BLReed
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2009
- Messages
- 1,676
This past week NOVA on PBS had a good program on 3D Spies of WWII
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/spies-3d.html
"Program Description
During World War II, Hitler's scientists developed terrifying new weapons of mass destruction. Alarmed by rumors of advanced rockets and missiles, Allied intelligence recruited a team of brilliant minds from British universities and Hollywood studios to a country house near London. Here, they secretly pored over millions of air photos shot at great risk over German territory by specially converted, high-flying Spitfires. Peering at the photos through 3D stereoscopes, the team spotted telltale clues that revealed hidden Nazi rocket bases. The photos led to devastating Allied bombing raids that dealt crucial setbacks to the German rocket program and helped ensure the success of the D-Day landings. With 3D graphics that recreate exactly what the photo spies saw, NOVA tells the suspenseful, previously untold story of air photo intelligence that played a vital role in defeating the Nazis."
The RAF essentially stripped some Spitfires of their armament and fitted
them with five cameras ["The Spitfire, without any guns, but with a cruising speed of
360 mph at 30,000 feet, was used for photo-reconnaissance missions. The aircraft was
fitted with five cameras which were heated to ensure good results (while the cockpit was not").
Some first person accounts of those that worked at RAF Medmenham[interpretation centre for
one of the largest photographic reconnaissnce operations ever undertaken].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Medmenham
It was interesting that some early photographs taken at Peenemünde revealed
three large circular formations. They thought at the time they were maybe
some sewer treatment facilities. It wasn't until a year later two captured
German officers were bugged and overheard talking about rockets that they
went back over a years’ worth of photographs and found that the sewer
treatment circles were in fact rocket testing facilities for the VI. Evidently
they had some difficulty conviencing the British high command that the
Germans were capable of developing rockets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peenemünde
After the United States entered the war Hollywood lent a hand. Over
five million photographs were taken. I didn't realize that the Germans
had so many VII's in France or the bombing effort to destroy them.
All this seventy some years before satellites and drones.
Anyway worth watching. I assume the same program was shown in
the UK [BBC?]
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/spies-3d.html
"Program Description
During World War II, Hitler's scientists developed terrifying new weapons of mass destruction. Alarmed by rumors of advanced rockets and missiles, Allied intelligence recruited a team of brilliant minds from British universities and Hollywood studios to a country house near London. Here, they secretly pored over millions of air photos shot at great risk over German territory by specially converted, high-flying Spitfires. Peering at the photos through 3D stereoscopes, the team spotted telltale clues that revealed hidden Nazi rocket bases. The photos led to devastating Allied bombing raids that dealt crucial setbacks to the German rocket program and helped ensure the success of the D-Day landings. With 3D graphics that recreate exactly what the photo spies saw, NOVA tells the suspenseful, previously untold story of air photo intelligence that played a vital role in defeating the Nazis."
The RAF essentially stripped some Spitfires of their armament and fitted
them with five cameras ["The Spitfire, without any guns, but with a cruising speed of
360 mph at 30,000 feet, was used for photo-reconnaissance missions. The aircraft was
fitted with five cameras which were heated to ensure good results (while the cockpit was not").
Some first person accounts of those that worked at RAF Medmenham[interpretation centre for
one of the largest photographic reconnaissnce operations ever undertaken].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Medmenham
It was interesting that some early photographs taken at Peenemünde revealed
three large circular formations. They thought at the time they were maybe
some sewer treatment facilities. It wasn't until a year later two captured
German officers were bugged and overheard talking about rockets that they
went back over a years’ worth of photographs and found that the sewer
treatment circles were in fact rocket testing facilities for the VI. Evidently
they had some difficulty conviencing the British high command that the
Germans were capable of developing rockets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peenemünde
After the United States entered the war Hollywood lent a hand. Over
five million photographs were taken. I didn't realize that the Germans
had so many VII's in France or the bombing effort to destroy them.
All this seventy some years before satellites and drones.
Anyway worth watching. I assume the same program was shown in
the UK [BBC?]
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