Notes on the "Modified British System" used on the European Theatre of Operations during the WWII

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The Allied Forces involved on the Western European front during the World War II fluently used a system of coordinates intended to help them to localize their targets on the theatre of operations : the "Modified British System".

This system, used then in conjunction with cartographic data produced by the British, French and later American army geographical services, led from its principle to the definition of coordinates having a specific format, reproduced through the following example:

(LZ1) vT609931

This format is well known by the historians and researchers brought to study reports of terrestrial or aerial operations of that time. The localization of the points or targets described by this information is not, however, very simple without the maps used at the time for the determination of the coordinates.

The principle of this system, based on the use of perfectly-defined map projections and grids, fortunately makes it possible to obtain the localization of these points without the use of the original maps, through the use of adequate mathematical formulas.

This web site invites you to discover :

An overview of the "Modified British System"

The diagrams of the grids used in relation with this system of coordinates (European Theatre of Operations)

A "coordinates translator", which allows the conversion towards more "conventional" geographical coordinates (latitude, longitude)

A message board dedicated to this system of coordinates

Some related links