ENEMY SECRETS REVEALED

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21559, 23 January 1940, Page 7

ENEMY SECRETS REVEALED

Success Of Surveys Remarkable Photographs By R.A.F. British Official Wireless RUGBY, January 21. Some indication c ..ie significance of such laconic reports as those issued yesterday by the Air Ministry, which announced that: “During the past two days the Royal Ah Force carried out reconnaissance flights over north-’ rest Germany,” is revealed in the publication to-day of specimens of remarkable photographs taken on such flights. The photographs serve to emphasise that though frontiers may be closed there is little mystery about what goes on In the enemy camp Since the beginning of the war the R.A.F. has made many flights over Germany, and penetrated far inland and brought back large numbers of photographs of enemy aerodromes, bases, harbours arH t'.wns, all taken during daylight reconnaissance. All movements by road, rail, or on water are soon known to the Allies, which in the matter of informaGo have a decided advantage o’er the enemy.

A story of courage, fin airmanship, and technical resource lies behJn these reconnaissance flights. Regarding equipment it is revealed that each aircraft carries two cameras, both compact and virtually fool-proof. They are designed to work in the worst circumstances, and require ?er ]""e attention. One is completely automatic, and contain? an interchangeable magazine >ig enough, to give 125 exposures. Magazines can be cha fed i~ the air in a r °w e ,onds. On the return from a flight the magazine e removed for developing and printing, the observer makes his report, and in two or three hours nrints are bei"g inspected by experts. Stereoscopes and magnifiers tell them much that was unseen even by trained obser. s in aircraft. Types c craft will be recognised and activity noted. Sometimes photographs .ay have to be taken as low -s 500 feet, or -S high as 2*,000 feet.