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and the Forest Service was photographing the nation's timber reserves; the Geo- 
logical Survey was producing topographic quadrangles and geological maps 
with the aid of airphotos and the Soil-Survey was mapping the soils of the 
United States by means of aerial photography. In addition, such regional agen- 
cies as the Tennessee Valley Authority, began to solve their planning and reset- 
tlement problems by aerial photographic mapping and interpretation. Even state, 
county and metropolitan planning agencies were rapidly taking up the new 
medium. 
World War 1I. The stimulus provided by World War II produced air- 
craft of many times the speed, manoeuvrability, payload and capability of the 
pre-war machines. Similar improvements were made in the aerial cameras. New 
developments included such photo reconnaissance systems as those based upon 
the continuous ship camera, the Trimetrogon camera, the Pleon lens, night flash 
photography and radarscope photos. 
The increased capabilities for procuring airphotos called for a correspond- 
ing increase in the quantity and quality of interpretation. Just previous to 
World War II, Germany had organized and trained a group of military photo 
interpreters to a degree unknown to have existed in any other country. At the 
outbreak of hostilities, this group was supplemented by the militarization of 
Hansa Luftbild, G.m.b.H., an aerial survey company into which all other Ger- 
man aerial survey companies previously had been forced to merge. *) The new 
organisation was known as the Sonderluftbildabteilung or Sobia. 
The British also built their first military photo interpretation center about 
a commercial aerial photo survey organisation, whose principal members were 
commissioned in the R.A.F. The United States, with a two years’ warning from 
1939 to 1941, did not follow this practice. Instead, officers were sent abroad 
to study the British methods and then returned to this country to train American 
military and naval personnel. Upon recommendation of these officers, the Unit- 
ed States government which had long been employing civilian photogramme- 
trists, employed its first civilian photo interpreters in 1941. ?) Soon after, addi- 
tional civilian and military personnel were assigned interpretation duties and at 
the time of the Pearl Harbor attack a full procurement and training program 
was under way. Long (1947), in a description of the types of operational photo 
interpretation duties performed by civilian geographers for the Army Air For- 
ces during World War II, indicates geographers were frequently superior in 
photographic interpretation to personnel trained in other fields of knowledge. 
As the demand for interpreters increased in proportion to the increased 
amount of photo reconnaissance, it was constantly necessary to train new read- 
ers and interpreters. Schools were established at Hildesheim, Gaslar and Kiel in 
Germany, at Nuneham Park, Pinces Risborough and Medmenham in England 
and at Harrisburg, Naval Air Station, Anacostia, Camp Ritchie, Camp Lejeune 
and Orlando in the United States. In addition, temporary schools were fre- 
quently established within local commands of the various services of these three 
countries to train or refresh military photo interpreters for use within a partic- 
4) This merger was effected by decree of the German Air Ministry on 1 January 1934, pre- 
sumably to make more effective use of the technicians, scientists and specialized equipment 
for possible military use. 
9) In so far as the author is aware he was the first civilian specifically designated as an aerial 
photo interpreter by the U.S. Government. 
  
  
   
  
  
    
     
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
   
  
   
  
   
   
   
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