Strange place just off the N524 Retjons

[Nick Trollope]

Looking on Google Earth, there is a huge area (about 13Km across) surrounded by what looks like circular fields.

What is it?

 

[BJSLIV]

Before Le General threw them out, there was a major US base in this area. When they left the bases were taken over by the French. I think the circles are either abandonned military structures, or even installations which have been airbrushed to disguise current usage. On Google you can see a major camp not too far north of Retjons with impressive outer fencing which itself has some circles within it.

[AnOther]

Geoportail.fr will give you far higher resolution than Google Earth

[Cat]

Thanks for that, it has been puzzling me since the question was first asked here http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1084214/ShowPost.aspx

[Jonzjob]

I suppose that it might be a big water treatment plant????????? There aren't arf a lot of very strange round fields there. I can't get Geopotail to show the site properly. It keeps on jumping around all over the place and when I can get it settled as has been said it loks as if there has been a hell of a lot of airbrushing going on?

I have just had a look again and used the IGN maps supplied by Geoportail. The name of the place is 'Champ de tir de Captieux' which translates to a bloody great firing range field!?

[moonraker]

http://www.dircam.air.defense.gouv.fr/dia/PDF/MIAC4_LF01_02.pdf

[Saucedecochon]

Its the old Captieux airbase, which is as already stated a firing range etc, used largely by aircraft from the airbase at Mont de Marsan.

There are lots of circular shapes in our area.Its les Pivots or the irrigating machines which water the fields nearby, and which rotate round a single well point.No lil green guys about making circles.