REPORT OF COMMISSION VII 59 
mooring places, sectors of beach suitable for landings, as well as uplands in the 
  
Force 
and). rear, with airfields and constructions of various kinds which may be of interest 
emely to the command from an operative point of view. 
a, the Many of the photos of the intended invasion area also serve tactical pur- 
stereo poses and are used to show how the landing-craft must be navigated in order to 
avoid obstacles and barriers, how the beach defense is to be fought, which 
luring roads the armored forces ought to choose, and where air-borne troops can be 
stman landed, etc. 
called On the basis of aerial stereo photos, large-scale relief maps are also presented, 
le in- with the aid of which the single individual can thoroughly learn the more im- 
ented | portant details of terrain, the exact position of machine-gun nests, bunkers and 
rence, gun emplacements and the extent of mine fields, etc., all of which greatly contrib- 
ute to limiting casualties during the actual landing operation. 
The invasion maps can be kept up to date through daily photo reconnais- 
n telli- sance, and the military units supplied with important intelligence about the 
nd in | enemy right up to the last minute before the actual "D" day. 
| On the other hand, the defender uses photo reconnaissance to gather reli- 
r pre- | 
ilway | able intelligence about the enemy's intentions and preparations, which in many 
n the | cases cannot be hidden from a vigilant air force. Suitable craft for the invasion 
from | must be directed to prearranged places of embarkation, and along the roads 
secret | leading to them, more and more personnel and materials must gradually be 
ot by | transported. Both this traffic and also the unavoidable camps and dumps of 
| were | pre-embarkation can most likely be detected and studied in detail in the re- 
t was | connaissance photographs. Thus, strategic photo reconnaissance which is well 
Way, | organized and carried out in the right way has great possibilities of eliminating 
iques, the element of surprise in enemy actions on a larger scale. : 
or in- | 
Such | TACTICAL APPLICATION 
other Tactical photo reconnaissance is carried out within the tactical operation 
tures area, or the actual battle zone, and is intended to give exhaustive reports about 
stries the nature of the terrain, details in the enemy fortifications, the positions of the 
1. We | artillery units, the formation and grouping of reserves, and intelligence from 
inter- | which the enemy’s probable plan of action may be estimated. 
, give As earlier stated, the reconnaissance methods change in proportion to the 
struc- enemy's air defense. If the enemy is superior in the air one can count on his mov- 
), the | ing his forces openly, by day, when photo reconnaissance has great possibilities 
of achieving good results and of being able to register the movements of the 
pt by 
enemy in detail. For a certain time however, the reconnaissance planes must 
ıte to remain over enemy territory, which may prove difficult on account of the 
tions. enemy’s superiority in the air. However, if skilfully carried out, there are great 
itegic possibilities of such reconnaissance being successful, with very fast planes and 
itegic perhaps with a fighter escort. In this case, oblique photography may be neces- 
ower- sary. Under conditions of air parity, it is probable that the enemy’s movements 
es for will still mostly be carried out by day, although with much greater caution than 
s also in the former case. Naturally, disguised action through woods and forests ham- 
tering | pers reconnaissance, and still more, photo-interpretation. If again the enemy 
orrect | is inferior in the air, it must be taken for granted that his movements will mostly 
aps is | be carried out by night. The question of night photography may then arise. 
If the enemy has succeeded in establishing a bridge-head, it is of the greatest 
com- importance to continuously register the tactical situation through photo recon- 
From naissance; and with the help of verticals, annotated photos as well as highly de- 
ather tailed target maps and mosaics, give a basis for the successful breaking down of 
s and | the enemy positions with both army and naval artillery.