Developments in Aerial Photography During WWII

[Gary Petts]

Hello all,
I am a relatively new member of the forum. Having recently retired and to keep the old grey cells firing, I have joined the South Australian Aviation Museum, where amongst other things, I am a member of the SAAM History Group. While our research focuses mainly around SA events and airmen, we do write on more general topics.

A topic that is dear to me, having been an Australian Army (Royal Australian Survey Corps) aerial camera operator in the '70s, is the move away from cavalry for military reconnaissance following the use of observation balloons and introduction of heavier than air aircraft. Accordingly, I have been writing a series of articles, some of which will be available within a few days at our website at South Australian Aviation Museum – 66 Lipson St Pt Adelaide S.A.

Once at the website, simply click on "History Group" (under the FIII) and you can see what is available:

The articles start with the introduction of photography, progress through WWI and we are now up to the end of WWII.

To whet the appetite of anyone who is interested, please find attached Part 3 which covers the Developments during WWII.

Because of who we are, the article has more of a focus on SA / Australian and British/Allied Forces developments, or else it would be a very long text.

Cheers, Gary

 

[Snautzer01]

Welcome and a nice article. Please give a heads up when other parts are ready.

 

[Gary Petts]

Thanks Snautzer.

Attached are Parts 1 and 2 in the series. These two parts cover the origins of aerial photography and developments during WWI.

I guess the mods can remove them if not deemed appropriate for a WWII forum?

I can post future articles as they are written, but may need to move those somewhere else?

Cheers, Gary

 

[Snautzer01]

The part about Cotton is a must read. Epic man he was. Thank you for posting.

About other articles... yes please . You can find not only ww2 parts but from every era. Ww1 till now here so there will always be a place to post it.

I do have an intrest in the subject all be it the German side.

 

[Crimea_River]

Welcome aboard and thanks for posting the articles. Downloaded for reading at a later date.

 

[Chris H]

Hello all,
I am a relatively new member of the forum. Having recently retired and to keep the old grey cells firing, I have joined the South Australian Aviation Museum, where amongst other things, I am a member of the SAAM History Group. While our research focuses mainly around SA events and airmen, we do write on more general topics.

A topic that is dear to me, having been an Australian Army (Royal Australian Survey Corps) aerial camera operator in the '70s, is the move away from cavalry for military reconnaissance following the use of observation balloons and introduction of heavier than air aircraft. Accordingly, I have been writing a series of articles, some of which will be available within a few days at our website at South Australian Aviation Museum – 66 Lipson St Pt Adelaide S.A.

Once at the website, simply click on "History Group" (under the FIII) and you can see what is available:

View attachment 599719

The articles start with the introduction of photography, progress through WWI and we are now up to the end of WWII.

To whet the appetite of anyone who is interested, please find attached Part 3 which covers the Developments during WWII.

Because of who we are, the article has more of a focus on SA / Australian and British/Allied Forces developments, or else it would be a very long text.

Cheers, Gary

Hi Gary, I'm a former British Army/Civil Service Imagery Analyst, having qualified in 1978. When I was an instructor at what was the Joint School of Photographic Interpretation (JSPI), i was also the Curator of the Medmenham Collection. This is based at Chicksands in Bedfordshire, and is the repository for the history of photo interpretation/imagery analysis in the UK. It holds numerous objects and imagery examples right back to WW1. I know the Cotton story very well, and have met both his son and daughter from his last marriage! He certainly was a very colourful character. After his death, his widow found out just how many fortunes he'd blown over the years and burnt all of his stuff that she could find. We suspect that a lot of original material went up in flames! "Hell hath no fury etc". Please give me a shout if there's anything I can help you with?

 

[Juanita]

Very interesting story Gary.
I knew a bit about Cotton but that added much more colour to the legend.
Once those borders start opening I'll be coming over to see the museum!

Juanita Franzi

 

[ColFord]

Good article there Gary.

Couple of little points of historical accuracy I would pick with you, but I note the focus of this article is on the 'strategic' photographic reconnaissance role primarily conducted by the PRUs. It doesn't cover the other aspects of the RAF's (and Commonwealth Air Forces) photographic reconnaissance development and activity in the more tactical role at low to medium altitudes and to meet the specific requirements of the other services. Examples being the Inter-Service Topographical Department requirements in the lead up to D-Day and the very low level coverage of V-1 & V-2 sites for both launch site layout and identification, plus post-attack bomb damage assessment.

It was a significant part of the wartime photographic reconnaissance effort and tends to get overshadowed by the high level PR effort.

 

[Koopernic]

Good article there Gary.

Couple of little points of historical accuracy I would pick with you, but I note the focus of this article is on the 'strategic' photographic reconnaissance role primarily conducted by the PRUs. It doesn't cover the other aspects of the RAF's (and Commonwealth Air Forces) photographic reconnaissance development and activity in the more tactical role at low to medium altitudes and to meet the specific requirements of the other services. Examples being the Inter-Service Topographical Department requirements in the lead up to D-Day and the very low level coverage of V-1 & V-2 sites for both launch site layout and identification, plus post-attack bomb damage assessment.

It was a significant part of the wartime photographic reconnaissance effort and tends to get overshadowed by the high level PR effort.

There is also the very important issue of battle field reconnaissance. Would your tank battalion like some photographs of the terrain to see where the enemy tanks might be positioned?

 

[nuuumannn]

I am a relatively new member of the forum. Having recently retired and to keep the old grey cells firing, I have joined the South Australian Aviation Museum, where amongst other things, I am a member of the SAAM History Group. While our research focuses mainly around SA events and airmen, we do write on more general topics.

Fascinating stuff Gary and great museum, like that ARDU F-111. Just a wee note, I have an interest, mainly academic in the use of aircraft during the Dardanelles/Gallipoli campaign and it is almost universally overlooked in contemporary histories, but the work carried out was ground breaking in many respects and does involve the use of aerial photography - only the second time in a military campaign that aerial photographs were taken in support of direct action, the first at Neuve Chapelle in France was merely weeks beforehand. Much was learned and a lot of experience was gained - I have copies of some of the images taken as a result of a research project I did a few years ago.

These two images were taken in March 1915 and the first shows the result of naval shelling of the area surrounding the Namazgah fort to the right at Kilitbahir, the castle still standing to this day on the Gallipoli Peninsula side of the Dardanelles.

Namazgah Fort sm

This image shows the Seddulbahir fortifications at the very tip of Cape Helles adjacent to the British landing point at V Beach on the Gallipoli Peninsula. British troops assaulted the fort from the beach to the right of the picture. The wall still stands to this day.

Sedulbahir Fort sm

This is an area of aerial photography that gets little, if any recognition, yet the campaign is at the heart of our collective remembrance as nations (I'm a Kiwi).

 

[special ed]

While not WW2, a book I bought in a second hand store titled "Aeroplane Photography", dated 1924, turned out not to be about air to air photography as I thought, but about the aerial mapping of the United States. At the time, maps of the country were of different scales and doubtful accuracy. The Army Air Service was given the task of providing maps of constant scale through photography. As a Kodak employee, I was interested because Kodak supplied the film. What was of greater interest, was Kodak had just invented infrared film and wanted to see if there was any aerial application possible. The infrared film was provided at no cost and was requested to be shot when possible. Over Minnesota, on infrared, appeared strange geometric shapes thought to be stone formations just below the surface and warmed by the sun. The shapes appeared to some sort of fort, although no French, British or U.S. forts had ever been in these two locations. Interviews with farm owners only found complaints about how long rows of rocks broke their plow blades. This is flat farm land with no close supply of large rocks. Copies of prints were sent to a number of universities back then and finally a professor of Viking history Identified the shapes as classic Viking forts. I kept the book only to prove Vikings had penetrated North America as far as Minnesota and stayed long enough to build two forts, but it was one of those books lost in hurricane Katrina.

 

[Snautzer01]

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

 

[Milosh]

A GREAT thread.

 

[fubar57]

.

 

[fubar57]

Odd that someone would only download Pt.2 of 3

 

[Gary Petts]

While not WW2, a book I bought in a second hand store titled "Aeroplane Photography", dated 1924, turned out not to be about air to air photography as I thought, but about the aerial mapping of the United States. At the time, maps of the country were of different scales and doubtful accuracy. The Army Air Service was given the task of providing maps of constant scale through photography. As a Kodak employee, I was interested because Kodak supplied the film. What was of greater interest, was Kodak had just invented infrared film and wanted to see if there was any aerial application possible. The infrared film was provided at no cost and was requested to be shot when possible. Over Minnesota, on infrared, appeared strange geometric shapes thought to be stone formations just below the surface and warmed by the sun. The shapes appeared to some sort of fort, although no French, British or U.S. forts had ever been in these two locations. Interviews with farm owners only found complaints about how long rows of rocks broke their plow blades. This is flat farm land with no close supply of large rocks. Copies of prints were sent to a number of universities back then and finally a professor of Viking history Identified the shapes as classic Viking forts. I kept the book only to prove Vikings had penetrated North America as far as Minnesota and stayed long enough to build two forts, but it was one of those books lost in hurricane Katrina.

Hi special ed,

If the book you lost is actually 'Airplane Photography' by Herber E. Ives, 1920, you may be in luck and can download it for free from Project Guttenberg: Here
If not, it is a good read anyway for the price! Here's the link again Airplane Photography by Herbert Eugene Ives to cut and paste in case the other one doesn't work.
Cheers, Gary

 

[Gary Petts]

.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Gary Petts]

Some other useful references for those interested in this topic:

 

[Gary Petts]

And some more: