Aerial Reconnaissance In World War 1

(U) The actual full utilization of aerial reconnaissance using heavier than air platforms occurred during World War I. The use of this new technology aided field commanders, and gave strategic planners unprecedented insights into enemy dispositions, capabilities and extrapolated battlefield intentions. The British employment of aerial reconnaissance was mainly tactical during World War I and was used to map out the battlefield by cartographically plotting out the Forward Edge of the Battlefield (FEBA), and locating and identifying logistical support areas and major supply routes (MSR). There were significant issues with the existing airframes and camera systems as they were susceptible to vibration and covered very limited areas directly below the aircraft at NADIR or offset to slight angles. Other issues which limited the full utility of aerial reconnaissance was the limited range of …show more content…
Due to the rapid maneuverability of German forces during the war; the British changed their implementation of aerial reconnaissance to being more operational and strategic in nature. They used it to support long range planning, industrial targeting and to provide senior level leadership insight into the enemy defenses, disposition, and obstacles, and to monitor major Research and Development areas. Additionally, they provided critical orthophoto maps made from mosaics to battlefield commanders. They were now able to perform in-depth Bomb Damage Assessments (BDA) to ensure a target was neutralized, destroyed or required restrike. There was now a clear delineation between the aerial reconnaissance for intelligence purposes and topographic mapping missions. Tasking and use of aerial photography by operational commanders was rare, if not existent, due to poor distribution and communication networks. However, there were centralized repositories for aerial