Spies in the sky: the secret battle for aerial intelligence during World War II

by Taylor Downing

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 larger than life 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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Military History, War, Historical, Military Fiction

416 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2011

Reviews

[Heikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Photographic reconnaissance came of age during World War 2. First effectively used during the Great War (photographs of battlefields were used to discover enemy positions and plan for offensive manoeuvers) it was only in the 1930s that the technology provided military planners with the requisite tools for real, far-reaching results.

Spies In The Sky, entertainingly written by Taylor Downing, charts the development of the men and machines that served so well in WW2 and had a significant effect on the battle to defeat the Third Reich. The book is focused on the British effort. This is only fair since the Germans really did not develop photo reconnaissance at all and the Americans were largely happy to watch over the shoulder of the British in this regard.

The chronological record of photo reconnaissance and photo interpretation first sheds light on Sidney Cotton's maverick enterprises in the field of PR. His privately-funded photo equipment and aircraft, as well as his talent in developing the flight and photo techniques necessary, yielded very good results but his headstrong character, and unwillingness to let the military have a say on how PR should be done, led to his being separated from the Air Ministry. Still, he took some of the very last images from Germany just prior to the outbreak of the war and, without his work, PR would not have been as advanced as it was when the war finally erupted.

A large portion of the book is devoted to the unique PI centre of RAF Medmenham and with very good reason. A handful of very talented men and women were installed at the mock-Tudor mansion of Medmenham with a view on the Thames and ample space. That space soon ran out as the process of PI was refined as a three-stage interpretation sequence of images with each stage providing vital output for war planners. With the war in full swing millions of images arrived at Medmenham to be checked and acted upon within a couple of hours of being exposed over enemy territory. The same expansion into hastily-built huts that happened at the code-breaking centre of Bletchley Park occurred at Medmenham too and, at the end of the war, the mansion was surrounded by a rambling collection of buildings housing thousands of people hard at work.

On the technology side the use of the Wild A5 Stereo Plotter and other tools to identify military targets and new weapon development are very well recounted in SITS. It is revelatory to see how skilled operators were able to recognise tiny objects in the images, sometimes shot from 30,000 feet, and provide a coherent description of what the object might be. The hunt for, and identification of, the V1 and V2 launch sites is a case in point (albeit one told many times elsewhere). The dedication of the men and women who spent the war at Medmenham, staring at stereo photos for hours on end, is readily identifiable in the book, and the reader gains an admiration for them.

And, of course, the aircrew too. The men who flew unarmed but highly-tuned Spitfires and Mosquitos into enemy airspace to gain a strip of photos of some part of the landscape were skilled and brave beyond belief. There are heart-rending stories of how PR pilots decided to turn around to make another pass over an important target even as enemy fighters were closing in and how a Mosquito PR op almost went wrong when a Messerschmitt 262 appeared out of nowhere and robbed the Mossie of its only asset - superior speed. Teamwork between the pilot and the navigator saved themselves, the aircraft and the film but the tale of the fight brings you to the edge of your seat.

The book also discusses the organisational problems faced by the PR and PI communities. As is so often the case, no one wanted the PR and PI people when they were still forming the operational readiness they wanted to have but as soon as they delivered success after success everyone wanted a share of the glory. Medmenham was many times threatened with division into Bomber Command PI, Fighter Command PI and American PI sections but the leaders of the base stood firm and resisted all such idiotic turf war initiatives. This enabled Medmenham to keep on processing millions of images through the three-stage identification process and deliver identification results that affected the war throughout its course.

Personal accounts and stories of notable personalities are included in just the right proportion to the big picture which makes this a very enjoyable book to read. Familiar names such a Tony Hill, the low-level oblique image wizard pilot, and Constance Babington Smith (herself an author on PI) and many others are all given credit for their selfless dedication and courage. Anecdotes of funny incidents in the PI community liven up the narrative, which, naturally, is a little grim in the early days of the war.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book to any WW2 aficionado who wants a balanced background book on this often overlooked, but absolutely vital, part of the war effort.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book for all those that have read about Bletchley park and the enigma code breaking.

This details an unsung part of the intelligence gathering of WW2, the collection of aerial photography. The book covers the use of cameras in planes in WW1 and follows through to the buildup to the war in 1939, and into the war. The pilots of these aircraft flew high, fast and unarmed and were some of the bravest pilots in the airforce.

The assessment side of the operation was streets ahead of the Americans as well, but by the end of the war they had 'borrowed' most of the techniques for their own use.

Well worth a read.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Spies in the Sky: The Secret Battle for Aerial Intelligence During World War II" was a fascinating read. The title is a little misleading, the subject matter is only from the Allied perspective with a few through away comments regarding Axis aerial intelligence. The book does provide a good overview of the Allied reconnaissance effort during World War 2, commencing with a brief lead up history from World War 1. The book is disjointed. If you were expecting a linear passage of time to tell the story, then, as the author does warn you in the introduction, you won't get it. Each chapter is more-or-less tells a different aspect of the reconnaissance effort from various theatres, primarily focussing on Medmenham headquarters. There are some linking themes between the chapters though, whether it be people or preparations for different campaigns. I was little annoyed because I found it difficult to sometimes determine in which year various events occurred. If I'd been taking notes and compared facts presented in each chapter then it would've been possible but I didn't want to go to that effort and, so, lived with the annoyance. :-)

I am a military aviation enthusiast, a photographer and a scientist, so:
- from an aviation enthusiasts point of view, I was eagerly anticipating discussions regarding the reconnaissance aircraft and their development;
- from a photography point of view, I was intrigued with the development of camera technology; and
- from a scientific point of view, I was keenly read about the different academics who were enlisted and the methods they employed and created to interpret what they saw in each photograph.

I liked that the author presented stories regarding particular people involved in aerial intelligence, whether it be the pilots or the photographic interpreters. This added the human element to a book that could so easily have been a text book with facts.

The writing style is easy to follow, presenting the story reasonably well within each chapter.

I would recommend this book for those wishing to see the lessons regarding the need to be objective and not let subjective judgement get in the way of facts; don't let arrogance get in the way of decision making and thinking that you know better; the need for communication and co-operation, especially in dire circumstances.

But I would mainly recommend this book to those with similar interests and those just wanting to get an overview of one aspect of important world history.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although photo reconnaissance was used in World War 1, it was the Second World War where it really came into its own, developing rapidly and making a major contribution to allied success.

I have to declare an interest here in that my dad was involved in photo interpretation during his RAF career in the 1950s so for me this book was a fascinating insight into his world when many of the technologies and techniques described were were still current in the early years of the cold war.

The book isn’t only about the pilots, flying deep over enemy territory in unarmed aircraft, but also the interpreters and analysts as new processes and equipment came into use to make sense of the images being captured. It looks at some of the successes that photo intelligence contributed to; finding and sinking the Bismarck, D-Day and the tracking down of Nazi V-weapon sites. It also looks at some of the larger than life characters involved, many of them – like the code breakers at Bletchley Park – plucked from academic careers to lend their skills to the war effort.

This is an informative and very readable account, enhanced by some carefully chosen photographs, in particular a chilling aerial shot of the Auschwitz concentration camp – captured accidentally by an aircraft searching for another target – with smoke from the incinerators drifting across the site.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good survey of the aerial photography effort by primarily the British but also the Americans in the 1940's. It strikes a good balence between narrative and technical information.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating account of photographic reconnaissance in WWII. Much more sophisticated than I imagined for the time.

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting about about the European Theater and the role of air reconnaissance. It's a very detailed about centered on England and starting off with a guy named Sidney Cotton who was basically highly intelligent and able to get things done. He didn't toe the military hierarchy line, though, and he was fired. The book also shows how there was quite a problem in England with the military and snobbishness and how those who didn't 'fit in' perfectly were given a very hard time no matter how good they were at their job.

The English military also had some problems getting along with the American military. Further, various sections of the English military structure had problems getting along with other sections (much as what happened in the Japanese military.)

The book details how aerial surveillance started, the various problems it had and the uses it was put to. It was quite difficult to do such surveillance over virtually all of Europe. As time went on better planes and cameras were available. There is also material on the V-1 and V-2 rockets. One thing not point out is that rocket scientists were Nazis but were not put on trial since the America wanted them to work on an American military rocket program.

The V-1s were responsible for the death of some 6000 people and the V-2s for around 2050 people.

The book goes on through the entire European war and the eventual defeat of Germany.

One of the most interesting points in the book is that the aerial surveillance got photos of at least one of the concentration camps but for various reasons the camp was not targeted for attack right then.

All-in-all it's a very interesting book but one that also reveals shortcomings in the British military program.

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spies in the Sky provides a popular history overview, written in a breezy, accessible and engaging style. The narrative does suffer from some over-generalisations and assertions, for example, that a new science was developed at Medmenham, that of photogrammatery and military photo interpretation, which is not the case (though some new technical developments were achieved), and sometimes the pace is a little too fast. It would have been nice to have a bit more technical detail at times, also some more biographical details of some of the key players and the political machinations they were caught up in, and more information of aerial intelligence in other arenas. That said, this book is aimed at wide, generalist audience, rather than the specialist. And in fulfilling that brief, the book succeeds admirably. It certainly makes a strong case that aerial intelligence played a very important, but unappreciated role, in the Allies strategising and execution of war plans.

[Mike Dargan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad I read it. I wasn't at all familiar with the volume of work that went on at Medmenham. Pretty amazing to see that librarians and geeks were able to contribute so much to the destruction of major evil. Like so many contemporary WWII historians, Downing takes advantage of access to recently declassified documents. Sounds like he barely scratched the surface of the millions of photos and reports. My favorite part was the anecdote describing how Richard Winters' description of the small unit tactics used at Normandy to capture a Nazi battery, taught at West Point,was proven to have been impossible by D-Day aerial photos. The camera can mislead, but rarely lies.

Could have used an editor, methinks.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book even though a lot of the more famous exploits have been covered in many other books. This book is an overview so it covers more of the background and lesser known stories about the Allied Photographic Reconnaissance and Photographic Interpretation. Always fun to pick up more little tidbits of information.

[Stephen L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a maverick to jolt the RAF into accepting aerial reconnaissance but once he’d done it the professionals took a fringe activity and made it into a strategic tool unsurpassed by anything until satellites came along. The discipline of the RAF crashes headlong into the relaxed efficiency of academia with incredible and, occasionally, hilarious results. Utterly captivating read.

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book on the history of aerial photography during WW2. A great introduction to the subject. Well written, even if this type of book is not normally what you read I would suggest you read this book. A truly fascinating subject

[Snoakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating and well told story. The bravery and ingenuity simply fills me with awe. The work at Bletchley Park is well known these days and yet amazingly Medmenham (not to mention the men and women who worked there) is largely unheard of.

[Catherine Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learnt such alot from this book. It covered so well the dangers and skill involved in aerial photography and gave a valuable insight into the part it played in the Second World War. It brought to life the people involved in such an important role.

[DrosoPHila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Downing's writing style lacks panache, and he also unfortunately blunders with some fairly basic historical errors. This implies a slack copyediting and peer review. The back story comes through however.

[Scifimoth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great history of photo-reconnaissance (PR) in the second world war. It doesn't get too technical, just captures the major drivers and events. It is clearly aimed at a popular history/science/military audience, and goes someways towards addressing the imbalance of emphasis upon Bletchley Park.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating subject!
So many innovations and missions over occupied Europe, an intriguing story of developing skills and information.
Well worth reading for all with an interest in military aviation.

[Flip Owen]

Excellent history of Ariel photography & just how important RAF Medmenham was to the WW2 war effort.

[COL(ret.) Frank J. Stech, PhD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely crafted history of the British photo interpreters of WWII. Although the combined photo intelligence center at RAF Medmanham included Americans, the USAAF and USN had their own PI capabilities. But the Brits came first.
Both the UK and the US developed excellent PI capabilities in WWI, but let them atrophy. Downing noted, " At the beginning of the Second World War there were only seven trained photo interpreters in the entire RAF, and the Army had barely a handful of photographic experts. The rundown of aerial reconnaissance since the end of the First World War had been almost total. " This account helps describe what it took to get the capability back for the conflict in WWII.
It is hard to argue with the claim the Allies had the far better system. Fortunately, the Nazi squandered their technological advantages and were nowhere near the level of the Allies in using PHOTINT.
One of the key figures in this account, the RAFs Constance Babbington-Smith, had her portrait hung prominently in the foyer of CIA's National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC, or Building 213, as it was known in the day). The Americans were ever grateful to the Brits for leading the way back.
Today, all nations use PIs and PHOTINT, and everyone online has Google Earth to look at and interpret.
Archivists in the US and the UK have preserved the millions of images from WWII, and PI historians like Colonel Roy Stanley have been using them to give us new perspectives on WWII.

[M.A. Lossl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fascinating insight into the birth of the science of aerial photography. The edge, that this technology gave the allies, during WW2 was pivotal. I read this book, as part of my research into WW2, as the book I am writing, is set in that era. I enjoyed the book, but Taylor Downing's writing style is fact-driven. I found his writing rather prosaic.

[Carl Hanger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good examination of a little known part of World War 2.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting insight into a much-forgotten but very important part of the World Wars.