WW2 RAF Recon photos info?

Colin,
Once more many thanks for the info, anything that you can find regarding locations would be much appreciated.

Cheers, Chumpy.

Hi Chumpy,

Thanks for posting those extras. I’d say what you have here are photos either taken by Army Co-operation Tac/R Mustangs in support of an Army Exercise or taken during Tac/R training sorties for pilots. The subject matter of what looks like an Army camp and road, plus those of Army vehicles in ‘concealed’ locations makes me think more likely in support of an Army Exercise. There were heaps of them going on in 1942 right into early 1943 with Exercise Spartan. I’d trend from the more recent photo headers you posted to possbly think 4 Sqdn, the prefix ‘B’, ‘J’ being the individual aircraft id letter, then the ‘4’ being 4 Sqdn. The positioning of the ‘B4’ and ‘J4’ in the top titling string is where you would normally expect to find the Squadron identification information normally. This was still relatively fairly early days for the Mustangs doing Tac/R work with cameras so every opportunity to practice by participating in Army Exercises, flying practice sorties against hard to find targets and getting ‘pin points’ – photos of very specific locations was taken.

I’ll have a look at the co-ordinates for the second location and see how that tallies. Photos of barges also ties in as the Tac/R Mustangs did a lot of operations over the Netherlands reporting on and shooting up barges.

Regards,

Hi Colin,
Many thanks for your input..(and Oneeigthbit previously).

Alas I can offer no background as to the origin of the photo’s..a recent ebay purchase!

Your suggestion regarding Army Co-op certainly might well be the case in respect of the photos. Attached are a couple more examples, at first glance just nondescript rural locations. Closer inspection reveals various army vehicles hiding by hedges under trees etc.

So looks to be an exercise of some sort, maybe in tactical PR work or camo by the ‘squaddies’? The date / location details etc similar to the previously posted photo.

I have one other photo taken on a different sortie by the look of it, showing barges on a beach / river estuary, location Sht 100 812325 150′ S.

Cheers, Chumpy.

I’d go with a modified British system. Taking the co-ordinates given as vT735390 would put the site of the photograph as south east of Taunton along the road that travelled from Taunton south eastwards. Target was probably an Army camp or similar military installation, used as a ‘target’ for a training flight. Quite a number of camps and facilities were established in that general area during WW2.

The aircraft shadow looks much more ‘squarer’ than what you would expect from a PR Spitfire, and being a low oblique photograph I would tend to suggest more likely a North American Mustang Mk.1 of one of the Army Co-operation Squadrons operating the type at that time. Photo taken on 10 Sept 1942, 8 inch lens camera (standard on the oblique F.24 fitted to Tac/R Mustangs) and would suggest target is 200 ft north west of the indicated grid reference.

In trying to identify a unit the ‘B4’ reference is a bit puzzling, unless either aircraft ‘B’ or ‘B’ Flight of No.4 Sqdn. Only catch is that Sqdn was based well to the north at that time, but detachments did operate for training purposes down in that area from time to time. Again, if a pilot undergoing final operational training with the Squadron was flying a representative practice sortie in terms of distance and duration and with a degree of navigation difficulty, could well have operated down into that area.

Would be interested if you have more background information on source of photographs or information on header of other photos which might shed light on unit involved.

Regards,

Don’t know if this thread is of any use:

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/331216-ww2-aerial-photo-question.html

No probs. I’m sure that someone will soon post the answer. You could also try the following website. Lots of military posters who might have links with JARIC at RAF Brampton and be able to find out the answer in some dusty archives?

Military Aircrew section

http://www.pprune.org/

http://www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/aboutdefence/whatwedo/securityandintelligence/dis/icg/jaricthenationalimageryexploitationcentrehistory.htm

TJ

Hi Teej,
Many thanks for the links, yes it could indeed be the British Modified System.

The numerical ordinates I can understand but without the relevant ‘lettered’ prefix I am stuck. Cannot seem to find the connection to the ‘Sht 89’ bit, a tricky subject it would seem!

Perhaps the Sht 89 is infact a Ordnance Survey ref? This being a map that covers the area around Morecombe – Workington etc?

Chumpy.

Just a guess. Could it be the Modified British System?

The following websites might be of assistance?

http://www.echodelta.net/mbs/eng-welcome.php

http://www.pillbox.org.uk/methodology/maps.asp

TJ