This post is dedicated to Flight Officer Constance Babington-Smith,WAAF, the British photo interpreter who. first discovered the V rockets at Peenemunde on imagery. ... In most World War II operations photographic reconnaissance played a greater or lesser part, but in no other major operation was that part so complete or all embracing as in the battle against the flying bomb. To Photographic Reconnaissance and Intelligence fell the task, first of identifying the weapons with which the Allies had to contend and then of directing the necessary counter measures. Very early in 1943, ground intelligence indicated that secret experimental work was in hand at Peenemunde. Photographic reconnaissance proved this to be true. An essential part of the battle for photographic reconnaissance and intelligence was the location of manufacture, supply and storage depots for the flying bombs. As all dumps were situated underground in an effort to escape bombing, ground information generally led to the discovery of such sites. Photographic cover was ceaselessly being searched to prove and disprove such reports. A typical storage site was that at St. Leu D’esserent where old mushroom caves were taken over, enlarged and entrances fortified by steel and concrete doors. Invaluable information was gathered by low flying pilots who took remarkable obliques showing the amount of overhang over tunnels and other technical data necessary for the best bombing results. As depicted in the very fine British movie production in 1965. Operation Crossbow. Babington Smith was a pioneer in the craft of aircraft and photographic interpretation, greatly expanding the usefulness of analytic interpretation. One of Babington Smith’s most celebrated discoveries during World War II was her identification of an unidentified, pilotless aircraft at Peenemunde, a major German army rocket research center on the Baltic coast. Her discovery led to the air campaigns that disrupted German plans for the mass launch of V1 and V2 rockets against the Allies. In the summer of 1945, after Germany surrendered, she came to the United States and assisted in the war against Japan. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Washington, D.C., Navy Yard facility, honored Flight Officer Constance Babington Smith MBE by naming the facility's Analysis Fusion Cell after her. Standing in front of a World War II photo of Constance Babington Smith is: (left to right) Air Commodore Martin R. Hallam RAF, Chief Executive, Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency; Mr. James Babington Smith, nephew; and Lieutenant General James R. Clapper,Jr., USAF (Ret.), Director, NGA. After the end of World War II, Babington Smith never lost her interest or enthusiasm for imagery intelligence. She worked as a researcher for Life magazine and also wrote Evidence in Camera, originally published as Air Spy: The Story of Photo Intelligence in World War II. Constance Babington Smith died July 31, 2000 at 87. © Keele University 2004
Sources: Image Shop - Hitler's Secret Weapons http://www.nga.mil/NGASiteContent/StaticFiles/OCR/nga0406.pdf Parent sites of which are both well worth a shufti. Cheers, Adam.
Cheers old bean. In fact I searched the net for a whole hour for a photo of her to add to the post before giving up. If anyone could find one I'd gratefully add it. Tally Ho!
I don't read Polish but this may well be her: Wonder if she's the same person that appears to have written a biography of John masefield? Odd that he'd crop up twice in a week here. Cheers, Adam.
Nice one VP, I say well done. Also many thanks old bean. I have added it into the post. Pretty lady what? Cherio chaps!