bocage around there is often very high compared to the level of the chemain with considerable soil banks with large roots and rocks visible. Quite a few of the field boundaries near the metalled roads were just ditches but I was never sure whether that was a more recent development. I'd been told that the landscape hadn't changed much so perhaps not.

[Daeothar]

Late to the party, but as a born and raised Dutchman, I can attest to the accuracy of V's table. It's one of the very few I've seen that shows Dutch buildings (semi)accurately.

Buildings in the Netherlands (bar obvious transition areas along the borders) tend to look quite distinct from those in Belgium or Germany, and definitaly France. Especially when looking at buildings from the turn of the century on.
From before 1900, they tend to look more similar, but that only goes for cities; farms are very distinct to their respective regions. There is, for instance, a very distict difference between farms in North Holland as opposed to those in Brabant.

The predominant material for all buildings was (and is) brick, as quaried stone all has to be imported. So about 95% of buildings are brick. As mentioned before, some older buildings tended to have their facades plastered and painted in muted, natural colours. No blue, pink or green; it's basically all white (if there at all!). Most of these plaster facades can be found in city or village centers (as the oldest buildings can be found there).

If you do use plaster facades, use them sparingly, naturally coloured and on older (turn of the century and before) buildings only.

But having said all that; obviously there are exceptions to all 'rules', and even though they're far between, buildings wildly varying from the above guidelines can of course be found, if one looks long enough.

Chainlink fences were used extensively throughout the Netherlands by the forties, often as fences surrounding front/back yards, to about 1m high. Usually, they were held up by a steel frame (T-bar posts, with tubes connecting them on top), which was commonly painted (90% was dark green or white).

Also, predominantly in rural areas, (barbed) wire, in two or three rows along 1m tall wooden posts was used to fence off pastures, gardens and fields (when there was no surrounding drainage ditch, but quite often even then).

I hope this helps...

[Ultravanillasmurf]

If you are using brick papers or embossed plastic, make sure it is the right format.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brickwork#Flemish_bond
Most examples above are UK, what counts as vernacular will vary.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

As an alternative to brick papers, recently a number of companies have started manufacturing printed resin transfers that can be applied to flat surfaces.

They have been favourably reviewed in the model railway press.

I will look for some links.

[Edit] my google-fu is weak...

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Redutex.
https://www.dccsupplies.com/cl-861/redutex-3d-construction-textures.htm
https://www.dccsupplies.com/cl-874/walling.htm