More Hi Res Aerial Photos ETO

[blythsco]

I added 9 aerial photos including mystery airfield (?) 8 miles NW of Orleans taken June 7, 1944, several other airfields including Nantes, Brandenburg, Ghent and Kassel-Waldau plus Lille and Kassel.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2455401...7609636214338/

[jvmasset]

Hello!

Thanks for these new photos...Do you still have many to show?

I am wondering about the "Kassel" photo. I have spent some time on GoogleEarth trying to identify around the Kassel area what seems to be some kind of strangely arranged industrial complex, without luck so far. Would you have additional info, like coordinates of the photo, for instance?

Thanks,

JV

JV

[yogybär]

The pics are really great, the one mentioned above shows how "precise" the Allied bombing could be... but there are other pics revealing devstating effects...

Concerning Kassel:
There is something strange. Kassel-Rothwesten has some barracks even today ("Fritz-Erler-Kaserne"), which clearly show the shape of a (former) airfield:

http://maps.google.de/maps?hl=de&rlz...num=1&ct=title

But this looks very different.

Maybe a confusion by the Recce-pilot, maybe a falsified airfield, ... ?

EDIT: Some background-info on the AF: http://www.tighar.org/TTracks/11_4/OpSep.html

[blythsco]

Hi JV

Keep in mind that the photos are not oriented North South East West which makes finding these places on Google Earth a little difficult. I don't have the coordinates but will check with my father to see if he can recall what the exact target was that day. Maybe someone else on the forum has some idea of what that industrial complex is? As for how many more photos I intend to add it may be somewhere in the vicinity of 100 or so. This set is exclusively photos taken by my father from a Spitfire MK XI. I also have a dozen or more low level oblique photos of V weapons (Noball)sites many of which are annotated. These were taken by other pilots of the 7th PRG, Mt Farm UK from F-5s (P-38 variant).

Regards
Scott

[jvmasset]

You are right Yogy, this is not Rothwesten. However the airfield is genuine: this is Kassel-Waldau airfield, home of Fieseler firma, and this is also one of the places where Fw-190D9 were built in 1944.
Did you notice the nice Flak battery in the lower left corner?

The airfield location is now a industrial zone, but the large hangar in the bottom right still exists and is in use; the concrete taxiway which was used to get access to the hangar still exists for 200 m (as well as a small bit of the one going to the weapon test range and another 100 m of taxiway at 45° angle with the first one...)

JV

PS: Scott, your photos are quite unique you know...it's a pure wonder, and I am also very interested by the oblique ones concerning the Noball targets (this is the area where I live most of the time, and I know this stuff since I am 10 years old...and I'm 51 now!)

[blythsco]

Thanks JV and Yogy. I will change the name of the AF accordingly. Kassel Rothwesten AF was hand written on the back of the photo. Typically is a photo recce pilot was on a mission that deep into Germany they were assigned multiple targets which might include several airfields hence the mistake. The pilot probably took Kassel Rothwesten that day as well but I do not appear to have a copy.

Thanks Again
Scott

[blythsco]

Hi JV

I will probably start a new set of Noball target photos with the obliques taken by F-5s as well as some high altitude Spitfire MK XI photos.

Regards
Scott

[jvmasset]

Thanks so much...I feel all giddy about it! I am a little bit bizarre that way, y'know...

[Franek Grabowski]

Scott
Ghent photo should be rotated 90 deg counterclockwise. Also, are you sure of Mulberry photo? I have shown it to my brother interested in the area, and he says it does not look correct.

[blythsco]

Hello Franek

Thanks for the tip on Ghent. I will try to rotate it. The photo recce pilots did not care too much about any directionals. They shot the targets and then let the interpretors figure out which way was North. As for the Mulberry photos I have included I believe sections of Mulberry A and B. These were souvenir photos taken by my father on June 12, 1944 flying a Spit MK XI. He probably took dozens of photos of the beachhead but I only have a few. Maybe there is some Mulberry Harbour expert out there who can comment?

Thanks again
Scott