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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
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.
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.
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.
Thanks for sharing.