A Race for Intelligence Gains through Aerial Reconnaissance - Term Paper Example

A Race for Intelligence Gains through Aerial Reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance during World War II was an important aspect of aerial warfare between the opposing Allied Forces and the Axis Powers. During the war, this was one of the key methods of obtaining intelligence about the enemy and their activities. Photographs provided concrete evidence. Within hours of a reconnaissance sortie, the film could be developed, printed and interpreted. One of the major players when it came to aerial intelligence was Allied forces RAF or the British Royal Air Force and the Axis Powers’ Luftwaffe. As part of the British Royal Air Force’s reconnaissance planes, the units of the Spitfire and the Mosquito were used. The Spitfire became the first high-speed photo-reconnaissance aircraft. they flew at high, medium and low altitudes, often ranging far into enemy territory to closely observe the Axis powers and provide an almost continual flow of valuable intelligence information throughout the war. Specific units such as the PRU Spitfires were used in 1941 and 1942. These provided photographs of the Freya and Würzburg radar systems. The most important contribution of the mentioned Spitfire units were in 1943 where British intelligence confirmed the German production of the V1 and V2 Vergeltungswaffe or vengeance weapons by photographing Peenemünde on the Baltic Sea coast of Germany (Vader 153). For the entire course of World War II, it can be said that the British Spitfire was one of the most versatile aircrafts of the British Royal Air Force because separate Spitfire units were used for heavy air combat, aside from their espionage missions. The British Mosquito units, on the other hand, were used both as bomber aircrafts and as photo reconnaissance vessels. Like the British Spitfire, the most important contribution of the Mosquito bombers was the discovery of Test Stand VII at the Peenemünde Army Research Center on the Baltic Sea coast. Several British espionage missions, together with the Spitfire units, confirmed the German construction of the mentioned V1 and V2 rockets (Bowman 165). One of the most striking features of the Mosquito bombers as reconnaissance vessels was its reliable speed in aerial space. Technical features range to incredible numbers such as with the Mosquito PR Mk 34 and PR Mk 34A. These units had addition fuel carried in a bulged bomb-bay - 1,192 gallons which was the equivalent of 5,419 miles. A further two 200 gallon drop tanks under the outer wings gave a range of 3,600 miles cruising at 300 mph. Powered by two 1,690 hp Merlin 114s first used in earlier Mosquito units. A total of 181 were built, including 50 built by the Percival Aircraft Company (Bowman 165). As what had been explained above, both Spitfire fighters and the Mosquito bombers were the most versatile aerial vessels of the British Royal Air Force. Both were proven exceptional when it came to dogfights and bomb raids respectfully. They were efficient in aerial defenses that kept enemy aerial raids at bay. Both units were also useful in assault missions where escort Spitfires provided cover for raiding Mosquito bombers above enemy territory. More importantly, espionage missions were the key factors which created the Spitfire and the Mosquito a treasure to the British Royal Air Force. The speed and efficiency both the mentioned fighter and bomber units possessed were the primary aspects which catapulted the Spitfire and the Mosquito into heavy reconnaissance tasks. Flexibility to adopt with the environment and the maneuverability of the mentioned units were beneficial for low, medium and high altitude spying. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Luftwaffe provided the Germans with unique espionage units. At the onset of the war, ordinary German passenger planes were used as the primary aerial vessels for the campaign of enemy espionage. These were indeed decisive actions taken by the German intelligence because they risked innocent civilian lives with the desire to obtain pieces of information form above the enemy territory (Swanger). At the outbreak of World War II, the Luftwaffe began incorporating aerial war units for the use of reconnaissance missions. The most utilized German unit for such purpose was the Luftwaffe Bomber Wing KG 200. This bomber unit was composed of several large squadrons. It was also geographically spread in multiple bases all over Europe. The total secrecy in KG 200, as common in such top secret units, was such that its people knew very little of each other's activity, to minimize security breach in case of captivity. It had over 100 air crews and operated over 30 different German and allied aircraft types (Swanger). The 1st squadron of KG 200 was in charge of flying German secret agents to and from allied territory. It had a long-range group, and a short-range group which was spread all over Europe. It got its operational orders directly from the SD, the Nazi party's intelligence service. The 2nd squadron of KG 200 was in charge of all other operations, including electronic warfare and special bombing missions, long range patrols as far as the United States East coast, and special cargo missions which flew all the way to Japanese held North China. It operated from hidden airstrips all over Europe, usually near forests, used to hide their special aircraft from allied pilots (Swanger). For the purpose of espionage missions, the Luftwaffe operated civilian aircraft for photo reconnaissance missions all over Europe and North Africa before and during World War II. Initially the aircraft belonged to the German military intelligence, but during the war they were assigned to the Luftwaffe. When World War II broke out, German spies and saboteurs had to be inserted to or extracted from allied countries. Some were inserted or extracted by German submarines, some travelled via neutral countries, and some, like many allied secret agents, parachuted from Luftwaffe aircraft such as the KG 200 (Swanger). In this light, it can be said that upon comparing and contrasting both the Spitfire and the Mosquito units of the British Royal Air Force and the Bomber Wing KG 200 of the Luftwaffe, both were undeniably useful for the campaign of obtaining intelligence from respective countries. However, the more important question dwells on – which from both sides obtained the most positive effects when it comes to success in obtaining intelligence reports? When the factor of armaments and aerial assault is concerned, each unit from respective sides has important contributions to bombing raids and aerial dogfights. The Spitfire, the Mosquito bombers and the Bomber Wing KG 200 have their own characteristics which showcase their might in aerial supremacy. Yet when the effects of particular espionage and photo reconnaissance missions is taken into context, the table turns drastically against the Luftwaffe’s Bomber Wing KG 200. The Spitfire and the Mosquito units of the British Royal Air Forces had supplied the British and, in a way, the Allied intelligence with one of the most important information in German ballistics technology – the creation of the V1 and the V2 missiles. After the war, the defeated Third Reich would be robbed of these technological advancements and the Allied Forces, particularly the United States, would benefit from the existence of the V1 and the V2 missiles. This can be exemplified with the arms race domination of the United States during the subsequent Cold War. It is clear that the exceptional performance of the British reconnaissance vessels proved to outweigh the Luftwaffe’s KG 200. In this sense, the espionage and the reconnaissance missions conducted by the British Royal Air Force was beneficial for the intelligence gain of the Allied Forces as a whole. The eventual defeat of Germany diminishes the efforts of the reconnaissance missions of the Luftwaffe for the long run. Works Cited Bowman, Martin. De Havilland Mosquito (Crowood Aviation series). Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press, 2005. Print. Swanger, Andrew J. “Luftwaffe's Secret KG 200 in World War II”. World War II Magazine. September 1997. Print. Vader, John. Spitfire (Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II). London: Ballentine's Books, 1969. Print. Read More