RAF Kuala Lumpur Photo Recon Spitfires and British aerial Cameras
Flight Sergeant Garratt of London (right), assisted by Leading Aircraftman "Taffy" Williams of Bangor, North Wales, fits a Type F8 aerial camera (without its film magazine) into Supermarine Spitfire PR Mark XI, PL781'F', of No. 681 Squadron at RAF Kuala Lumpur, Malaya. (Pic: Imperial War Museum)
Aerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated/direct-down position. Usually the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure, mounted cameras may be triggered remotely or automatically, hand-held photographs may be taken by a photographer. Aerial photography should not be confused with air-to-air photography, where one or more aircraft are used as chase planes that chase, Aerial photography was first practiced by the French photographer and balloonist Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, known as Nadar, in 1858 over Paris, France. However, the photographs he produced no longer exist and therefore the earliest surviving aerial photograph is titled Boston, as the Eagle, taken by James Wallace Black and Samuel Archer King on October 13,1860, it depicts Boston from a height of 630m. Military intelligence aerial photography is used to select bombing targets, determine bombing accuracy, assess bombing damage, determine enemy orders-of-battle, analyse equipment capability, pinpoint defence positions, serve as a basis for maps and to search for indications of enemy initiatives or intentions. Aerial reconnaissance photography has been employed by British forces since the First World War (1914-1918), but little development of cameras or collection methods was made in the years leading up to the Second World War (1939-1945). In the late 1930s, however, an Australian civilian, F Sidney Cotton, used a private Lockheed 12 aircraft with concealed cameras to take clandestine photographs of Germany. Following on from this work, Cotton was instrumental in persuading the RAF to mount cameras in high-performance aircraft, such as the Supermarine Spitfire. Split vertical camera placements within aircraft allowed for greater coverage of the ground on one overflight. Cameras were remotely operated by the pilot and were kept free from frost and condensation by having warm air directed over them from the engines. The most common British cameras used were the F8, F24 and F52. RAF No. 681 PHOTO RECONNAISSANCE SQUADRON KUALA LUMPUR The squadron was formed in January 1943 from No.3 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit at Dum Dum in India. The squadron flew a mix of Spitfire, Hurricanes and Dutch Air Force Mitchells, which formed part of C Flight. The new squadron operated over Burma and Siam, paying particular attention to Rangoon, Mandalay and the Andaman Islands.In July-August 1943 the squadron was given some Mosquitoes, but late in the year these aircraft went to No.684 Squadron (as did the Mitchells) and No.681 Squadron standardised on the Spitfire XI.
Pic Inset: Insignia of 681 squadron, along with the squadron’s motto, “Elevatis Nihil Celatur” – “To those high up, nothing is concealed" featuring a winged tiger standing on top of a camera.
Early in 1944 the squadron took part in a major photographic survey of Burma, producing valuable information for the campaigns of 1944 and 1945. After the re-conquest of Burma the squadron moved on to Kuala Lumpur in Malaya, but the Japanese surrender meant that these maps weren't needed. During 1944 the squadron also operated over Japanese airfields, railway lines and oilfields. Late in the year river traffic became a main target, before the target moved onto Akyab Island, a target for Allied troops. Rangoon was the main target early in 1945. When the war ended in 1945, the squadron moved to RAF Kai Tak, Hong Kong in September of that year. In December 1945 a detachment was sent to Java to take part in fighting in Indonesia. Another detachment was based at Saigon, operating over French Indo-China. The squadron moved to Selatar (Singapore) in January 1946 and then to India in April. Detachments from the squadron however were still located and kept busy at a wide range of airfields across the South-East Asian theatre of operations. The squadron was disbanded by renumbering it to No. 34 Squadron RAF on 1 August 1946 at RAF Palam, Punjab, (then) British India. Duty: 1943-46: Photo reconnaissance, South East Asia Part of: No.171 Wing; Photographic Reconnaissance Force; Eastern Air Command; Air Command South-East Asia
A Type F8 Mk II aerial camera being carried for installation in a Supermarine Spitfire. (Pic: Imperial War Museum) TYPE F8, F24 & F52 cameras The 1919 F8 high altitude daytime survey camera could be fitted with 20-inch (508mm), 36-inch (914mm) and 40-inch (1016mm) lenses. The F24 camera was developed in the 1920s for aerial reconnaissance by British and Allied armed forces right up to the mid-1950s. It is widely and erroneously referred to as F.24 or F-24 The F24 Universal standard aircraft camera for day and night photography, could be fitted with 3.25-inch (82mm), 5-inch (127mm), 8-inch (204mm), 14-inch (356mm), and 20-inch (508mm) lenses, weighed 40 pounds (18kg) and produced 125 exposures of 5 x 5 inches (12.5mm x 12.5mm). It could be carried by photo-reconnaissance Spitfires in a variety of configurations, such as one mounted obliquely in a pod under each wing, or two mounted vertically and one obliquely in the fuselage behind the pilot. The design of the F24 camera was carried out by the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, and it was introduced in 1925. It was produced by Williamson Manufacturing Company Ltd. The F24 was designed to be lighter and smaller than the F8 camera of 1919, but the F8 continued to be used in less demanding installations. The main component units of the F24 are a body with roller blind focal plane shutter, gearbox, film magazine, and lens cone. Image film format is 5"×5", on 5" wide roll film, with magazine capacity up to 250 exposures (the F8 offered images up to 8"×7.5" on 9" wide film). Shutter speed is preset between 1/100s and 1/1000s.
Photographers at RAF Benson testing cameras before installing them in a PR Mosquito: (left to right) two F24 14-inch lens vertical cameras, one F24 14-inch lens oblique camera, two F52 vertical cameras with 20-inch lenses
By about 1940, most configurations of the F24 included a Dallmeyer Pentac lens with focal length 8", aperture f/2.9, with either a Type 21 hand adaptor with two side handles, or a Type 25 fixed mounting and Type 35 control box and motor drive. Weight of a typical hand-held version is about 20 lb. Prior to 1940, available lenses included focal lengths of 3.25" (f/5.6), 5" (f/2.8), 6", 10.5". In 1937, a 14" (f/5.6) lens was introduced, followed in late 1940 by a 20" (f/5.6) lens, and in 1942 by a 36" lens. Longer lenses, and larger image formats, offered more detailed images from extremely high altitudes. During the Second World War, the F24 was also manufactured by Vinten. A modified but compatible version with lower weight was designed and manufactured by Eastman Kodak as the K-24, for use by US forces. Also in 1942, the F24 was developed into the F52 that used an image format of 8.5"×7", magazines up to 500 exposures, and was better suited for 36" and 40" lenses in larger installations.
Pic inset: The F.24 cameras mounted in the blister being checked before a mission. In all 40 Spitfires were converted to the Type C standard.
During the Second World War, the F24 was installed in aircraft types including; Avenger, Blenheim, Catalina, Corsair, Halifax, Hellcat, Hudson, Hurricane, Lancaster, Liberator, Lysander, Maryland, Mitchell, Mosquito, Mustang, Spitfire, Stinson, Stirling, Sunderland, Wellington. The F52 high altitude day reconnaissance camera was introduced after January 1942 and could be fitted with 5-inch (127mm), 8-inch (204mm), 14-inch (356mm), and 20-inch (508mm) 36-inch (914mm) or 40-inch (1016mm) lenses, producing 500 exposures of 8.5 x 7 inches (23mm x 18mm). Weighing 78 pounds (35kg), its long focal length was particularly suitable for high-altitude reconnaissance and it became the standard British camera for most of the war.
THE SPITFIRE PR (Photo Reconnaissance)
The Spitfire PR Mk XI was produced in greater numbers than any other PR variant, with over 470 produced in total. It was based around the Mk IX fuselage, but with the extra fuselage fuel tanks of the standard PR variants as well and wing mounted tanks. It first flew on 21 November 1942, and entered service in the summer of 1943. The PR Mk XI used a universal camera installation, which allowed the cameras to be easily swapped. This allowed a much wider variety of cameras to be used. Common variants included two F.52 cameras with a 36in focal length, two F.8s (20in), one F.52 (20in) and two F.24 (14in) combined with one F.24 (14in or 8in) in an oblique position. Some also carried a 5 inch F.24 just behind the wheel well for low to medium level tactical reconnaissance.
The last Spitfire PR recon flight was made by an 81 Squadron aircraft on 1 April 1954. Three continued to fly performing Temperature and Humidity Flights for meteorological research, until they were finally retired on 10 June 1957. But, the very last time a Spitfire PR XIX went operational was in 1963 when one was used in battle trials against an English Electric Lightning to determine if a RAF Lightning could take on a piston engined aircraft. This information was required because RAF jets might have to engage Indonesian P-51 Mustangs in the Confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia.
