How did the Don Steppe really look like?

[andyw248]

If you ever wondered how the Don Steppe looks like - there is a thesis by Olga Demina who describes the geographical, botanical, and climatological features of our preferred area of combat. While I'm sure not many of us really want to read all the latin names of plants, we will still enjoy the many photos of the landscape and the climate tables that she included in her work. We will also want to keep in mind that today there is not much of natural steppe left because most of it has been converted into farmland. And, as she explains, even in the early 1900's efforts were underway to preserve at least a few steppe reserves - which means that even then the conversion into farmland was already in full swing. Enjoy reading!

 

http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Olga_Demina2/publication/264240054_THE_DON_STEPPE_PRESERVE_AND_THE_DON_BASINS%27_EAST_PONTIC/links/53d568070cf220632f3d57b1.pdf?inViewer=true&pdfJsDownload=true&&origin=publication_detail&inViewer=true

Edited November 20, 2015 by andyw248

[indiaciki]

photos and maps I found

[andyw248]

Thank you for adding the aerial view, Indiaciki! The book that I'm referring to will add photos from a frog's perspective

[indiaciki]

Great. Can't wait

[andyw248]

Just click the link

[indiaciki]

beautiful landscape !

[Sandhill]

Awesome reference!!!  Thanks for posting this, Andy.

[TG-55Panthercules]

Interesting find - thanks for posting the link.  It has always seemed to me that these maps seem a bit over-cultivated into discrete farmed fields, when from memory of old pictures or films I'd seen I was expecting more vast expanses of open terrain, but maybe either (a) that memory was inaccurate or (b) the map makers felt that would be too boring?

 

Anyway, I was particularly fascinated by this picture:

 

 

 

Just another reason why we really need a Mods On mode for BoS - then HappyHaddock could adapt his Wildflower Mod from RoF and we could enjoy the above type of view as we land in our chutes or drive our tanks.

 

(And when they give us some of those lend-lease Shermans we can simulate some scenes from Kelly's Heroes - "Always with the negative waves, Moriarty"  )