Historic england archive usaaf photos

A collection of photographs taken during World War Two have been opened to the public for the first time.

Historic England has just released 20, photographs captured by reconnaissance aircraft over England during the Second World War. The photos show airfields, military bases, towns, and countryside in England between and Nearly 19, frames have been catalogued. Most of the photographs are vertical aerial photographs measuring 8 x 7 inches, 9 x 9 inches and 18 x 9 inches. Additionally, over oblique 9 x 9-inch aerial photographs have been catalogued. Many of the photographs in the collection show areas of the English countryside that include military sites amongst patchworks of fields. There are views of villages and towns, with coverage extending from Cornwall to the Wash, and from the Sussex coast to urban Lancashire.

Historic england archive usaaf photos

A collection of aerial photographs taken during the Second World War has been released to the public for the first time. Available on a searchable map, there are over 2, black-and-white images showing the unique view of England as it was sculpted and changed by the Second World War. They show airfields full of American bombers and baseball players in Wiltshire, ancient monuments surrounded by anti-tank defences in Wiltshire and bomb damage to Old Trafford football stadium in Salford, Greater Manchester. Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive, Historic England, said the collection documents both "changes taking place in England as a result of the Second World War" and "fascinating incidental detail". The photos were taken by the US Photographic Reconnaissance squadron as they were gaining the necessary flying experience in England to qualify for operations over enemy territory. Flights were also used to test new and repaired aircraft and camera equipment, as well as completing photographic assignments. Often, the photographs were taken in specially adapted aircraft, which had the guns and weapons removed to accommodate fixed cameras and additional fuel tanks. The cameras had a range of lenses and focal lengths, allowing the PR units to capture whole towns and cities in a single frame, as well as specific monuments or sites. Operated with a push-button control by the pilot, they also had use of magazines with rolls of plastic film and the capacity to take scores of frames. Vertical photographs could also be overlapped and viewed through stereoscopes to show three-dimensional views of buildings and landscapes.

ChampChump wrote: I must historic england archive usaaf photos particularly dense, but I cannot turn on and off elements in the layers menu, as suggested by the help page. All Rights Reserved. They show airfields full of American bombers and baseball players in Wiltshire, ancient monuments ilyana instagram by anti-tank defences in Wiltshire and bomb damage to Old Trafford football stadium in Salford, Greater Manchester.

Below are some of the photographs covering the Aldermaston area, which cover an interesting period; taken within 5 years of the sale of the Estate, many of the buildings in Aldermaston village are as described in the sale catalogue, and features of the Manor House grounds are clearly visible, together with the recent additions of the army huts for wartime use. Your email address will not be published. Your comment:. I consent to my name and e-mail address being stored along with this comment, and to the website editors communicating with me by e-mail about the comment if necessary. My name may be published alongside the comment on the website, but my e-mail address will not be published.

The collection of 3, images includes several Wiltshire locations - including Stonehenge on Christmas Eve, The Photographic Reconnaissance units were stationed across England in and , after the US joined the war. The photographs show how the conflict changed the UK landscape. Whole towns and large sections of cities are captured in single frames, showing army hospital tents on Marlborough Common in Wiltshire and the Great Western Railway Works and Railway Village in Swindon. A low-level photograph of part of a US Army camp in Devizes shows firing ranges in the foreground while troops play a game of baseball in a recreation field. The view of Christmas Eve in at Stonehenge shows the markings highlighting the location of a First World War aerodrome and camp. The collection also captures the main stand of the Manchester United football ground after it was hit in a bombing raid in March The collection, which captures locations across the country in an "astonishing level of detail", has been made available to the public in an online, searchable map on the Historic England Archive. Chief executive of Historic England, Duncan Wilson, said the collection "records changes taking place in England as a result of the Second World War, as well as capturing fascinating incidental detail, like American troops playing baseball".

Historic england archive usaaf photos

Bottom-right are Old Trafford football and cricket grounds and White City stadium. A collection of photographs taken during World War Two have been opened to the public for the first time. The 3, photographs offer a birds-eye view of the country as it changed during the war. This includes bomb damage to towns and cities as well as Old Trafford football stadium in Greater Manchester. Damage to the main stand of the football ground can be seen in the photo, after it was hit in a bombing raid in March The home of Manchester United was not used again for football until They also captured ancient monuments surrounded by anti-tank defences in West Sussex, such as Cissbury Ring Iron Age hillfort in Worthing where ditches and concrete cubes can be seen laid out to impede an enemy advance.

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Add a comment about this page Your email address will not be published. News UK. This reply was deleted. Re: Historic England aerial photos archive Most Popular. Fact Check. Police receive average of spiking reports a month — report. The 3, photographs are in black and white and offer a birds-eye view of the country as it changed during the Second World War. The photos show airfields, military bases, towns, and countryside in England between and A defense official told BI it was motivated by what it saw in Ukraine. Latest stories.

A collection of photographs taken during World War Two have been opened to the public for the first time. The 3, photographs offer a birds-eye view of the country as it changed during the war. This includes bomb damage to towns and cities as well as Old Trafford football stadium in Greater Manchester.

Meanwhile, there is low-level photograph showing part of a US Army camp in Wiltshire which shows firing ranges in the foreground while troops play a game of baseball in a recreation field in the top left of the image. E-mail me when people leave their comments — Follow. See photo. Damage to the main stand of the football ground can be seen in the photo, after it was hit in a bombing raid in March I spent a period in the s assessing ground resolution on aerial film so have an interest in this. View image in fullscreen. The aircrafts used by the reconnaissance units had their guns and weapons removed to accommodate fixed cameras and additional fuel tanks for long-range missions. This article is more than 6 months old. A collection of aerial photographs taken during the Second World War has been released to the public for the first time. Group website Accessibility Privacy Terms of use Admin login. WatchUs On. Weekly catch up. Old Trafford. Top Videos Now playing.