Historic Aerial Photo Resources

It seems that all the aerial photo websites will not disclosed what exactly additions have been made, I know, because I asked them. The result is endless hours going over every area of interest on the off chance something has been added. NCAP used to post updates to coverage on their news page but that stopped a few years ago. The coverage count on the map continues to rise by the few thousand every so often but I have never found them.

The OS photomaps (NLS - individual frame view) are largely what is on Google Earth (1945 layer) but available with the dates the photo was actually taken. I think in some cases both the public and original are available for some frames but it is hit and miss as to whether they have be airbrushed. The quality of the individual frames seems to be better than the Google Earth offering where it is the same as the OS photomaps. The NLS offering does, however, extend the coverage beyond that of Google Earth and covers much of Suffolk which was covered in GE by an RAF mosaic.  There are also higher resolution photomaps for some cities and towns. I gather the OS photomap coverage was never completed so there may not be many more frames to come, if any.

I heard that Google wanted access to all NCAP's images but did not want to pay!

 

The US National Archives collection of aerial photographs has been digitised and much of the UK coverage is available online and viewable at a high zoom for free. Use the download button on each selected frame and save to your PC. Interesting, since their partner was NCAP who charged to view. Maybe that is why NCAP seems to have stopped adding new UK aerial photos since 2020?

I am currently going through the HLA series most of which seems to be dated 1942. There is good coverage of the southeast with a small amout of Yorkshire in there. I have noticed that there are many duplicated entries with in the 101 pages of results in the link below. The link includes the term "Spot Number" which seems to be present on all aerial photos to prevent other documents popping up in the results. I have also searched using "106G" in place of "HLA" and these appear to be a much better quality. 

catalog.archives.gov/search?page=1&q=%22...umber%22%20%22HLA%22

Peter

I came across this site aerial photographs of Wales.

aerialphotos.wales.gov.uk/

Coverage is patchy but some interesting stuff.

What is this area near RAF Valley?  Will dig my books later.


 

One for Peter I think

Google Maps calls it "The Range"
 

Not a range as far as I know. The Holyhead Bay range was further north at SH 29478 91753. The AP in the link appears to show a radar mat for an AA site

I was replying but closed the tab by mistake!

The CHL is at SH 2070 8200 - see ARCHWILIO

The site South of it is Gors Goch HAA  SH 21592 80344 

Rifle Range

archwilio.org.uk/her/chi3/report/page.ph...=Q565759001687893237

Rifle Range, Penrhosfeilw CommonPrimary Reference Number (PRN) : 38290
Trust : Gwynedd
Community : Trearddur
Unitary authority : Ynys Mon
NGR : SH21547979
Site Type (preferred type first) : MODERN RIFLE BUTTS 

BBC News

WW2 aerial photos opened to public for first time

Presume been added here?

historicengland.org.uk/images-books/arch...tions/aerial-photos/

 


THis must be them Baseball and Bombers: USAAF Reconnaissance Photography During the Second World War

 

Added to the photo viewer today. USAAF Verticals in BLUE. For us bombing range bods, this is the best release of image so far. At last the target at Culmhead is clear to see!