The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-02-10
SKY CAMERA MEN
DID GREAT WORK
Photographers in British Air Serv-
ice Had important Part
in War.
we're AWKWARD At FIRST
"spy Dropping" Another Feature OF
Work of Aviation Section pevel-
oped Toward End of War
Much information Gained.

opeu toward Enu OF war
Much information Gained.
London-Taling tremendous risks,
the British air force camera men
played to perfection in the war the
part OF the spy In the enemy's camp.
A month or so after our first very
and ill-equipped flying
squadron had gone over 10 France
with tho "Old Contemptibles," an oh
server flying one sunny day over The
enemy lines took with him a much
cherished pocket camera and exposed
some films over the enemy's ground be.
meath him.
lie wanted them only to send home
to his people as souvenirs. When they
were developed he found they formed
an excellent pictorial map OF the
Boche front lines.
Then 1t was that Lieutenant Colonel
Moore Brabaz0n, the 'father" and or
ganizer Of the Photographic section OF
The Royal Air force, realized the enor-
nous possibilities of air photographs
az an aid TO the intelligence staff.
He began to agitate for permission
to carry on the work Of ph1tographlns
the German activities from the air.
The early experiments turning ont TO
be Of flrst.rate value, Colonel Moore
Brabazen was sent home 10 start Or
gambling n Photographic branch of the
flying corps.
Gradually Improved.
And so the army spying service went
on improving month by month.
As the work of the flying arm of the
service extended ashore and afloat so
did the work of the air spies extend.
They photographed U-boats resting on
the bed Of the Adrlatic and Mediter-
ranean; they pictured the oil patches
on the seas which betoken the sudden
end Of 4 submarine. Ma
TO dodge successfully the Hun flyers
and the eyer-present Archie the
pilots had inyaribly to fly at fairly
high enthusiastically at less than TO-
600 feet and always on a zlgzag
course.
The "mosains," as they were called
picture maps pIeeed together some
thing like a iigsaw puzzle--were made
7 from thousands Of pictures taken with
a lens pointing vertlcallyotoward the
ground. "FiA p ,F
A brigade intelligence Officer having
rot a complete set Of Prints, taken an
hour before, sat down to leducc, Sher.
lock Holmes like, lengthy inaictment
of The Huns overnight activities.
Signs OF an impending attack on n
big scale usually could be deduced by
the plainly apparent newly made roads
for tanks and by the massing of men
in large numbers in support trenches
and on roads leading from hack area
( billcts.
One Of the most enterprlsing meth
DDS Of aerial intelligence was the drop
ping Of spies in the Hun lines and
picking them up after they had com
pleted their work. In this way much
information OF vital importance was
gained.
These secret service agents were
mostly Frenchmen who knew the coun-
try thoroughly and had a full inside
knowledge OF the Hun military organi-
cation.
IL there were any signs Of activity
in any particular sector Of the line
about which the high command was
anxious, one Of these agents was de-
tailed TO report to headquarters FOR In
| stirctions. Here he was also supplied
with the necessary papers aud wa:
then sent by ear to a certain aerodronc
Used Special Machine.
AZ this aerodromc was a special,
constructed machine. The pilot was
usually wcll-lSnown Birmingham mo
tor cyclist racer, who specialized II
this particular work He was bril-
liantly successful at what was un
doubtedly Il very risky game His 81
forts We're rewarded by many decora
lions, and he Is still flying.
The spy having reported TO his pilot
details would be arranged between
them, and frequently there was a re
hearsal in the form ot flight owe
the spot where he was 80 land. Some
times the work would be undertakes
by day but II the weather was favor
able, it was mostly done by night.
The spy would get into Ibis haskc
seat, 50 constructed that he could cas-
| lly slip OF the engine would be thcl
ougiily tested, and they would get int
| Tie air.
| They would make straight FOR h
appointed spot, needless of all seorcl
| lights and shells, and would then Ian,
| The landing spot was a go0dslzed fee
| with an even surface.
Il At un appointed time two or ihro
days later, earlier if necessary, tll
machine would return TO th same SIP,
and pick up the man again. Som'
times, II his investigations We're ,
! particularly lengthy nature, he woul
return TO our lines by another mean
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To Reproduce Accident
Stamford Nppp 81 Decentralization ,