Does anyone know of a source for building plans? I’m looking for plans appropriate to Normandy France 1944, Sicily/Italy 1943/44. I am looking to scratchbuild my own buildings.

what do you mean by "building plans"? .... real blue print or stuff like that? ...
What kind of buildings, country houses, houses in towns or cities, farms, the question is perhaps a bit generic because both Normandy and Sicily are large and varied, plus the problem in Europe is that until after the war only palaces in the city or houses of rich people had blue-prints, the rest was built and that's it, we talk about constructions that often were hundreds of years old and expanded in the same time frame.

To give you an idea, the house of my family, a peasants' house,has its foundations and part of the cellar of the 1400s and from there it reaches the last works of the 60s .... you can imagine that there are only the blue prints of the 60s.

the best thing it will start from Photographs of what you want

Pictures, and drawings of the outside with dimensions .

Types: farm houses, barns, stuff you’d see in say St. Martin de varreville normandy, Carentan, St. Saveur. Places that the 502nd PIR and 506th PIR fought in/around during June/July 1944.
Similar stuff for Sicily, 1943

Head to your local library and look thru the books on architecture. 720 will be the call number section. Also see what books you can get thru your state's inter-library loan system

Hello there

If you can wait a few days I can send you some stuff. I live about half an hour from Carentan. My own house is early 1800s so similar to what I think you're after.

Couple of things though.... materials varied depending on what was/is locally available. The use of "masse" (mud) is common (and something I can't recall ever seeing in models) but there is a bit of colour variation depending on clay content etc.

By July, the 101st had been replaced south of Carentan by the 83rd Division, and were up towards Cherbourg doing "security duties". Their brethren from the 82nd were still facing Germans near la Haye du Puits into July, whilst 70-odd miles away the 6th Airborne didn't get sent back to England until September, but that's another story....

Anyway, I'm in Germany at the moment so will sort something when I get home.

Cheers

Sean

The internet is your friend here. Google the towns you want and look for their histories. I found all kinds of gems concerning Normandy. Or,fly over the actual town with googleearth.
J

Sean, if it would not be too much to ask, could I get a copy of this info as well? I've got quite a number of basic diorama construction elements already but I'm wanting to see what else I need to create.

Because of the lack of diorama elements available in 1/24 I'm trying to create as many modular pieces that will fit into that area and era as possible. Any information you could provide to help me "fill in the gaps" would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,
Jim
LSA

Hello there

No problem. What exactly do you need? Measurements? Photos?
Basic construction and sizes of windows, doors, things like that?
I'm home now and work is a bit "in and out" so I should be able to put something together in the coming days.

For now, I can tell you the walls are about 60cm thick, granite various size and shape, and there isn't a single 90° angle in the entire house

Cheers for now,

Sean

You could also try google earth "street view" where you can actually follow any route around the area, as long as you stay on roads of course! I don't think they allowed the Google Vans across the fields!
Cheers
John G