Fascinating aerial photos of WWII-era England revealed for the first time
A collection of aerial photographs taken during the Second World War has been released to the public for the first time.
Released online through the Historic England Archive, the photographs were taken by the United States Air Forces (USAAF) Photographic Reconnaissance unit between 1943 and 1944.
Available on a searchable map, there are over 2,600 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".
"We are making these images available to the public for the first time online, giving people access to this remarkable collection of historic photographs," he said.
"They help to highlight the vital role aerial reconnaissance played in the Second World War."
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.
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