Apport des plans directeurs et de l’outil LiDAR aéroporté pour la caractérisation des impacts morphologiques de la Grande Guerre : exemple de la cote 108 (Berry‑au‑Bac, France)

Abstract

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War landform mapping and classification on the Verdun battlefield (France) using airborne LiDAR and multivariate analysis

“…Regarding the figures given by the artillerymen, the number of fired shells seems to be much more important than the above values. Assuming that 20 to 25% of ammunitions were defective (Hubé, 2016;Taborelli et al, 2017a) over the 60 million fired during the Verdun battle (i.e. 12 million), an average of 4992 impacts/ha over the entire forest can be applied, recognizing that a significant number are non-explosive shells (no crater, e.g.…”

“…However, the process was inefficient for the remaining 403 457 features (38%). Overlaying historical documents with the DTM, such as ordnance survey maps (Plans directeurs -GQGA, 1917;Taborelli et al, 2017a) or aerial photographs (Stichelbaut, 2011;Stichelbaut et al, 2016a), may also be an alternative provided to combine German and French sources at different dates (information could vary by camp and time). A primary reason behind this classification insufficiency is the small size of some landforms without distinct contour delineation, causing difficulties in identification.…”

“…Only archaeological artefacts found within these landforms (rare in greatly disturbed places), archaeological excavations (Jacquemot and Legendre, 2011; Passmore et al, 2013;Schnitzler and Landolt, 2013) or geophysical prospecting could allow us to interpret some of the remaining landforms. Overlaying historical documents with the DTM, such as ordnance survey maps (Plans directeurs -GQGA, 1917;Taborelli et al, 2017a) or aerial photographs (Stichelbaut, 2011;Stichelbaut et al, 2016a), may also be an alternative provided to combine German and French sources at different dates (information could vary by camp and time). Among the polemoform-considered landforms (D1 to D7), 551 have been sampled in the field.…”

“…The Petersburg crater in Pennsylvania, USA (60 m long, 15 m wide and 7-9 m deep)formed on 30 July 1864 during the American Civil War (Pittmann, 2000); the Lochnagar crater in the Somme, France (80 m in diameter and 15 m deep)formed on 1 July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme (Doyle et al, 2000); and the Sedan crater in Nevada, USA (390 m in diameter and 98 m deep)currently the largest anthropogenic crater in the world, resulting from the US nuclear test of 6 July 1962 (Hesse, 2014) are prime examples of the destructive power of explosives on the geomorphological landscape. Thus, war gives rise to 'polemoforms' (Amat, 1987), derived from the Greek word pólemos (war), which describe these landforms made by military activities (Ilyès, 2006;Brantz, 2009;Stichelbaut, 2011;Brenot et al, 2017;Taborelli et al, 2017a; Figure 1).…”

The Role of Geomorphic Controls on the development of defensive networks along the Western Front during the Great War: Case study of Champagne and Argonne (France)

“…The Argonne region forms the reverse of the Cenomanian (or Argonne) coast made comprising Albo-Cenomanian gaize, a porous, grey-green, siliceous sandstone, relatively soft and light (density between 1.4 and 1.54) resting on impermeable clays of the Albian (Gault clay). 12 The Argonne region, is enclosed between the Aisne River to the west, and its tributary, the Aire River, to the east, which presents a southern course including numerous valleys and tributary ravines, named "barribans" by Léry in 1916: 13 On all sides, in every direction, they are very narrow ravines, with steep sides. The locals call them "barribans".…”