Download or read book Eyes All Over the Sky written by James Streckfuss and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2016-05-19 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The impact of the unsung heroes of WWI—“a must for any aviation enthusiast to further complement work on aerial reconnaissance in modern warfare” (Roads to the Great War), Beyond the heroic deeds of the fighter pilots and bombers of World War I, the real value of military aviation lay elsewhere; aerial reconnaissance, observation, and photography impacted the fighting in many ways, but little has been written about it. Balloons and airplanes regulated artillery fire, infantry liaison aircraft followed attacking troops and the retreats of defenders, aerial photographers aided operational planners and provided the data for perpetually updated maps, and naval airplanes, airships, and balloons acted as aerial sentinels in a complex anti-submarine warfare organization. Reconnaissance crews at the Battles of the Marne and Tannenberg averted disaster. Eyes All Over the Sky fully explores all the aspects of aerial reconnaissance and its previously under-appreciated significance. Also included are the individual experiences of British, American, and German airmen—true pioneers of aviation warfare. “With an interesting selection of photos, the book is not only an excellent reference—it is historically important.” —Classic Wings “This well-researched history belongs on the shelf of anyone with a serious interest in the air war or the ground war of 1914-1918.” —Steve Suddaby, former president of the World War One Historical Association

Download or read book Shooting the Front written by Terrence J. Finnegan and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on 2006 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although photography was already a well-established fixture of 19th century society, it was the marriage of photography and the airplane that created the new military art of aerial observation during World War I. Shooting the Front is a pioneering study of the impact of aerial photography on America's fledgling air force during its baptism of fire above the trenches of the Western Front. This comprehensive history from the Defense Intelligence Agency highlights aerial photography's ability to command the high ground and provide a concise view of a battle area, both tactically and strategically. It is an authoritative account of aerial reconnaissance and the interpretation of photographs as they evolved into the most important sources of intelligence along the entire Western Front during the Great War. This comprehensive resource will interest military history and aviation enthusiasts, as well as students of the history of intelligence. The numerous illustrations, many never before published, include images of aircraft, cameras, and people, authentic official aerial photos, and maps in varying scales, all designed to help the reader relive the exhilarating and dangerous experience of aerial observation in World War I.

Download or read book Spyflights and Overflights written by Robert Hopkins and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Few aviation subjects have been shrouded in more secrecy or been more controversial than Cold War aerial reconnaissance. Former reconnaissance pilot Robert S. Hopkins, III, offers new insights into strategic intelligence flights during the early years of the cold war. Primarily undertaken by RB-50s and RB-47s of the Strategic Air Command and by CIA U-2s, other Western nations such as Britain, Sweden, and Taiwan were equally committed to gathering intelligence about the Soviet Union and its allies, and conducted their own peripheral and overflight missions. Hopkins challenges longstanding beliefs that the flights served to prevent war, curtailed needless defense spending, and were undertaken by rogue generals bent on starting World War III. For the first time he shows the Soviet perspective on the flights, and makes a compelling case that reconnaissance flights did not have a sustained adverse effect on Soviet relations with the West. Using newly-declassified materials, interviews with crews and policy makers, and his own experience flying strategic reconnaissance missions, Hopkins links the daily operations of courageous fliers with decisions by presidents and prime ministers that decided the outcome of the Cold War.

Download or read book Overhead Espionage written by Charles E. Cabler and published by . This book was released on 2021-06 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A historical snapshot of the development and evolution of US aerial reconnaissance as a vital part of our national security and combat support operations"--

Download or read book FLIGHT CAMERA ACTION The History of U S Naval Aviation Photography and Photo Reconnaissance written by Douglas E. Campbell and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2014-07-11 with total page 639 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first U.S. Navy aerial photographs were taken in 1913 in support of fleet exercises off Guantanamo, Cuba. Following WWI, a Navy Photographic expedition went north, making the first aerial mapping photos of the Alaskan territory. WWII found Navy shuttermen in the Pacific theatre, performing pre- and post-attack reconnaissance, along with "hitting the beach" to record the war as it unfolded. Shortly after, Navy photographic units were in the Pacific to record early atomic bomb tests. The Navy's aerial photo reconnaissance mission, both at the front end with the weaponless aircrews and the output of thousands of images and photo interpretation, continued to develop through the mid-20th century. The last aerial photo plane in the Navy's inventory was retired after flying to the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum Annex at Dulles International Airport in Fairfax County, Virginia. The 74 year odyssey of Navy and Marine Corps aerial reconnaissance photography was finished.

Download or read book From Kites to Cold War written by Tyler W Morton and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Kites to Cold War tells the story of the evolution of manned airborne reconnaissance. Long a desire of military commanders, the ability to see the terrain ahead and gain foreknowledge of enemy intent was realized when Chinese airmen mounted kites to surveil their surroundings. Kite technology was slow to spread, and by the late nineteenth century European nations had developed the balloon and airship to conduct this mission. By 1918, it was obvious that the airplane had become the reconnaissance platform of the future. Used successfully by many nations during the Great War, aircraft technology and capability experienced its most rapid evolutionary period during World War II. Entering the war with just basic airborne imagery capabilities, by V-E and V-J days, air power pioneers greatly improved imagery collection and developed sophisticated airborne signals intelligence collection capabilities. The United States and other nations put these capabilities to use as the Cold War immediately followed. Flying near the periphery of and sometimes directly over the Soviet Union, airborne reconnaissance provided the intelligence necessary to stay one step ahead of the Soviets throughout the Cold War.

Download or read book Shooting the Front written by Terrence J. Finnegan and published by Spellmount, Limited Publishers. This book was released on 2014-04 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The First World War demanded revolutionary technology to break the vicious stalemate in which the armies of Europe found themselves, as soon as static, or trench warfare became established. One such technology was aerial reconnaissance and photography, which together with the growing intelligence use of phone tapping and radio intercepts, changed the nature of war forever. Colonel Terry J. Finnegan's Shooting the Front reviews the entire evolution of Allied aerial photography and photographic interpretation during the Great War, in a text packed with data and based upon meticulous research in archives worldwide. The photographs included are both informative and spectacular, charting perforce the early years of aviation itself. Shooting the Front shows not only how important aerial reconnaissance was to the war effort, but also how it became the foundation for modern-day exploitation of imagery and geospatial intelligence used to guide today's decision makers on global issues, and shaped intelligence work for generations to come."--Publisher.

Download or read book The Price of Vigilance written by Larry Tart and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2001-06-01 with total page 599 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The recent forced landing of a U.S. Navy EP-3 surveillance aircraft on Hainan Island after aerial harassment by Chinese fighters underscores that the dangers of the Cold War are not behind us. Reconnaissance-intelligence gathering-has always been one of the most highly secretive operations in the military. Men risk their lives with no recognition for themselves, flying missions that were almost always unarmed and typically pose as weather survey or training flights. Now the true stories of these brave young men can at last be told. Larry Tart and Robert Keefe, former USAF airborne recon men themselves, provide a gripping, unprecedented history of American surveillance planes shot down by China and Russia-from the opening salvoes of the Cold War to the most recent international standoff with China. Appearing here for the first time are many crucial documents, ranging from formerly highly classified U.S. files to conversations with Khrushchev and top secret reports from the Russian presidential archives. Along with previously unreleased military details, this meticulously researched book includes MiG fighter pilot transcripts and interviews with participants from both sides-including survivors of downed American planes. From the Baltic to the Bering Seas, from Armenia and Azerbaijan to China, Korea, and the Sea of Japan, these gripping accounts reveal the drama of what really happened to Americans shot down in hostile skies. The Price of Vigilance brings to life the harrowing ordeals faced by the steel-nerved crews, the diplomatic furor that erupts after shootdowns, and the grief and frustration of the families waiting at home-families who, most often, were never told what their loved ones were doing. Armed with the results of recent crash-site excavations, advanced DNA testing, and the reports of local witnesses who can finally reveal what they saw, Tart and Keefe have written a real-life thriller of the deadly cat-and-mouse game of intelligence gathering in the air and across enemy borders. The centerpiece of the book is the fate of USAF C-130 60528 and its crew of seventeen, shot down over Armenia on September 2, 1958, with no known survivors. Tart and Keefe also vividly describe other shootdowns, including the tense stand off between the U.S. and China after an American reconnaissance aircraft was forced to land on Hainan Island in April 2001. The Price of Vigilance pays moving tribute to the courage and patriotism of all the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy crews, including those captured and the more than two hundred who never returned. Larry Tart and Robert Keefe wish to publicly acknowledge to the families, and to the nation, that we will never forget their sacrifice.

Download or read book Spyplanes written by Norman Polmar and published by Quarto Publishing Group USA. This book was released on 2016-12-20 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive history with descriptions of the world's most significant aircraft employed as "eyes in the sky."For as long as there has been sustained heavier-than-air human flight, airplanes have been used to gather information about our adversaries. Less than a decade after the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, Italian pilots were keeping tabs on Turkish foes in Libya. Today, aircraft with specialized designs and sensory equipment still cruise the skies, spying out secrets in the never-ending quest for an upper hand.Spyplanes tackles the sprawling legacy of manned aerial reconnaissance, from hot air balloons to cloth-and-wood biplanes puttering over the Western Front, and on through every major world conflict, culminating with spyplanes cruising at supersonic speeds 85,000 feet above the Earth's surface. Authors Norman Polmar and John Bessette offer a concise yet comprehensive overview history of aerial recon, exploring considerations such as spyplanes in military doctrine, events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the downing of Francis Gary Powers' U-2, the 1992 Open Skies Treaty, and the USAF's Big Safari program.Polmar and Bessette, along with a roster of respected aviation journalists, also profile 70 renowned fixed-wing spyplanes from World I right up to the still-conceptual hypersonic SR-72. The authors examine the design, development, and service history of each aircraft, and offer images and specification boxes that detail vital stats for each. Included are purpose-built spyplanes, as well as legendary fighters and bombers that have been retrofitted for the purpose. In addition, the authors feature preliminary chapters discussing the history of aerial surveillance and a host of sidebars that explore considerations such as spyplanes in military doctrine, events like the Cuban missile crisis and the downing of Francis Gary Powers' U-2, the 1992 Open Skies Treaty, and the USAF's current Big Safari program.From prop-driven to jet-powered aircraft, this is the ultimate history and reference to those "eyes in the skies" that have added mind-bending technologies, not to mention an element of intrigue, to military aviation for more than a century.

Download or read book Aerial Reconnaissance written by Thomas G. Ivie and published by T A B-Aero. This book was released on 1981 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Low Altitude Large Scale Reconnaissance written by James W. Walker and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Spies In The Sky written by Taylor Downing and published by Abacus. This book was released on 2011-09-15 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: SPIES IN THE SKY is the thrilling, little-known story of the partner organisation to the famous code-breaking centre at Bletchley Park. It is the story of the daring reconnaissance pilots who took aerial photographs over Occupied Europe during the most dangerous days of the Second World War, and of the photo interpreters who invented a completely new science to analyse those pictures. They were inventive and ingenious; they pioneered the development of 3D photography and their work provided vital intelligence throughout the war. With a whole host of colourful characters at its heart, from the legendary pilot Adrian 'Warby' Warburton, who went missing while on a mission, to photo interpreters Glyn Daniel, later a famous television personality, and Winston Churchill's daughter, Sarah, SPIES IN THE SKY is compelling reading and the first full account of the story of aerial photography and the intelligence gleaned from it in nearly fifty years.

Download or read book A Need to Know The Role of Air Force Reconnaissance in War Planning 1945 1953 written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 1 April 2001, a U.S. Navy EP-3 Aries II surveillance aircraft collided with a People's Liberation Army Air Force J-8 fighter plane that resulted in the loss of the Chinese pilot and an emergency landing on Hainan Island by the Navy plane. The Chinese government's 11-day internment of the Navy flight crew shocked and amazed the American public. The ensuing diplomatic crisis and war of words reminded many of similar incidents from the supposedly defunct Cold War. It also focused world attention upon a still little known but highly significant aspect of the Cold War -- strategic aerial reconnaissance. The term refers to the use of aircraft to collect strategic intelligence using photographic or electronic means. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), strategic intelligence refers to intelligence that is required for the formation of policy and military plans at national and international levels. Strategic intelligence includes information provided by sources other than aircraft, including naval vessels, ground communications intercept sites, satellites, published literature, defectors, and spies. But because Air Force aircraft provided the bulk of information used by American war plans from 1945 to 1953, this book focuses on the origins of the USAF strategic aerial reconnaissance. Although official JCS publications did not specifically list strategic aerial reconnaissance, the term may be defined as the use of aircraft to gather information necessary to conduct strategic air war, also called strategic air bombardment. At the core of the topic, recently declassified JCS emergency war plans indicate that a strategic air bombardment campaign formed the heart of American military strategy from the end of World War II to the Korean conflict. A question still remains: Did reconnaissance aircraft merely serve as a tool of war planners, or did strategic reconnaissance actually shape military strategy?

Download or read book Eyes of Artillery written by Edgar F. Raines and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on 2000 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Concise History of the U S Air Force written by Stephen Lee McFarland and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 1997 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Except in a few instances, since World War II no American soldier or sailor has been attacked by enemy air power. Conversely, no enemy soldier orsailor has acted in combat without being attacked or at least threatened by American air power. Aviators have brought the air weapon to bear against enemies while denying them the same prerogative. This is the legacy of the U.S. AirForce, purchased at great cost in both human and material resources.More often than not, aerial pioneers had to fight technological ignorance, bureaucratic opposition, public apathy, and disagreement over purpose.Every step in the evolution of air power led into new and untrodden territory, driven by humanitarian impulses; by the search for higher, faster, and farther flight; or by the conviction that the air way was the best way. Warriors have always coveted the high ground. If technology permitted them to reach it, men, women andan air force held and exploited it-from Thomas Selfridge, first among so many who gave that "last full measure of devotion"; to Women's Airforce Service Pilot Ann Baumgartner, who broke social barriers to become the first Americanwoman to pilot a jet; to Benjamin Davis, who broke racial barriers to become the first African American to command a flying group; to Chuck Yeager, a one-time non-commissioned flight officer who was the first to exceed the speed of sound; to John Levitow, who earned the Medal of Honor by throwing himself over a live flare to save his gunship crew; to John Warden, who began a revolution in air power thought and strategy that was put to spectacular use in the Gulf War.Industrialization has brought total war and air power has brought the means to overfly an enemy's defenses and attack its sources of power directly. Americans have perceived air power from the start as a more efficient means of waging war and as a symbol of the nation's commitment to technology to master challenges, minimize casualties, and defeat adversaries.

Download or read book Tiger Joe written by Joe Thompson and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than 70 million soldiers participated in the military operations of World War II, but few had a front-row seat like Joe Thompson. As an aerial reconnaissance pilot flying a P-51 Mustang, Thompson conducted 90 missions on and behind the front lines of the European Theater. From the lonely aerie of an aviator’s cockpit, Thompson saw it all, from flying with Britain’s elite Royal Air Force to D-Day, the Liberation of Paris and the Battle of the Bulge. Thompson eventually became the commanding officer of an American reconnaissance unit, earning the rank of major and receiving both the American Distinguished Flying Cross and the French Croix de Guerre. But Tiger Joe is more than just a book about aviation combat and military service. It is a personal history that portrays everyday life, ordinary people, forgotten events and colorful characters against the backdrop of World War II. This large format, 100-page book features over 50 black and white photographs taken by Thompson, a gifted amateur photographer whose work has been recognized as part of a special exhibit by the Tennessee State Museum. At least two of the photographs have particular historical significance: a casual shot of Churchill and Eisenhower in northern France and an aerial view of the Berchtesgarten, Hitler’s summer retreat, taken by a colleague of Thompson’s during an unauthorized flight in a P-38. Few, if any war books, tell of such an epic event so intimately. Conveying moments of fear and humor, redemption and courage, Tiger Joe is Thompson’s personal photographic diary, taking the reader both behind the scenes and on the front lines of World War II , allowing a more intent gaze into the human face of war.

Download or read book Allied Photo Reconnaissance of World War Two written by Chris Staerck and published by Thunder Bay Press (CA). This book was released on 1998 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Until now, this decisive area of battlecraft has been relatively unheeded by historians. Allied Photo Reconnaissance of World War II convincingly redresses this oversight and chronicles this fascinating area giving a thorough account of many of World War II's most legendary operations, including the Dambuster Raid, Monte Cassino and the Normandy landings. The critical nature of airborne reconnaissance to both of the opposing sides and the propaganda uses to which the resulting information was put is comprehensively discussed. Detailed analysis of famous military actions are provided from the perspective of photo-reconnaissance. Also covered are the principal aircraft used by the RAF and USAAF, the range of camera equipment available to them, and the organization of Photo Reconnaissance units.