Geographic Skills Unit 1 – Lesson 5 The Military Grid

The military grid became an important tool during WWI Trench Warfare WWI The military grid became an important tool during WWI (00:57 to 02:00 and 04:00 to 05:00)

Developed during WWI, the military grid was necessary because of the increasing distance that field canons (howitzers) could fire their shells. http://www.firstdivisionmuseum.org/history/history/wwi.aspx

With the trenches of the various armies often within 100 metres of one another, the need to accurately identify target locations became critical. http://goose426.glogster.com/the-events-on-the-western-front/

The military grid can be used to identify squares of 100 m x 100 m (6 digits), 10 m x 10 m (8 digits) and even 1 m x 1 m (10 digits) with ease.

The military grid works by drawing a blue grid over top of a topographic map.

61 Each vertical line and horizontal line is identified using a two digit number between 00 and 99. 60 59 58 57 56 32 33 34 35 36 37

61 By identifying the column and row each square can be identified by a four digit number. Read Right Up! 60 59 Square 3358 Row 58 58 57 Column 33 56 32 33 34 35 36 37

Each square measures 1 km x 1km so, to increase accuracy each square is divided into 10 along each of its sides (this creates boxes of 100 x 100 m inside each square) 60 59 58 57 32 33 34 35

This means that point A. is located at the six digit reference 332587 Remember Read Right Up! This means that point A. is located at the six digit reference 332587 or 332587 59 B. 9 F. 8 A. 7 6 D. 5 4 C. 3 2 Determine the six digit references for B, C, D, E, F 1 E. 58 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 33 34

A: 332587 59 B. 9 B: 335589 F. 8 A. 7 C: 338583 6 D. D: 335585 5 4 E: 334580 C. 3 2 F: 340588 1 E. 58 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 33 34