Royal Air Force Second World War Aerial Reconnaissance
- Reference:GB 551 NCAP/8/1/7
- Dates of Creation:1940 - 20th Mar 1945
- Name of Creator:
- Language of Material:English
- Physical Description:6728 aerial photographs
Scope and Content
Vertical and oblique aerial imagery of locations in Scotland taken between 3 July 1940 and 9 September 1943 during 45 sorties by No. 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (PRU), No. 540 Squadron and No. 8 Operational Training Unit (OTU). Some associated sortie plots are held.
Administrative / Biographical History
Military intelligence photography is used to select bombing targets, determine bombing accuracy, assess bombing damage, determine enemy orders-of-battle, analyse equipment capability, pinpoint defence positions, serve as a basis for maps and to search for indications of enemy initiatives or intentions.
Aerial reconnaissance photography has been employed by British forces since the First World War (1914-1918), but little development of cameras or collection methods was made in the years leading up to the Second World War (1939-1945). In the late 1930s, however, an Australian civilian, F Sidney Cotton, used a private Lockheed 12 aircraft with concealed cameras to take clandestine photographs of Germany. Following on from this work, Cotton was instrumental in persuading the RAF to mount cameras in high-performance aircraft, such as the Supermarine Spitfire.
The two main photographic reconnaissance (PR) aircraft used during the Second World War were the Spitfire and the De Havilland Mosquito. With all armament removed and replaced by cameras and additional fuel tanks to extend their range, they relied on speed and altitude for survival. These types of aircraft could range up to 2,000 miles, taking photographs from altitudes up to 44,000 feet though missions usually took place around 22,000 feet with some at very low level. The reconnaissance units used several airfields in Scotland as forward bases for photographic sorties over enemy occupied Scandinavia. The RAF PRU made flights over Scotland to train both pilots and interpreters in the skills required for this work. Spitfires of A Flight, No. 1 PRU, used Wick airfield in Caithness as a base for operations over Norway and northern Germany from 1940 to 1942. It was a PRU Spitfire from Wick that photographed the German battleship Bismarck arriving in Grimstadtfjord, south of Bergen, Norway, on 21 May 1941.
Formed from the merger of H and L Flights of the PRU, No. 540 squadron was equipped with the longer-ranged De Havilland Mosquito and operated from Leuchars, Fife, from 19 October 1942. It was a Mosquito of 540 squadron which discovered the V-2 missile launch site at Peenemunde, on the Baltic coast, and thereafter the unit was involved in the regular acquisition of images from the site. No. 8 OTU was formed in May 1942 and was based initially at Fraserburgh, then later at Dyce. Created specifically for photo-reconnaissance training, its pilots often made long flights of up to six hours, usually making an entire circuit of Scotland and northern England. After transfer to Dyce in March 1943, the unit's 37 Spitfires and 25 Mosquitoes ranged all over the UK on high-level photo-reconnaissance training flights and a small number of operational sorties were made over Norway in 1944.
The prints in this collection represent a small selection of the total created during the wartime operations of photo reconnaissance pilots in Scotland. The negatives of these prints were deliberately destroyed during the 1950's after their chemistry had become unsafe due to their nitrate base. Many of the prints still retain their 'chinagraph' pencil marking where trainee photo-interpreters have annotated 'features of note'.
The coverage obtained during any PR sortie is limited by the size and number of cameras an aircraft can carry. The Spitfire and Mosquito were both versatile collection aircraft and could carry cameras in a variety of configurations, according to mission requirements. The Mosquito often carried five cameras: one mounted obliquely in the fuselage plus two pairs of split-verticals of different focal lengths to give stereoscopic coverage of a target and its surrounding area, though for low level missions one camera could be mounted facing obliquely forward in the nose, with two others in dummy drop-tanks under the wings, synchronised to give stereo-pairs. Split verticals allowed for greater coverage of the ground on one overflight. Cameras were remotely operated by the pilot and were kept free from frost and condensation by having warm air directed over them from the engines. The most common British cameras used were the F8, F24 and F52. The F8 high altitude daytime survey camera could be fitted with 20-inch (508mm), 36-inch (914mm) and 40-inch (1016mm) lenses. The F24 Universal standard aircraft camera for day and night photography, could be fitted with 3.25-inch (82mm), 5-inch (127mm), 8-inch (204mm), 14-inch (356mm), and 20-inch (508mm) lenses, weighed 40 pounds (18kg) and produced 125 exposures of 5 x 5 inches (12.5mm x 12.5mm). It could be carried by photo-reconnaissance Spitfires in a variety of configurations, such as one mounted obliquely in a pod under each wing, or two mounted vertically and one obliquely in the fuselage behind the pilot. The F52 high altitude day reconnaissance camera was introduced after January 1942 and could be fitted with 5-inch (127mm), 8-inch (204mm), 14-inch (356mm), and 20-inch (508mm) 36-inch (914mm) or 40-inch (1016mm) lenses, producing 500 exposures of 8.5 x 7 inches (23mm x 18mm). Weighing 78 pounds (35kg), its long focal length was particularly suitable for high-altitude reconnaissance and it became the standard British camera for most of the war.
Access Information
Open. Digital images are accessible via the NCAP website, search room and Paid Search Service.
Other Finding Aids
Electronic index is accessible on the NCAP website.
Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements
Aerial prints / paper sortie plots. Prints are 5 x 5 inch (128 x 128mm) / 8.5 x 7 inches (230 x 180mm) / 7 x 7 inch (180 x 180mm).
Conditions Governing Use
Standard licence terms for use apply.
Custodial History
Held during the Second World War by M-Section of the Allied Central Interpretation Unit, RAF Medmenham. Transfered to the Scottish Office after 1945. Within the Scottish Office it was held by the Department of Health for Scotland until its 1962 transfer to the Scottish Development Department. Within these departments it was held by the entity variously known as the Air Photograph Library / Air Photographs Unit. The collection was transferred to RCAHMS in 1993.
Related Material
The surviving RAF aerial imagery of England, Wales and Northern Ireland during the Second World War (1939-1945) is held by:
- Historic England Archive, The Engine House, Fire Fly Avenue, SWINDON, Wiltshire, SN2 2EH. Tel: 01793 414600, E-mail: archive@HistoricEngland.org.uk
- Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, Ffordd Penglais, Aberystwyth SY23 3BU. Tel: 01970 621200, E-mail: nmr.wales@rcahmw.gov.uk
- Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, 66 Balmoral Avenue, BELFAST, BT9 6NY, Northern Ireland. Tel: 028 9025 5905, E-mail: proni@dcalni.gov.uk
Bibliography
RCAHMS (2000), Catalogue of the RAF World War II photographs in the National Monuments Record of Scotland, Scotland from the Air 1939-49, volume 2, ISBN 1-902419-19-7
Corporate Names