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RAF100 History Cold War
RAF100 History Cold War
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AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
PHOTOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE
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AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
PHOTOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE
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OPERATION CROSSBOW
In 1943, a pilot took photographs of In 1944, information was sent to the that they had come across something
some buildings near Peenemünde in British by the French Resistance very important. Comparisons with the
northern Germany. The images (French men and women who were images taken at Peenemünde in 1943
showed new buildings and shapes opposed to the Nazi occupation of also showed a few similarities.
on the ground that were not France and were bravely spying on
Using the 3D imagery technique, the
immediately recognisable to those what the Nazis were doing and trying
PIU was able to work out the size of
in the PIU at Medmenham. After to stop them) about new German
the buildings and see that some of
further analysis, and because the military buildings on the French coast.
the new shapes were rocket
buildings were obviously military The reconnaissance pilots led a
launchers. The team working together
but it was not clear for what special low-level flying mission to
had diascovered the sites of the V-1
purpose, the RAF was instructed to photograph the site, which was very
and V-2 Rockets. Peenemünde was
attack the facility in August 1943. risky because of the enemy firing at
one of the factories that made the
Of course, all the images of the site them. The amount of enemy
rockets, and the sites in France were
were kept in case they had a use in response to the reconnaissance
where they were to be fired from.
the future. aircraft helped to convince the RAF
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AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
PHOTOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE
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The Allied bombers set about – and, most importantly, so that it targets was extremely difficult.
bombing V-1 and V-2 rocket bases. could not be bombed by aircraft. This However, constantly having to move
The rockets could be launched from meant that the production of the the firing locations for the rockets
mobile sites – this meant that it was rockets could not be stopped until the limited the number that could be fired
difficult to destroy all of the launch Allies had started the attack back into and subsequently limited the level of
sites. However, because of the PIU, Western Europe. However, the success damage and destruction.
the mobile sites could soon be of Operation Crossbow in identifying
The work carried out at Medmenham
recognised and identified from the the firing sites meant that the V-1 and
was arguably even more important
air and then destroyed by Allied V-2 Rockets were not able to disrupt
than that at Bletchley Park, and it was
bombers. The Allies codenamed the D-Day invasion.
said that 80% of all intelligence in the
their identification of the rocket
V-1 and V-2 rockets were fired at the war came from aerial photography.
sites and the raids to destroy them
UK and caused damage and death. Writer: Taylor Downing
Operation Crossbow.
As they were not dropped from www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/
The Germans had built one of the key aircraft, it was difficult to detect the whats-going-on/events/
factories that built the rockets in a bombs’ arrival until they were very spies-in-the-sky/
mountain so that its importance close to their target. Being able to
could not be identified from the air stop the bombs from hitting their
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AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
PHOTOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE
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AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
PHOTOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE
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AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
PHOTOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE
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Aerial reconnaissance and PI were used to keep a to deter any possible acts of violence. Questions might
check on all of the key Black Sea ports and some of the also be raised at the UN or through the non-aligned
quieter ones. Using PI, the analysts were able to identify countries (countries that claimed to be neutral in the
submarine docks and distinguish between normal East versus West split, such as Yugoslavia).
warehouses and military warehouses. Without the3D Collecting intelligence from the Mediterranean area
effect, the submarine stations would be difficult to and comparing it with intelligence from other parts of
distinguish from other inlets along a rocky coastline. the Soviet Union meant that the Russian military, and
The UK and NATO response to any unusual activity was especially the nuclear threat, was monitored all of the
further monitoring and analysis. If the activity was time. It is one of the factors that ensured that that the
deemed serious, then NATO troops or resources might Cold War never turned really hot in Europe.
be moved to an area near the Soviet military build-up,
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AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
PHOTOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE
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• An information poster about how Photographic Now use this information to start investigating the
local history of an airbase near you – this can be done
Intelligence works.
starting with the interactive map. Over the course of
• A newspaper story about Operation Crossbow. the last century, over 1,500 airbases or places have
• A display for the school/class/group noticeboard on been used by the RAF, so even if you don’t live near
how RAF intelligence-gathering worked during the to one now, there will have been one nearby at some
Cold War. point. Alternatively, students might want to investigate
Or, ask them to look at the activity to understand PI one of the Cold War bases used during that period.
below and see whether they can do it. Find out about the base. Identify what other
Extension: Find out the history of the RAF base in the information or understanding of an historical period is
Mediterranean. needed to tell the story of that base.
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AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
PHOTOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE
LESSONS IN SUPPORT OF THE CURRICULUM
AND/OR EXAMINATIONS
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AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
PHOTOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE
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Alternatively, after showing the film, you might want students to investigate the following question (suggested key
question):
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AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
PHOTOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE
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AN ACTIVITY TO UNDERSTAND PI
CAMERAS AND STEREO IMAGES
During the Cold War, cameras were used to take two overlapping photos to make 3D images.
In this activity, you will investigate how the size of the image captured by a lens depends on
its focal length and investigate how we can see things in three dimensions.
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AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
PHOTOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE
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AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
PHOTOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE
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DISCUSS
What are advantages are of using a stereo pair of photos rather than a single photo or a map for
aerial reconnaissance?
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