schoiitrs - del sito Archeologia Aerea

Images of Conflict:
Military Aerial Photography and Archaeology
Edited by
Birger Stichelbaut, Jean Bourgeois,
Nicholas Saunders and Piet Chielens
CAMBRIDGE
SCHOIITRS
PUBL
I
SH
I NG
TEgTg OF CONTENTS
Images of Conflict: Military Aerial Photography and Archaeology,
Edited by Birger Stichelbaut, Jean Bourgeois, Nicholas Saunders and Piet chielens
This book first published 2009
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
List oflllustrations ...........
List of Tab1es...................
Preface........
:.............................v111
............ xi
........... xii
Chapter One
Images of Conflict: An lntroduction
Jean Bourgeois, Birger
Stichelbaut...
................. I
l2Back Chapman Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2XX, UK
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Copyright cl 2009 by Birger Stichclbaut, Jean Bourgeois, Nicholas Saunders and Piet Chielens and
contributors
A1l rights lor this book rcserved. No parl of this book may be rcproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
oriransmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyrighÎ owner'
ISBN (10): 1-4438-0171-2, ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-01'71-3
Chapter Two
The Last Witness. Military Aerial Photography used in a Modern
Museum Context
Piet
Chielens
........'.
13
Chapter Three
Ulysses' Gaze: The Panoptic Prernise in Aerial Photography
and Great War Archaeology
Nicholas Saunders
21
Chapter Four
Why the Air War Really Mattered: a Guide to Understanding
the Significance of Aviation in World War One
James Streckfuss..............
41
Chapter Five
Shaping 20th Century Military lntelligence Through a Static Battlefield:
Aerial Photography's Impact
Terrence Finnegan......
55
Chapter Six
Strategic Aerial Research During the Second World War: the Case
of Germany's New Weapons
Yves Le
Maner
......69
Images of Conflict
Table of Contents
Chapter Seven
Imaging Golgotha: Photogrammetry on the Western Front 1914-1918
Peter Chasseaud............'..
81
Chapter Fifteen
Suffolk's Defended Shore and Beyond: The Use of Military Aerial
Photographs in Systematic Archaeological Survey in England
241
Chapter Eight
Dejà vu all over again? A Brief Preservation History of Overseas
Service Aerial Photography in the UK
Chris Going
t2t
Chapter Sixteen
The Scottish Home Front 1939-45: Gathering information on Military
and Civilian Structures from RAF and Luftwaffe Aerial Coverage
259
Chapter Nine
Miliiary Aerial Photographs from l9l4 to the Present: A Survey
ofthe Sources
Agnès
8ey1o1...................
Chapter Seventeen
""""'
135
""""'
.
15
1
Chapter Eleven
History of Mili^tary Aerial Photographs in Italy and Addressed Archives
Laura-Castrianni, Giuseppe
Ceraudo....
""""'
165
Chapter Twelve
Theinterpretation of Great War Air Photographs for Conflict Archaeology
& Overview of the Belgian Royal Army Museum Collection
""""""""" 185
Birger Stichelbaut...
Chapter Thirteen
Worja War I Battlefields of the Ypres Salient Mapped and Analysed
with Aerial Photographs. A confrontation with the current Landscape
and Archaeology
Mathieu de Meyer......
203
Chapter Fourteen
Air Î'hotographs, Military Archaeology
and Human Memory:
A
Case
Study from South East London
Andy Brockman, Kevin
Barton.........
A Proposal for an Encyclopaedic Internet Database of Air Photo
and Land Photo lmages of Earth Surface Marks and Signatures
................. 281
Waclaw Godziemba-Maliszewski
Chapter Ten
Great War Aerial Photographs in German Archives: a Guide to the
Sources
Peter Haupt
vll
""""""221
Images of Conflict
1X
Fig. 8-1. The former film store at Archives Two, Maryland, USA
130
LTST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Fig. 8-2: Luftwalfe Target dossiers
Fig. 1-l: Trench system near Lichtervelde
Fig. 1-2: Breast worked World War One trench in the Belgian dunes...... 10
Oosttaveerne Wood 1917'.
Z-Z: German aerial photograph near Poperinge....'
Z-l: Lyssenthoek Military Cemetery 1915.""""""
Z-+: Lyssenthoek Military Cemetery 1915 detail "'
Fig.2-l:
fi!.
fig.
ni!.
....'......
1915...'.....
September
Nose
Caesar's
fi!.2-A:
fi!.2-l: Caesar's Nose March 1916.......'.....
ni!. Z-S: Caesar's Nose July 1911.............
ril. Z-V: Caesar's Nose modern view.............
filg.Z-S:Oetail of animation
"""""""" 14
"""" l5
"""'
"""
I1
' l8
"""""""'21
""""""""""'22
"""""""""""'23
"""23
"""""""""""24
Fig 3.1: Poster for Theo Angeloupolos' 1995 film Ulysses' Ga2e """"""29
nii. Z-z: Angélopulos's photographer................. """"""""' 30
FiÉ. 3-3 Generic WWl air photo, Belgian-German frontline near
"""""'34
Dikmuide....
Fig. 4-1: American aircrew unloading their aerial camera """""""""""" 42
piÉ. q-Z: French photo mosaic
""""""""""""' 50
Fig. 5-1: Oblique air Photo of Seicheprey
ni!. S-Z: Aerial camera mounted for oblique aerial photogtaphy
"""""""'
""""""""'
Fig. 6-1: Large scale rocket in a photo taken over Peenemùnde
rri.
fl!.
nl!.
nl!.
- l'Bois Cané".
""" 59
""""""" 64
78
19
(Pas-de-Calais)80
O-:: A..modified site" for the flying bomb at Vincly
"""""""'82
O-+: Sonderbauten, near Calais.
""""""""""" 84
O-s: "The Mittelwerk, Septerher 1944".
O-Z: "Yviench
Fig. 7-1: French Roussilhe photo-restitution apparatus, 1916"""""""""' 95
f ii. l -Z: German Hugershoff-Heyde Autocartograph, 1 9 1 7- 1 8 " " " " " " " 104
ni!. Z-:: British rapid graphic restitution method, 1916 """""" """"""' 112
-
UK airfields. .................................
133
Fig. 9- l: Oblique air photos of gas being released in the Aurin sector.... 137
Fig.9-2: Aerial view of the Macedonian front, the Vardar area I9ll ..... 139
Fig. 9-3: Brest 1945, in the aftermath of the Second World War, aerial
t42
photographs were taken to study the effect of military pollution
Fig. 9-4: Aerial photo of the archaeological site of Djemila in Algeria .. 146
Fig. 9-5: The vertical air photo shows one of the Angkor temples.......... t4l
Fig. 10-l: Typical German air photo near Lizeme
............. 153
Fig. 1l-1: Aerial image of the archaeological central area of Rome ....... 168
Fig. ll-2 Aerial view of the Ostia excavations shot from the balloon
in
l9l1
.................110
...................... 175
Fig. ll-3: The port of Brindisi in 1943.........
Fig. I l-4: Anglo-American Aerophotographic Centre near San Severo. 177
Fig. I l-5. Bombardment effects of Cassino and Montecassino,
1s1031t944-.
Fig.
ll-6.
........ 178
The town of Alife in two USAAF vertical photos .................. 180
I : Distribution of air photos of the KLM-MRA collection
...........
in Belgium and France...
........................
Fig. l2-2: Comparative study of air photos
Fig. l2-3: Example of an anaglyph................... ..................
.................
Fig. l2-4: Generated orthophoto...
.......................
Fig. 12-5: DSM of the studied atea.............
Fig. l2-
Fig. I 3-l : Historical air photograph projected on top of
190
193
196
198
199
a modern
orthophoto
...........207
Fig. 13-2: The trenches ofthe aerial photograph can be overlaid
on top of the modern
image...........
................ 208
Fig. l3-3: The projection of the Al9 motorway on top of the British
................210
frontline near Sint-Juliaan .............
Fig. 13-4: The Cross roads site during the excavations................. ..........212
.....214
Fig. 13-5: Plan of the excavation at Cross Roads..........
Fig. l3-6: Overview of the georeferenced images in the Ypres Salient..216
Fig.
l4-l:
7 August 1944, showing the Shooters Hill area with west
..........222
Hill site centre left
at top of frame and the Shooters
List of Illustrations
Fig. 14-2:7 August lg44 Adetail showing the still
ZBattery.....
operational
LLa
""""' ..A
""""""'22s
Fig. 14-5: POW Camp 1020.............
nig. t+-+: Illustrations of POW Camp 1020 in 1946 by Wolfram
DÒrge..........
""""'
231
Fig. 15-1: The Napoleonic period Martello Tower at Slaughden """"""250
nig. tS-Z: These two images demonstrate how the historic RAF
vertical collections can highlight the dramatic impact of agriculture
on archaeological
landscapes..........'......
""""25I
Fig. 15-3: nanage balloon mooring position at Lowestoft""""""""""" 253
ni!. tS-+: Changes in coastal anti-invasion defences at a particular
1oòation.......
""""'255
Fig. 15-5: Barges lined up in the River orwell in Suffolk in July 1944..256
The cities ofScotland, based on ordnance Survey "strategic"
data ............
Fig. 16-2: 1940 Lufnuaffe target photograph of Errol Airfield, Perthsite 262
ni!. tO-::fne RAÈ equivalent of Fig. 16-2 flown 27 August 1943 """"263
ni!. tO-+: Scanned image of fifteenl2.lcmxl2.lcmprints, digitally
" " ' 266
shoying the whole of Drem Airfield in 1943
"rriunced
Batteries,
Ness
Girdle
and
Torry
photograph,
air
Veitical
l6-5:
Fig.
l6-l:
Fig.
Aberdeen
""""""'268
Fig. l6-6: M series (CAM oblique) 1943 image of heavy anti-aircraft
battery with Gl-mat for radar set in foreground, Strone, Argyll
and
8ute......
.........270
Fig.16-7: RAF 1941 showing parl of the Command Line,24 February
l9Z2 showing the anti-tank ditch north of Ladybank, Fife""""""" """"272
Fig. 16-8: Stàrfrsh Decoy at Gleniffer Braes, west Renfrewshire , l94l . 27 5
nig. tO-O: Wick Airfield, Highland showing the camouflage scheme
""""""216
orithe Type C hangars, 194I..........'..
Russia
nil. n-z: Ozero Sukhoye..........'..'...
ri!. tz-:: ozero Sukhoye..............'..
Fig. 17-l Ozero Sukhoye
nii. tl-+:
ni!. tZ-s:
n;1. n-e:
"""""""""' 288
""""""'290
""""""'290
""'292
""'293
"""""""'294
Luftwaffe aerial photograph of Kharkiv Ukraine """"""""""296
tZ-S: ti|nua1\e aerial photograph ofKharkiv Ukraine """""""""" 298
n-O: tifnuaffe aerial photograph of Mednoe Russia """"""""""" 300
fr!. n-l:
nl!.
nil.
Russia
Rttssia
Gnezdovo-Katyn Russia
Gnezdovo
Gnezdovo
LIST OF TABLE,S
Table 8- 1 : GX
material.
............
13 I
CueprpR ErpvpN
Hrsrony op MrrrrARy Apnrer
PHoTocRAPHS rN Irary
AND
Aoonsssno AncHrvES
Leune CnsrnrawNr, GrussppB CpnnuDo
The pioneering period: Giacomo Boni & I)ante Vaglieri
An in-depth analysis of the period between the erid of 1800 and the
explosion of the First World War, the so-called pioneering period of the
Italian Air Force (Lodi 1976, Zicavo 1928), allows us to fulfy understand
the real contribution of the aerial photographs of war to historical and
archaeological research - specifically those concerning the two great
World Wars of the 20th century.
In fact, during this period the indispensable technical and scientific
bases have been provided
for the successive developrnent of the military
aerial photography and for its subsequent application to various
disciplinary fields, from the military one to the archaeological. The
unquestîoned protagonists of this fundamental'historical moment are both
the aerostieri and the exceptional archaeologists such as Giacomo Boni
(1859-1925) and Dante Vaglieri (1865-1913). During
their
own
excavation activities, these protagonists could benefit from an eclectic
scientific training within the field of archaeology that, by nature, allowed
them to experiment with all the possibilities offered by the new
technologies in that part of the 20th century.r
' To improve the understanding of Boni
and Vaglieri's innovative work in respect
of the period in which they were working, it suffices to read R. Bianchi
Bandinelli's words, describing the Roman archaeological atmosphere of that
period: "il tono aulico fu anche conforme al caratÍere tutto particolare di una
cultura locale che per la sua parîicolarissima situazione storíca divenne incline,
nei suoi ultimi due secoli nella maggioranza dei suoi rappresentanti, anche
insigni, meglio all'esaltazione che all'indagine critica, più alla elegante
History of Military Aerial Photographs in Italy and Addressed
166
2003) representlhe first
Giacomo Boni's excavation activities (Iacopi
in-ltaly' In
to
uppfi"uii* oi aerial photography .archaeological research-the Venetian
entrusted
1898 the Minister of EduJatiàn, Cuiao Bocelli'
campaign in the
excavation
new
a
of
management
architect with the
the contribution
of
Boni availed himself
Roman Forum. For the i,Lt
archaeology'
'i-",
ar"rxiliary science could offer to the field of
irr"irrtr
ascents wirh a Brigata
From 1899 to 1906, Boni carried out a series of
offered by the Corps
Spu"iotxti', captive balloon, which had kindly been
planealtimetry relief
oi-È"gin"".t. iri, ui* rvus two-fold: to realize a
advancements of the
concerning the valley of the Forum and to document
"-""t"ti"ít,
onwards.
Hill from 1907
wtrictr atso concerned the area of Palatinum
220-229), dated May-June
The relief of the Roman Forutn (Boni 1900:
three years after that of the Palatinum Hill
Technical
Barbieii 1904: 43-46). was executed by the Royal
Reina
Prof'
by
directed
was
in Rome' This project
1g00 and following
in"*" ""a
à"rf"ó
l;;;ù,
"la miglior guida per i
"igtgineers
and defined by Dante Vaglieri's guìde' called
1903: l4-16)'
(Vaglieri
luce"
in
riàessi
monumenti del Foro, sino àloro
Up
Archives
167
ChaPterEleven
till now, the
500
aerial photographs, taken at heights from-300.to
metresabovesealevelhavebeenexceptionaldocrtmentsshowingthe
far' they have remained
progressive advarrcern"nt of excavationt' So
instruments of study to
indispensable
iurÉ"fy unp.,blished, despite being
(see
area of
,h^e knowledge of tn" 1*t1ut aìchaeological
piÉ. r r-r) '. Mo."ou"{ they are the first examples of auxiliary instruments
Rome
ffi;;'""
in archaeology, so they gain, in our opinion, an important
documentary value concerning the experimental techniques and the
used
methodologies used at the end of the century.
These techniques and methodologies were available to the "newborn"
archaeological icience because of the experimentations and. the
theorizatións that were rcalized in those same years by the ltalian military
environment, even if initially exclusively used for tactical and defensive
purposes (Chiusano and Saporiti 1998: 1l-16, I7l-173, Volpe 1980: 55iZf.tn" first photographic section of the ltalian anny was established on
I April 1896, when it was included into the Brigata Specialisti, at lhe
Aeróstatic section of Castel S. Angelo in Rome, only three years after
Boni's first aerial photo of the Roman Forum (Lodi 1976:29-44)'
Because archaeological research established the first field of civil
application of the new aerial photographic technique, we do not have to be
amazed at the contemporary nature of the military and archaeological
applications of the aerial photograph. Frorn the start, the two disciplines
have beetr inextricably linked, which is also demonstrated by the presence
of archaeological aerial photos - of the Roman Forum and the Palatinum in two of the most important aerial topographic manuals at the beginning
of the 20th century: Ranza's (Ranza 1907)3 photographic manual of the
year 1907 and, a few years later, Tardivo's manual (Tardivo 1911).; both
works have a scientific character, because they were written by a
lieutenant and a corporal of the ltalian arny, respectively. To tmderstand
this strong relationship better, we can remernber the subjects that are
representeà in the frescos decorating the walls of the first-floor hall of the
viila trrtellini. In this period, the villa was the headquarlers of the
photographic section of the Brigata Specialisti (Lodi l98l: 254-256)'
accademiaeruclitaeformalecheallaconcretaricercascientific',BandinelliR.B.
6"764-767' (For a general
(1965) Boni Giacomo' n*l.foptaiutell'Arte Antica'
see also: Ramieri.A'M'
archaeology'
Roman
i"
the
p..i"J
setting of this crucial
e gli studi' In:
i
metodi
ìn no*u capitale: le scopefte'
iis8ij
L'*.lteologia
t Sl0: I
Sartorio G.P. & Qtrilici i- (Eds'\' Roma capitale.
2,f^l:"!::!l::,':Í::,^''^
G'P' (1983) Tra antiq-uaria e
Sartorio
una
Vi'i'iiiA-Zg
e
r"oro
sterro
Roma tra
L' (Eds') Roma capitale 1870-1911'
archeologia. In: sartorio et. À Quilici
13-17 '
scavo'Yenezia:
e
steno
tra
Roma
in
L'archeilogia
;fi; il#.; mentioned u'" ptt'"*"d in photographic archives of several private
Italian and foreign. At the
i.rtitr.rtes and .;.*"jJ centres in RoÀe,-both
through a collaboration
realized
"rJ'p.'rUii.
moment, these pictures u," it't oUj"ct of a study
(LabTAF) at
FoÍogrammetria"
e
Anticà
between the"Laboratorn di Topàgrafia
(SA-Rr Roma
di
th; "Soprintendenza Archeologica
the University of Salento
completely
a
";;
compiling
at
aims
pat
shrdy
The
i"ìu iÀni"i
in the person or or.
rises' To this
und ft;;ing a punctual dating of the single
;".*ffi;.'.o.pu,
and
end, materials used range from Boni's notes and designs through newspapers
bans of that period to documentation found in the archives'
3
The following archaeological aerial photos are included: right and left picture of
table XIV, belGved to represent the "Comizio"; right and left picture of table XV,
"Roma, Palatino";right picture of table XYO,"Foro Romano e Palatino"'
4 Tlris photo, markàd as "Pianta Topofotogra/ica della Zona Archeologica di
Roma. È,sempio di unione di tre levate conseculive" shows a general view of the
archaeological central area of Rome, which includes the Colosseum, the Palatinum
and the Roman Forum.
&
History of Military Aerial Photographs in Italy and Addressed
Archives
169
Chapter Eleven
168
(pesce 1994),thatwe have the aerial shots of the Pompeian archaeological
area. These shots were taken in August l9l0 with the aim of obtaining a
map with a detailed scale, which proved to be useful for studying and
doóumenting the finished and planned excavations in the area of the old
city (Stefani 2008).
Dante Vaglieri (Olivanti 2002) has also proven to be an unquestioned
protagonist ofthe beginnings ofarchaeological aerial photography in ltaly;
itunti to his far-seeing work, a balloon survey was executed in the
archaeologic al areaof ostia, just one year after the Pompeian episode, (see
Fig. 1l-2). ln that period the area was little more than a desolate a field of
ruins (Shepherd2007).
vaglieri was elected director of the excavation in 1907. He had the
rupport of the advanced techniques and the qualified staff of the Genio
uihtoru.ln May 19ll he could use the new means of topofotografia dal
pallone (as it was theorized in the sarne year by cesare Tardivo) to
àocument the excavations in Ostia and to place the old and the new
discoveries realized in this area.
ln conclusion, the contribution from the ltalian military environtnent to
development of the aerial photograph and to its successive
the
to anyone who
foliows, also briefly, the vicissitudes associated with the birth and the
development of the archaeological aerial photograph in ltaly (ceraLrdo
ernploymeni
Fig.
1
1
-I
:
area of Rome shot from the
Aerial image of the archaeological cenlral
Forum
balloon during Boni's
(Panoiamic of the Colosseum' Roman
"*t**iontand Palatinum)
survey presented here' consisting of fourteen
-iopogtóftlcal
Two activities of the
character' are of archaeological
scenes of military o.
Roman Forum - and the aerial
character - with ttre shoótiig of tn"
in Pompei'
p^fr"ag*pftt a little later, of the zone of the excavations
are not isolated examples
The aerial photographs of the Roman Forum
scientific fervour of those
i^ th;-;;;;;r àt-or!nér" of great technical and
on Pompei (1910) and
in fact they.otloo"?"llowed by the flight
years;
Ostia (1911).
It is still thanks to the initiative of
the Ministero della Pubblica
of the 3'd Brigata Specialisti
Istntzione(MPl) and to the technical support
Maurizio Moris
of
rhe Genio
Militare,una..irr" leadersirìp of the captain
in non-military disciplines
appears obvious
2004:41-68).
The period between the two wars: Giuseppe Lugli
No outstanding figures can be mentioned in the ltalian
scientific
panorama between the First and Second world war, with the exception of
Giut"pp" Lugli (Colini 1968: 161-164, Romanelli 1968: 57-59)'
He was a convinced supporter of the usefulness of the aerial shooting
in the archaeological field, and already in the auttunn of 1920 he used the
,,osserryazioni
dilette" from the airship, during studies in Domiziano's villa
on the Albani Hill, in an attempt to define the position of the docks on the
sides of the Albano Lake.
170
History of Military Aerial Photographs in Italy and Addressed
Chapter Eleven
Archives l7l
The year 1938 officially marked the resumption of the slr-rdies on the
archaeological air photograph in ltaly when Lugli helcl a presentation on
L'importanza della fotograJìa aerea negli studi di topografia archeologica
(Lugli 1940: 143), on the occasion of the Fifth National Congress of
Roman Stuclies.
During this conference, there was a voting to start regular aerial
explorations, including those in ltaly, similar to other votings which had
been held or were still being held in other E,uropean countriest. The
principal progratn could be formulated thanks to the collaboration of the
Air Ministry. The main results of these prograrnmed studies were
presented on the occasion of the First lnternational Conference of
Photogramrretry, held in Rome in September 1938 (Lugli 1939).
However, these activities were abruptly interruptecl by the explosion of
the Second World War. Between the two world-wide conflicts, the role of
the ltalian str.rdies appears to be rather rnarginal, at least until the Fifties, in
spite of the pioneering experimentations of Boni and Vaglieri, lrade
exception fbr LLrgli's applications. They did not succeed in outlining plans
regarding aerotopographyical research of any type in a continous and
methodical manner; this can certainly be attributed to the explosion of the
Second World War, br-rt probably also to several existing difîculties of
communication belween the military organs and the academic world of
that time.
Even though the Second World War interrupted the ongoing research,
it also produced an enonnolls amount of photographic material taken for
the military recognitions. As a result, this type of studies was greatly
stimulated withor,rt any pioneering residual.
Fig. 11-2: Aerial view of the ostia excavations shot frorn the balloon in
1911
Lugli (1890-1968) performed a flight with the Roman airship (the twin
of the "ltalia" airship) to 800 metres above the river basin of the lake, after
having contacted the Ministry of war and after receiving the support of his
master Rodolfo Lanciani (senator in those days), UnfortLrnately, this
experiment, which was among other things anomalous for the absence of
photographic shootings, remained an isolated experience.
t In this regard, we have to rernember that 1939 - the following year - marks
the
first emanation of the "Regio Decreto" 22nd July -XVII 1939, n. 1732. This
decree, which concerns the aerial shootings, remained in use until Decernber 2000,
when it was replaced by DPR 29 September 2000, n. 367. As a result, the
restrictive and anachronistic norrn in this decree was completely changed.
Furthennore, the frontiers of the aimed flights at a low altitude in Italy were
opened, and the shootings of oblique images were allowed.
History of Military Aerial Photographs in Italy and Addressed
Chapter Eleven
172
Main archives and collections of Italian aerial
photography
The existing corpus of images from that period is guarded in the two
most important aerial photographic archives in ltaly: the "Islituto
Geografìco Militare" in Florence and the "Aerofototeca Nazionale" in
Rome (Piccareta and Ceraudo 2000: 189-192).
173
The photos revealed the ltalian territory as it appeared before or during
the great agrarian transformations carried out from the beginning of the
Fifties onwards. This period witnessed the introdr-rction of powerful
mechanical means which were useful when working in the fìelds. ln
subsequent years especially the coasts and the city periphery were
modified and clistorted by the devastating process of cementation.
Comparing the so-called "historic" flights with successive ones allows
us to establish in detail the transformations of the landscape throughout
Istituto Geografico Militare (IGM)
time, which has proven to be of great docurnentary value.
of Florence, which was officially
greatest
collection of aerial photos of or"rr
the
1882,
contains
in
constituted
country. The IGM has three main institutional tasks: (l) to perform a
systematic survey of aerial photos of the aerial photogrammetric type' (2)
to conduct topographical surveys and (3) to supply to the production ofthe
official cartography, on an average scale and on a small scale.
The Istitttto Geografico Militare
The aerial photogrammetric sllrvey of the national territory
Archives
is
performed every five years - although not always this regularly - and it is
used to the writing and the modernization of the map of ltaly on several
Aerofototeca Nazionale (ICCD)
Dr,rring a Convention in Paesturn in 1954, the archaeologists present at
the meeting proposed to set up a centre of collection and study of the
aerial photographic material.
At the end of 1958, the "Aerofoloteca Nazionale" in Rome was born,
thanks to the agreement between the Aeronar"rtical Defence Ministry and
the Ministry of Education. The ICCD was a detached section of the
Nationaf Photographic Cabinet (Boerni 2003: 17-42).
sca I es.
Thanks to these institutional tasks, the IGM has been able to constitttte,
in the course of time, the greatest existing aerial photographic archive in
Italy: the cover of the entire national territory is formed in a particular
of
the
World
years
between
the
from
traditional format 23x23 cm, taken
manner, namely on the basis of black and white vertical aerial pictures
Wars until today.
ln the archaeological field, photos taken before or during the Second
World War are sometimes of the utmost importance. They consist of glass
plates of unusual format 13x18 or 20x20 cm as well as of films of large
format 30x30 cm; these cover a chronological arc that goes from 1942 to
I
953.
The so-called 'flight basic' of bienniun 1954-55 turns out to be an
indispensable instrument for all the topographical studies on the territory.
These aerial images, realized for the greater parl with machinery (aircrafls
and photogrammetric cameras) and the American operator, considering the
post-war sitr.ration in Italy, can be considered as irreplaceable documents.
Dinu Adamesteanu (1913-2004), one of the archaeologists who
prornoted the initiative, was asked to direct the new office (Giardino 2004:
15-36). That more did the best for the birth of the enterprise. He strongly
advocated the use of air photographs in the field of archaeological
research.
The discoveries in those years made the aerial photograph widely
known as the irreplaceable means for archaeological research. Moreover,
some competent organs of the Aeronautical Defence Ministry had become
widely available. Both events enabled the creation of the Aerofototeca
Nazionale, whose aim was to collect and produce photographic material of
fundamental importance for the study and the safeguard of the territory
and of the architectonic remains that can be found in this territory.
From 1964 to 1990 the Direction of the Aerofototeca Nazionale has
been entrusted uninterruptedly to the archaeologist Giovanna Alvisi, who
not only monitored the general progress of the Office, but also perfected
the traditional system of cataloguing the aerial photographic material, on
whose basis a first statement of the computerized catalogr-ring has been
given (Alvisi 1987).
History of Military Aerial Photographs in Italy and Addlessed
Chapter Eleven
174
Under her clirection, the interest has broadened from the archaeological
field to the study of the teffitory in a global context, paying attention to the
protection of the environment, the historical centres and the architectonic
ASSEtS.
As from 1913, as a resr.rlt of the creation of the Ministry for the
Cultural Assets ancl Environments, the National aerial photographic library
Archives
175
The flight malerial was constituted of airplanes already used in the
First World War; subsequently, they oriented on the formula of the aírcraft
for aimed employment.
ln 1943, the 3l0th Photographic Recognition squadron with photo
panoramic machines was based in the new Macchi MC 205, in Gr-ridona.
lnstitute for the catalogue and the
Doctrmeniation, which was offrcially renamed as "Laboratory for Photo
became part
of the central
interpretation and Photogrammetry".
During nearly forty years, the Aerofototeca Nazionqle cotlld acqtlire
of aerial photographs with material of varied origin
,r.,-"rou,
"ollections
and with covers ranging from in" nrtt years of the 20'h centtlry until the
present.
However, the n"rost interesting collection of the Aerofototeca Nazionale
can be especially attribr-rted to the collections of aerial photographs taken
during thè last world-wide conflict by the United State Air Force, during
their permanence in Livorno, ancl by the English Royal Air Force, during
their perrnanence in San Severo (Foggia).
During the Second world war, the English flights of the RAF and the
Arnerican ftights of the USAAF wers deteflnining for the advance and the
victory of the Allies. However, especially in southern Italy there were
..Regia Aeronautica" (Regia ltalian Air Force) (see Fig. I l-3)
flights of the
the
an-d of the German Luftwaffe, irnrnediately after the disembarkation of
1943.
in
JulY
Allies in Sicily
Today these same flights are historical witnesses to the condition/the
state of the territory before the great infrastntctural works and to the
from the beginning of the Fifties, has often deeply
agrarian landscape; images nearest, for abslrrdity, to
ltalian
the
altered
which that had to be the ancient sitr-ration of the places that not to the
r,rrbanization that,
modern truth.
Regia Aeronautica (Air Force)
Since the indepenclent constitution in Armed Forces (1923),
Fig. 1l-3: The port of Brindisi in 1943; the upper part of the image sl.rows the
moored seaplane in ' Seno dí Levant ' (Regia Aeronautica aerial photograph)
Luftwaffe
it
clecided to give every Italian almy colps a group of aerial observation.
was
Some of the photographic recognitions, carried
or"rt
by German aviation
in ltaly, were executed with German aircrafts of varied types, and were
supplied to the German Aeronautical Direction still before the beginning
History of Military Aerial Photographs in Italy and Addressed
Chapter Eleven
176
of the conflict. At the end of the supplies, the Luftwaffe of the ltalian Air
Force counted 700 aircrafts of varied type, which had been yielded in a
four-year period. The reconnaissances were therefore carried out on the
national territory by German and ttalian staff in the respective Armed
Forces.
Archives
177
Aerial photos, taken during several military missions carried out
between 1943 atd 1945, today constitute a unique and irreplaceable
document for the study of a historical situation of the Italian territory.
More specifically, these photos provide valuable information for particular
mornents in evolution of this territory, i.e. before the great city and
agrarian transformations6.
The archives of the aerial photographic library contain a considerable
number of images of the format 30 x 30 cm, generally taken after the
disembarkation in Sicily. These images cover various strategic zones, such
as ports and airports, in the south of ltaly.
Aerial photographs of the RAF come frorn the Allied Air Force Base
of San Severo (see Fig. I 1-4) and, above all, eoncern the region of the
central band of the ltalian peninsula (see Fig. I 1-5).
Aerial photographs of the same format have been executed by the
Aeronar.rtical Direction with the same equipments and have been acquired
from the office.
Royal Air Force (RAF)
The photographic reconnaissance executed by English aviation on the
Italian territory began on December 7942 and continued until the
beginning of the hostilities.
The fighting
in North Africa was still on when high altitLrde
reconnaissance flights from Malta started systematically,
prepare Italian actions on ports and cities.
in
order to
Already during the "night of Taranto", when the English bombed and
torpedoed the ltalian fleet, the English reconnaissance was very active and
precise.
Fig. 1l-4: Anglo-American Aerophotographic Centre near San Severo (Foggia)
(RAF airphoto)
The RAF collection, transported from Puglia to Rome at the end of the
world-wide conflict, was almost completely donated to the British School
in Rome. Only in 1914 did they begin the practical for the cession in
warehouse to the aero photographic library.
One year later, a convention was held between the British Academy
and the Central lnstitute for the Catalogue and the Documentation, on
behalf of the Ministry of the Cultr"rral Assets. All the material was
transferred to the headquarters of the Aerofototeca Nazionale, theteby
reconstituting the collection unit that had been divided in the first post-war
period.
6 The importance of this photographic material for the studies of
ancient
topography in Italy is highlighted by the exhibition, with the relative catalogue,
which was organized in Rome in 1980 thanks to the Central Institute for the
Catalogue and the Documentation of the Ministry for the Cultural Assets. This
exhibition was entìtled: "L'aerofotogra/ia da materiale di guerra a bene culturale,
le fotograJie aeree della RlF ' Alvisi G. (1987) La conservazione della memoria
storica del ferritorio: gli archivi folografici, cartografici e la caîalogazione. Atti
della II Conferenzanazionale di carlografia e informazione teritorialel69-179..
t78
Chapter Eleven
History of Military Aerial Photographs in Italy and Addressed
Archives
179
These images document those zones in which the English military
missions were directed. These missions took off from the ntrmerous
makeshift airports which were dislocated in the Tavoliere.
ffi
The aerial photographs taken during the conflict by the English
aeronautic, which had a second operating Air Force Base in North Africa,
are practically disowned and no longer used in ltaly; missions left from
here for the southern regions and the larger islands belonging to ltaly. At
the end of the war, all this rnaterial ended up in England: five million
fiames that focused mainly on the territories of Western Europe, the
Mediter:ranean basin and the northem coasts of Africa.
United States Army Air Force (USAAF)
The war events that regard the operativeness of the USAAF in ltaly
began with the preparation of the Allied Forces for the invasion of Sicily.
ln the spring of
1.943, the strategio reconnaissance unit of the USAAF
remarkable activity, necessary to the preparation of the
establishecl disembarkation to Washington in fhe 'Conference o.f the
Tridenfe', as comprornise between Roosevelt's and Churchill's desiderata
in forecast of the disembarkation in Normandy.
begins
a
The aerial photographic material of the USAAF is of the greatest
historical and documentary value becanse it represents part of the ltalian
teritory, especially the central-northem regions, before the great
transformations cluring the post-war period.
Fig. 1 I -5. Bombardment effects of Cassino and Montecassino, 1510311944; at the
top the ruins of the Abbey, on the left the rests of the theatre and the amphitheatre
of the ancient Roman city of Casinurz (RAF air photo)
The flight missions of the RAF maintained high quotas to
approxirnately 27,000 feet, in order to avoid the anti-aircraft. Frlrthermore,
these missions used 24-inch focals for the larger scales of approximately
l:10.000 as well as 6-inch focals for scales of approximately l:50.000,
with the aim of placing the territory.
The airplanes used were generally Spitfires and Mosquitos; they
ascended frorn the makeshift airports of fhe Tavoliere delle Puglie to
photograph the effects ofthe previous attacks.
ln March
1964, aerial images were received on deposit from the
American Academy of Rome. Becanse they are still kept in packing cases
at present, they are not available for consultation. These images generally
refer to the year 1945 and especially cover zones in North ltaly, on more
important purposes, even if there are also American shootings on cities in
central ltaly (see Fig. I l-6).
History of Military Aerial Photographs in ltaly and Addressed
Chapter Eleven
r80
Archives
181
Archeologici e Monumental, (IBAM - CNR) of Lecce and the Faculty of
Beni Culturali atthe University of Salento. They constituted an irnportant
moment for the archaeological air photograph in ltaly.
The research and study of LabTAF at the University of Salento have
borne fiuit in recent years in a variety of initiatives, including publishing
reports that are important for the birlh of the first ltalian scientific review.
This review, entitled "Aerial Archaeology", is entirely dedicated to
archaeological aerial photography. Studies of Archaeological
Aerotopography exited the first two nr.nnbers, respectively in 2004 (Ceraudo
and Piccareta 2004) and 2007 (Cerar"rdo ancl Piccarreta 2007). This review,
unique
in its kind in ltaly, fìlls the gap of the specific sector of ltalian
archaeological research. lt will deal with various subjects: frorn the history of
the studies condr"rcted by the pioneers, through contribr,rtions of methodology
and applications of archaeological photo-interpretation and wnrks of oriented
photogrammetry,
rer
Fig. I 1-6. The town of Alife in two USAAF vertical photos dated October 1943,
before and during an aerial bombing of the Allied Forces. Below the pictures: the
reports with the objectives and outcomes of the rnission, written on the back of the
photos
ln the Sixties and Seventies a series of flights purposely executed by
the Air Force guaranteed aerial shootings of archaeological zones to
destruction risk and enriched the patrimony guarded by the aerial
photographic library, which curently is the greatest existing civil aerial
photographic archive in ltaly.
From the beginning of 1990, the Aerofototeca Nqzionale was directed
by the architect Mariella BoemiT; one of the numerous initiatives lar'rnched
in these years that is definitely worth mentioning is the inauguration of a
great exhibition titled "Icaro's glance: the collections of lhe National
aerophoÍographic library for the knowledge of the territory" (Guaitoli
2003). This Exhibition was held in Rome in May 2003.
The Exhibition and the contemporary publication of the catalogtle were
realized thanks to the collaboration between the ICCD, the Istifuîo di Beni
7 We offer our sincere thar-rks to Mariella Boemi, director of the Aerofototeca
Nazionale, for her availability and her enormous liberality in allowing us to
examine the aerial images
ir-r
the Institute.
to the latest specialistic applications linked to the new
note sensing lechnologies.
References
Alvisi G. (1987) La conservazione della memoria storica del territorb: gli
archivi .fotografici, cartografici e Ia catalogazione. Atti della ll
Confèrenza nazionale di cartografia e infbrmazione territoriale I 69-119 .
Bandinelli R.ts. (1965) Boni Giacomo. Enciclopedia dell'Ar1e Antica, 6,
164-161.
-Boemi M.F. (2003) L'Aerofototeca Nazionale.
sguardo
ln: Guaitoli M. (Ed.) Zo
di lcaro: le collezioni dell'Aerofototeca Nazionale per la
conoscenza del territorio. Campisano Editore, Rome: lJ -42.
Boni G. (1900) Rilievo eseguito dallo R. Scuola d'opplicazione degli
ingegneri di Roma, nell'area compresa fra il Colosseo e il Tabulario,
Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità. 220-229.
Cerar.rdo G. (2004) Un secolo e un lustro di fotografia aerea archeologica
in ltalia (1899-2004). Archeologia Aerea. Srudi di aerotopografia
archeologica. l. lst. Poligrahco dello Stato, Rorne: 47-68.
Ceraudo G. & Piccarreta F. (Eds.) (200a) Archeologia Aerea. Studi di
Aerotopogra/ia Archeologica. | . Lst. Poligrafico dello Stato, Rome.
Ceraudo G. & Piocarreta F. (Eds.) (2007) Archeologia Aerea. Studi di
Aerotopografia Archeologica. 2, Ist. Poligrafico dello Stato, Rome.
Chiusano N. & Saporiti M. (1998) Palloni, dirigibili ed aerei del Regio
Esercito, 1BB4-1923. Ufficio Storico SME, Rome.
History of Military Aerial Photographs in Italy and Addressed
Chapter Eleven
182
Colini A.M. (1963) Giuseppe Lugli. In: Rivista ltaliana di Archeologia 15
16t-164.
Giardino L. (2004) Omaggio a Dinu Adamesteanu, Archeologia Aerea'
Studi di Aerotopografia Archeologica. l. Ist. Poligrafico dello Stato,
Rome: l5-36.
Guaitoli M. (Ed.) (2003) Lo sgttardo di lcaro: le collezioni
dell'Aerofototeca Nazionale per la conoscenza del territorio.
Campisano Editore, Rome.
Iacopi I. (2003) Giacomo Boni. In: Capodiferro P. & Fortini P. (Eds.) G/i
icavi di Giacomo Boni al Foro Romano. Documenti dall'Archivio
Disegni della Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma- l, Rome: 9-29'
Lodi A. (1976) storia delle origini dell'aeronautica militare 1BB4-1915.
Ateneo & Bizzarri, Rome.
(1981) Il volo a Roma. s.n., Rome.
-.
Lugli G. (1939) Saggi di esplorazione archeologica a mezzo della
fotografia aerea. Rome.
(1940) L'impofianza del rilievo aereo negli studi di topografia
-. archeologica. Atti del V Congresso Nazionale di Studi Romani. 2,
Rome: 143.
olivanti P. (2002) Dante Vaglieri alla direzione degli scavi di ostia Antica
(1908-1913). ln: Bruun C. & Zevi A.G. (Eds.) Ostia e Portus nelle
loro relazioni con Roràa.Institutum Romanum Finlandiae, Rome: 270289.
Pesce G. (1994) Maurizio Mario Moris: padre dell'aeronautica italiana.
Gaeta.
Piccarreta
F. &
Ceraudo
G. (2000) Manuale di
aerofotograJìa
archeolo gica. Metodologia, tecniche e applicazionl. Edipuglia, Bari'
Ramieri A.M. (1983) L'archeologia in Roma capitale: le scoperte, i metodi
e gli studi. In: Sartorio G.P. & Quilici L. (Eds.) Roma capiîale IB701911. L'archeolo,gia in Roma tra sterro e scavo' Giuseppina Pisani,
Yenezia'.18-29.
Ranza A. (1907) Fototopografia e fotogrammetria aerea. Nuovo metodo
per il rilevamento topografico di estese zone di terreno dall'alto' 5.n.,
Rome.
V. & Barbieri u. (1904) Rilievo planimetrico e altimetrico del
Palatino esegtito dagti atlievi della Scuola d'applicazione per gli
Reina
Ingegneri in Roma, Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità. s.n., s'1.
Romanelli P. (1968) Giuseppe Lugli. In: Studi Romani 12: 57-59.
Sartorio G.P. (1983) Tra antiquaria e archeologia. In: Sartorio G.P' &
Quilici L. (Eds.) Roma capitale 1870-1911. L'archeologia in Roma tra
sterro e scavo. Giuseppina Pisani, Yenezia: !3-17.
Archives
1
83
Il "Rilievo topofotografico di Ostia dal pallone"
Archeologia Aerea. Studi di aerotopografia archeologica. 2'.
Shepherd E.J. (2007)
(l9ll).
1
5-38.
Stefani
G.
(2008)
Il Rilievo topofotografico di
Pompei
del
1910.
Archeologia Aerea. Studi di aerotopografia archeologica. 3.
Tardivo C. (l9ll) Manuale di fotografia, telefotografia, topofotografia
dal pallone. s.n., Torino.
Vaglieri D. (1903) Gli scavi recenti al Foro Romano. In: Bullettino della
Commissione Archeologica Comunale di Roma 3l:3-239.
Volpe N.D. (1980) Fotografie Militari. Stato Maggiore Esercito Ufficio
Storico, Rome.
Zicayo E. (1928) Notizie storiche sulla specialiîà aerostieri e fotografi del
genio del R. Esercito iÍaliano. s.n., Rome.