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6 PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING 
combat soldier, not only to understand his photo intelligence needs without 
being told, but also to understand the activities of the enemy. The reasoning 
that comes naturally at division or regimental headquarters is too often dis- 
missed as "the working level. mind” at Army Group. The recurring sudden 
crises which are a part of combat, and which demand the instant attention of an 
interpreter, may well be labeled bumbling at a theater center and be handled 
grudgingly, if at all, by interpreters unfamiliar with tactical events. 
In view of these matters then, how should tactical interpreters be chosen? 
Should their backgrounds be different from the backgrounds expected of other 
photo interpreters? 
There are differences of opinion among interpreters on this issue, too. This 
is due in part to the historical development of photo interpretation and of 
photogrammetry, which, for military engineering and peacetime uses, leans 
heavily on the earth sciences. Men learned in physiography, geology, geography, 
agronomy, forestry, and so on, are the largest peacetime advocates and prac- 
titioners of the aerial photo arts. 
When a wartime need arises for men skilled in air photo use, these earth 
science specialists represent the nucleus of familiarity, and their views and 
practices affect procurement thinking. It is only human nature that men whose 
lives are devoted to an allied science will reason that photo interpretation is 
severely limited, or even impossible, without the basic knowledge that they 
themselves possess. The reasoning is self-perpetuating and becomes more firmly 
fixed as more and more earth science colleagues are brought into the field. 
The tactical interpreter however, tends to take a somewhat different view. 
He generally feels that men with an earth science background can make ex- 
cellent interpreters, but that for tactical work certain other requirements are 
desirable. He prefers field soldiers who have been taught photo intelligence 
techniques. 
He reasons this way: tactical interpretation demands a state of mind and a 
combat attitude as much as it asks for specific knowledge. A geologist, for in- 
stance, can develop these attitudes if he lives and works in a combat situation, 
and he can learn the details and techniques as well as anyone else. But the old 
soldier, just like the geologist, need learn only the interpretation; he can do it 
as well without the geology background. The common denominator is the 
tactical sense, and considering that the areas of effort are detection of defenses, 
artillery, supplies and personnel, it can be argued that an earth science back- 
ground is not as valuable as is often supposed. 
Well, what about trafficability studies, pre-construction analyses, and simi- 
lar needs? The tactical interpreter answers that engineers trained in photo in- 
terpretation are the best qualified, and that they can do work of this nature 
better than the interpreters with earth science backgrounds. He considers that 
the kind of non-engineer trafficability intelligence a tactical interpreter must 
furnish is as easily learned as is any other interpretation technique. It may well 
be so. 
So the principles of employment work out to something like this: 
1. Tactical photo intelligence loses effectiveness when the main line of 
resistance is moving very rapidly. Do not expect miracles when the battle is 
fluid. 
2. The tactical photo interpreter should be located as close as possible to the 
end users of his intelligence. 
3. The tactical interpreter should be provided with and should maintain a 
high level of current general intelligence information.