Allied Central Interpretation Unit (ACIU)
- Reference:GB 551 NCAP/1
- Dates of Creation:1939 - 1945
- Name of Creator:
- Language of Material:English
- Physical Description:5500000 aerial photographs photographs
Scope and Content
Royal Air Force (RAF) / Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) / South African Air Force (SAAF) / United States Army Air Force (USAAF) vertical and oblique aerial reconnaissance prints covering locations throughout western Europe during the Second World War (1939-1945) and associated c.35,000 paper sortie plots. The entire archive is also held on 7,500 35mm microfilm. Countries covered are:
- Albania
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany (no imagery of the former German Democratic Republic)
- Greece
- Guernsey
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Jersey
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Romania
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Vatican City
Administrative / Biographical History
On the outbreak of war in September 1939, a small photographic interpretation section was attached to the Intelligence Staff of the British Expeditionary Force - GSIa(V), which consisted of three officers trained on an Army Interpretation Course. The key Royal Air Force reconnaissance aircraft - the Bristol Blenheim - was soon found to be inadequate for its long range photographic reconnaissance role and trouble was also experienced with existing camera systems. This meant the only source of long range aerial photography was that provided by the freelance civilian aerial photographer Sidney Cotton using his Lockheed aeroplane.
Cotton persuaded the Air Ministry to give him an assortment of Hudsons, Beechcrafts, Blenheims and even Spitfires for adaptation as photographic reconnaissance aircraft. This small group of aircraft operated from RAF Heston, Middlesex, on secret reconnaissance operations and was officially known as No 2 Camouflage Unit. Cotton, then in the rank of Wing Commander, commanded the unit later known as the Special Flight, and experimented with modified, unarmed Spitfires, flying at heights above 30,000 feet. Cotton sought the aid of his friend Major H Hemming, Managing Director of the Aircraft Operating Company Ltd, an aerial survey firm based at Wembley, Middlesex. The Heston Special Flight, which was renamed the Photographic Development Unit (PDU) in January 1940, continued, unofficially, to use the resources of this company to process and interpret its films and to make detailed drawings with its specialist equipment. After much pressure from the Admiralty, the Air Ministry decided to give the company a formal contract to operate as part of PDU from 1 April and later that month moved its photographic interpretation cell AI1(h) into the company's premises at Wembley. AI1(h) merged with the company in May and on 12 June 1940 the Wembley organisation was given its own identity as the Photographic Development Unit - Interpretation and Intelligence, (PDUI). Major Hemming, now in the honorary rank of Squadron Leader, was placed in charge of the section where he was joined by Squadron Leader Riddell from the Bomber Command photographic interpretation section.
On 18 June 1940 control of PDU and PDUI passed from the Director of Intelligence, Air Ministry, to HQ Coastal Command and on 11 July 1940 a further renaming of the two units took place. PDU was renamed the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (PRU), and PDUI became the Photographic Interpretation Unit (PIU). During 1940 the accommodation at Wembley was rapidly outgrown and the work was continually disrupted by bombing raids. In April 1941 PIU moved to Danesfield House at Medmenham, Buckinghamshire, and was renamed the Central Interpretation Unit (CIU). Later that year the Bomber Command Damage Assessment Section was absorbed, and amalgamation was completed when the Night Photographic Interpretation Section of No 3 PRU, Oakington, was integrated with CIU in February 1942.
During 1942 and 1943 the CIU gradually expanded and was concerned in the planning stages of practically every operation of the war, and in every aspect of intelligence. American personnel had for some time formed an increasing part of the CIU and on 1 May 1944 this was recognised by changing the title of the unit to the Allied Central Interpretation Unit (ACIU). There were then over 1700 personnel on the unit's strength. In 1945 daily intake of imagery averaged 25,000 negatives and 60,000 prints. By 'VE' day (8 May 1945) the print library, which documented and stored world-wide imagery, held 5,000,000 prints from which 40,000 reports had been produced. The title of the unit reverted to Central interpretation Unit when the Americans returned home in August 1945.
Arrangement
Photographs taken during aerial reconnaissance or survey sorties (missions) were sequentially numbered, and titled with the sortie reference. Sorties are arranged into series based on the unit they were flown by, or subordinated to.
Maps showing the ground covered by photographs taken during a sortie enable researchers to identify those sorties which cover areas of interest to them.
Access Information
Open. Accessible by appointment via search room and Paid Search Service. 35mm microfilm copy of imagery is available for consultation in the search room. High resolution copies of the original imagery may be purchased. Selected sorties available on NCAP website.
Other Finding Aids
GIS catalogue in NCAP search room provides access to a digital copy of original sortie plots. Electronic index available on NCAP website for completely digitised and uploaded sorties.
Alternative Form Available
A 35mm microfilm copy of the print library is available to view in the public Search Room.
Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements
Photographs are generally 5x5-inches, 8.5x7-inches, 9x9-inches or 18x9-inches in size.
Conditions Governing Use
Standard licence terms for use apply.
Custodial History
The aerial photography was declassified and released in 1962, by the UK Air Ministry, to Keele University as an official Place of Deposit under the Public Records Act. In 2008 it was transferred under a joint initiative between the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), The National Archives and Keele University to RCAHMS. The National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP) is a department of RCAHMS established to manage its collections of aerial photography.
Accruals
No further accruals expected.
Related Material
Intelligence records created at the ACIU are held by:
The National Archives - Record Class AIR 34, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU. T: 020 8876 3444
Location of Originals
The photographs in this collection are those held in the ACIU Print Library at RAF Medmenham.
Bibliography
A Williams (2014), Operation Crossbow: The Untold Story of the Search for Hitler's Secret Weapons , ISBN 0099557339.
Subjects
Corporate Names
Genre/Form
Geographical Names
Functions