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.

"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.

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

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.

After the fall of France and the allied retreat from Dunkirk Hitler proposed an invasion of Great Britain. A secret aerial reconnaissance of the United Kingdom (and all of Europe) had been undertaken by the Luftwaffe several years prior to the outbreak of war, and these images were used in the detailed planning for the invasion of the United Kingdom. After the collapse of the Third Reich the race began to salvage the secrets of Hitler's huge intelligence-gathering operation. The RAF and army intelligence scoured the remains of the Reich, desperately searching for the library of the 'Zentral Archiv Der Fliegerfilm'. The Luftwaffe archive was of extreme value both to the West and the newly emerging superpower of the Soviet Union, under the dictatorship of Stalin. One power held the secrets of both, and competing Soviet and Allied intelligence services searched the debris of the Third Reich for the aerial library. In June 1945 a British intelligence unit stumbled upon 16 tons of reconnaissance pictures, dumped in a barn at Bad Reichenhall, deep in the forests of Bavaria. The original Luftwaffe reconnaissance archive had been destroyed at the end of the war, and this discovery was an incomplete German Army Intelligence copy. The documents were immediately discreetly evacuated back to England, and by July 1945 twenty-three planeloads of documents had been removed from the chaos of Germany to an RAF intelligence clearing house at Medmenham. The entire archive was methodically recorded, sorted, classified as top secret, and removed from public view. Their discovery was not announced and very few were aware of this major find; the archive was locked away in a secure vault, with access restricted to the intelligence services. These records remained classified until 1984, although some escaped into the luggage of returning soldiers who had taken them as souvenirs. It is from this source that Nigel Clarke slowly acquired images, and amassed a collection of over 1,000 surveillance pictures of the UK.