Aerial reconnaissance. Chapter IV Aerial reconnaissance Types and methods of aerial reconnaissance

Aerial reconnaissance

Perhaps it should be considered natural that in the post-war period, in almost all cases when issues of military aviation were discussed, the main attention was paid to strategic bombers, aircraft carriers, jet fighters, guided and unguided rockets and anti-submarine warfare. Events such as the 1953 Korean War and the Dutch and British floods showed that helicopters were becoming important. The issue of transport aircraft came to the fore during the air supply of Berlin and in the early tense days of the Korean War, when vital supplies had to be airlifted over a small area South Korea, which still remained in the hands of the United Nations troops. But not a single significant work about air force, written after the end of the Second World War, no information can be found on reconnaissance aircraft and reconnaissance operations, except for occasional comments.

It is difficult to understand why, in the period between the two world wars, reconnaissance aircraft began to be assigned a secondary role in most air fleets and why, despite the experience of the Second World War, no changes occurred in this matter. During the first two years of World War I, airplanes and airships were used primarily for surveillance. Their main task was to be the eyes of the army and navy: detect guns and troop movements on land and enemy ships at sea. Naturally, with the advent of new methods of bombing and air combat, the issues of conducting aerial reconnaissance began to be given correspondingly less attention. But each stage of the Second World War convinces us more and more that good or bad air patrols or reconnaissance must be the main factor in the air, land and sea conditions.

Most shining example The development and activities of reconnaissance aviation were demonstrated by the German Air Force. In 1939, at the very beginning of the Second World War, 20 percent of the total, approximately 3,750 combat aircraft, were long-range and short-range reconnaissance aircraft, seaplanes and flying boats designed for aerial reconnaissance and patrol. This large percentage of reconnaissance aircraft remained until about 1943, when fighter aircraft began to be deployed on a large scale. In the entire history of military aviation, no other country has devoted such a large proportion of its aviation resources to aerial reconnaissance, surveillance and patrol missions. During the first nine or ten months of the war, German reconnaissance aircraft successfully accomplished their mission of obtaining the information necessary for the effective and economical use of German air power. Coast Guard seaplanes successfully carried out surveillance tasks over the coasts of Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea. Over North Sea and Western Europe carried out daily meteorological and general reconnaissance; these tasks were carried out by qualified crews of Heinkel twin-engine bombers assigned to each main air force. During the Norwegian campaign, they were assisted in these missions by long-range four-engine flying boats and Focke-Wulf 200 aircraft. Henschel aircraft performed important tactical reconnaissance missions in the interests of ground forces operating in Poland, the Scandinavian countries, France and Flanders. They quickly provided accurate information about the movements of enemy troops, making it possible to quickly use dive bombers on the most advantageous targets. Almost every tank division The Germans had a squadron of Henschel tactical reconnaissance aircraft, which carried out tasks to detect tanks, as well as a flight of Fieseler aircraft, which provided communication communications in combat areas. Each unit of medium or dive bombers had a well-trained unit of reconnaissance aircraft, which performed special surveillance and aerial photographic reconnaissance tasks in the interests of its unit. Never before in the history of aviation has the Air Force had such first-rate aerial reconnaissance capable of providing minimum quantity bombers with maximum efficiency.

But by the summer of 1940, even this number of German reconnaissance units was not enough. In the Battle of Britain and during the fighting in the Atlantic, German reconnaissance aircraft underwent their first severe tests and revealed the first signs indicating the weakness of the German air force in relation to aerial reconnaissance. During the Battle of Britain it soon became clear that 300 Henschel aircraft, which had a low speed, would provide a good target for the Spitfire and Hurricane fighters, armed with eight machine guns and surpassing them in speed by almost 160 km/h, so these vehicles had to be excluded from active operations, although they were partly used for patrolling in the Bay of Biscay coastline. The remaining Dornier, Heinkel and Junkers long-range reconnaissance aircraft also proved vulnerable to Hurricane and Spitfire fighters as they attempted to fly reconnaissance missions over land. As a result, the Germans failed to conduct reconnaissance of many airfields and factories, which were important targets for Goering's bomber aircraft. German reconnaissance aircraft failed to obtain reliable information about the results of their raids on airfields, radar installations and factories. During the Battle of Britain, German naval reconnaissance aircraft also began to experience difficulties in the new Atlantic theater of operations. During operations against ships, mainly in the North Sea or in ports on the east coast of England, German reconnaissance aircraft carried out weather reconnaissance, aerial photographic reconnaissance and surveillance missions. When air combat operations spread further to the West and into the Bay of Biscay, German reconnaissance aircraft were not up to the task. From the end of 1940 it began to play an increasingly secondary role and its actions became less effective. In the Mediterranean theater of operations, long-range reconnaissance in the interests of the German air force was often carried out by Italian aircraft. The position of German reconnaissance aircraft continued to deteriorate on all three major fronts because the Germans knew that they had the means to carry out only the most minimal tasks. In the West, during the period from January 1941 to September 1944, the Germans could not conduct a single sortie based on aerial photography of London. In the crucial period before the Allied invasion of France, a wealth of information about invasion plans could be obtained by aerial reconnaissance of the ports of the south coast of England, but British fighter patrols drove off most of the German reconnaissance aircraft, and the aerial photographs they received were of poor quality and gave very little information. In the East the situation was even worse, since after 1943 reconnaissance aircraft units were often involved in bombing missions. Of course, the German troops operating against the Soviet Army received little information from aerial reconnaissance that allowed them to judge the direction and strength of the attacks of the Soviet troops from the end of 1942. At that time, aviation support for the Suez Canal zone and the central Mediterranean Sea from the Germans and Italians was also insufficient. The position of German reconnaissance aircraft deteriorated at a time when it was especially necessary to strengthen the reconnaissance activities of the German Air Force. When the enemy is weak, the movements of his troops do not play a big role; but when it is strong, the importance of aerial reconnaissance increases.

Air reconnaissance issues have not yet been adequately reflected in modern doctrines of air strategy and air power. Well-organized aerial reconnaissance (or information) is the "first line" air defense and the first important condition for successful aviation operations. If guided missiles and bombers are used as means of attack, then first of all it is necessary to know where the enemy is, what his means and numbers are. To ensure the protection of ships from attack by submarines, it is necessary to detect them in a timely manner. To evaluate the effects of wartime bombing, it is necessary to have up-to-date information about the destruction caused, the dispersal of industry, reconstruction efforts, and the construction of new factories. Aerial reconnaissance can completely change the outcome of ground combat operations. The German offensive in the Ardennes in the winter of 1944/45 began during a period of fog, as a result of which allied aerial reconnaissance was not carried out. Hardly in the entire Pacific theater of operations - from Pearl Harbor to Fr. Okinawa - naval battles were held in which aerial reconnaissance would not play an important role.

Yet the value of aerial reconnaissance is always underestimated. During a war, it is impossible to economically distribute forces and means and use them to the maximum without knowledge of the situation. What Clausewitz wrote about the war a hundred years ago is still being studied and has not lost its force: “Many reports received in war contradict one another; there are even more false reports, and the bulk of them are not very reliable.” It is difficult for a non-specialist to understand that the information available to the high command, which serves as the basis for decision-making, is often insufficient and incomplete. Troop commanders can direct combat operations for months without having any information about how many aircraft, ships, tanks or submarines the enemy is releasing. True, there are many sources of intelligence information: prisoners of war, documents captured from the enemy, agents and radio interceptions. But how do you find out what information a particular prisoner of war has? While it is possible to determine in advance which radiograms can be deciphered and what information they contain, it is not always possible to capture enemy documents containing important information. It is rare to rely on agents to deliver the necessary intelligence in the form required. The only source of obtaining reliable and up-to-date military information is aerial photo reconnaissance. Air reconnaissance activities can be planned and controlled. Almost always, aircraft performing aerial reconnaissance missions bring back photographs that provide the most valuable information, since the objects, time and date of photographing are known. Even visual reconnaissance, although subject to human error, can provide rapid intelligence that can satisfy operational requirements. Moreover, knowing exactly the time and place of receiving intelligence information is already half of being confident in its reliability.

In Soviet military circles, the words “tactical (military) intelligence” (reconnaissance) and “strategic intelligence” (intelligence) are synonymous. Yet the USSR never attached as much importance to tactical intelligence as the Germans did between the two world wars. The Soviet Air Force always had (and still has) reconnaissance aviation regiments of 30–40 aircraft, but they were never enough to meet the army's intelligence needs. Has anyone ever heard of the existence of an air reconnaissance command in the air forces of the Western powers, equal in position to the bomber and fighter air commands and the coastal aviation command of the British air force? Position, dignity and popularity play as important a role in military life as in civil life. It is rare to hear a pilot or navigator of a reconnaissance aircraft become national hero. At the time the Bruneval raid was reported, few had heard of the valuable low-altitude aerial photographs taken by Air Major Hill. Intelligence obtained from aerial photographs provided the input for the raid on Bruneval. He subsequently took many aerial photographs of radar stations during flights that required skill, courage and enterprise; but, as was the case with many other reconnaissance pilots who delivered valuable information both during the First and Second World Wars, his feat was soon forgotten. Apparently, fighter and bomber pilots are considered the aristocrats of the air and the exclusive bearers of the Victoria Cross and the Congressional Order of Honour. This opinion is erroneous, since every pilot or navigator of a reconnaissance aircraft must be a first-class specialist in order to cope with his tasks. With modern radio and radar equipment on bombers and fighters, a moderately qualified crew can often achieve good results. It is significant that in the British Air Force the navigator wears only half a wing on his military uniform and rarely rises to the rank of colonel. Those who fly know how often the navigator is the most important and authoritative member of the aircraft crew. And yet, did at least one navigator who participated in the First World War become an air general or an air marshal during the Second World War?

Modern air forces must consider organizing aerial reconnaissance on a completely new basis. At the beginning of the Second World War, only the German air force was able to provide intelligence data for bombing operations. In the US Army Air Forces! The lenses of many aerial cameras satisfied only the requirements of peacetime cartographic aerial photography. In many cases, their dimensions were insufficient to obtain aerial photographs at the scale required for detailed interpretation. There were very few trained code breakers and reconnaissance pilots.

During the Second World War, aerial reconnaissance of all types was widely developed, but the war did not teach the basic strategic lesson that the conduct of multi-role air operations on a large scale requires multi-role aerial reconnaissance of the appropriate scale. In modern warfare, aerial reconnaissance missions are very diverse. Coastal aviation conducts reconnaissance on sea communications, meteorological reconnaissance is carried out over land and sea, radar reconnaissance is carried out to detect enemy radar stations, and strategic aviation reconnaissance is carried out to determine the results of bombing and obtain intelligence data on targets. In addition, there is tactical reconnaissance, which includes adjusting artillery fire, identifying camouflaged objects and targets, and monitoring the movement of enemy troops along highways and railways. During the Second World War, reconnaissance activities for each of the above tasks hardly lasted more than a few months. During the first two years of the war, no aerial survey of Japan's growing aircraft industry was conducted in the Pacific theater. The British conducted insufficient meteorological reconnaissance over German territory. From the captured combat logs it became known that the days since the Allies considered bad weather in such important cities as Berlin and Leipzig were in fact clear, on sunny days. Winston Churchill wrote about the British air raids on Berlin, which began in November 1943: “We had to wait until March 1944 to obtain sufficiently clear aerial photographs necessary to evaluate the results of the bombing. This was partly due to poor meteorological conditions, but also insufficient number of Mosquito reconnaissance aircraft. American aviation, which carried out raids on oil refineries in Romania in 1943, and subsequently did not have aerial photographic reconnaissance data both during the planning period of operations and during the period of assessing the results of the bombing. Effective air patrols in coastal areas and good radio communications could have thwarted the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, during their breakthrough across the English Channel, were accidentally discovered by a Spitfire aircraft performing a combat air patrol mission, and not by reconnaissance aircraft. Many examples can be given where, at the decisive stages of the Second World War, the organization of aerial reconnaissance was poorly organized.

The tactical lessons of World War II have been well learned. It is now clear that reconnaissance aircraft must be the best, and their crews must be the most qualified. Bombers and fighters intended for reconnaissance should have their weapons removed and replaced with additional fuel tanks in order to increase their range and flight speed. All the best aircraft of the Second World War: Mosquito, Mustang, Lightning, LaG and Messerschmitt jets were used for aerial reconnaissance. In the post-war period, aircraft such as the Canberra, a twin-engine jet design The Tupolev, Saber and other jet fighters, as well as the B-36 and B-52 strategic bombers, were all specially adapted for aerial reconnaissance missions. There may also be a heavy bomber variant that will launch a supersonic fighter when approaching enemy territory. -reconnaissance officer. It is clear that in aerial photography, precise control of the course, altitude and speed of flight is of great importance - which can be accomplished by only a few pilots; the choice of flight route and precise timing of the flight over the target are also important. Currently, they are widely used. cameras with lenses having focal lengths from 150 to more than 1500 mm; they provide a large photographic area with a large overlap, allowing detailed interpretation of aerial photographs taken from altitudes above 9000 m. All modern air forces use machines that provide fast and efficient interpretation. Once the plane lands, the 16- or 35-mm film is quickly transported to the local mobile processing center, where the first stage of processing is carried out within a few hours: developing, washing, drying, printing and initial decoding. Using these images, you can quickly estimate the damage caused by a bombing, or calculate the approximate number of cars, trains and troops on the move. In order to make maximum use of the aerial photographs obtained after the first processing for operational purposes, it is necessary to have a good file of intelligence information and military maps of the latest editions. In itself, information about the number of ships in the port, aircraft at the airfield or trains at the marshalling yard is of dubious value. It is necessary to know for what purpose certain funds are concentrated. This point can be illustrated with an example from the Second World War. At an airfield in central Norway, photographic reconnaissance discovered a large number of four-engine bombers designed to combat ships. This indicated that the Germans were preparing an attack on ships located off the coast of Scotland or Ireland. There was turmoil on the ships. A decision was made to remove them to safety or take other measures. In fact, it turned out that concentration large quantity aircraft at one airfield was caused by bad weather around air bases in southwestern France and southwestern Norway, as well as a lack of spare parts at bases in central Norway, which caused the failure of several aircraft. Very often, the fact that aircraft photographed at the airfield may be faulty is not taken into account. A lot of information can be gleaned from each image, but in order for this information to be accepted as facts, it must be supplemented with other data.

At the second and third stages of deciphering aerial photographs, a more thorough study of them is carried out. The use of a stereoscope increases the accuracy of interpretation. The dim shadows on the hills and valleys become clear. Viewing aerial photographs through a stereoscope helps identify parked aircraft, camouflaged bridges and buildings by determining the difference in height of an object compared to surrounding objects. A stereoscope allows you to see the relief of an object by its shadow, which is often the last key for recognizing objects during deciphering. By studying the details of aerial photographs, it is possible to obtain a large amount of intelligence data, for example, comparative data on the development of a network of radar stations and anti-aircraft artillery firing positions, information on the construction and expansion of airfields with significant lengthening of runways. With the help of data obtained through aerial photographic reconnaissance, the preparation of the Axis countries for the failed airborne landing on the island was revealed. Malta from Sicily, where airfields and runways were specially built for this purpose. It was with the help of aerial photographic reconnaissance that it was discovered that in Peenemünde the Germans were developing new weapons that in the future could play a decisive role in the war. The role of aerial reconnaissance of strategic targets cannot be overestimated. Accurate and reliable basic intelligence can be obtained from other intelligence sources. But only with the help of aerial reconnaissance can reliable information be obtained about the best flight route to the target, taking into account air defenses in the area, enemy camouflage, and important target areas that have recently undergone reconstruction or restoration.

However, one important issue in aerial photography is often misunderstood. Currently, it is still claimed that using aerial photographs it is possible to determine how long a particular object has been out of action. During the Second World War, aerial photographs were used to conclude something like this: "It is estimated that the facility's production capacity has been reduced by 50 percent for a period of two to three months." No one can calculate the percentage of destruction from aerial photographs with such accuracy. The pace of restoration work depends on many factors: the morale of the population, the order of work, electricity supply, availability labor force and raw materials. In 1944, assessments of the destruction of German aircraft factories based on aerial photographs were optimistic because the enemy had dispersed industrial plants and used production space in unknown factories. Assessments of the destruction of Japanese aircraft factories in 1944–1945 have often been pessimistic, since the pace of reconstruction work in Japan was slow, and the overestimation of the destruction of German factories in 1944 is probably too well remembered.

One of the sad lessons air war in Korea suggests that the experience of conducting aerial reconnaissance during the Second World War was lost. Firstly, there was a great shortage of qualified codebreakers. The work of interpreting aerial photographs requires a lot of preparation and skill. Many good codebreakers lost their skills while working in civilian agencies. In 1950, the US Air Force had only two air reconnaissance squadrons in Japan and Korea, one of which was dedicated to mapping. The second squadron could not be used effectively, as it suffered greatly from a lack of material and personnel. When these squadrons began to carry out their tasks, the tactical lessons of the forties had already been forgotten. They received too many unrealistic requests for large-scale aerial photographs that needed to be taken from low altitudes and at high speed. There were various bodies which, despite limited resources, used aerial reconnaissance to meet their own needs; It happened that on the same day, at the request of various organizations, reconnaissance flights were made twice along the same route. The worst thing is that there were no codebreakers. But these initial difficulties were soon overcome. By the beginning of 1952, mobile photo laboratories were organized, equipped with vans, trailers with power plants and water tanks. There were vans for printing photographs and developing photographic films, workshops for repairing photographic equipment, a film library - that is, everything necessary for processing aerial photographs in the field. The number of equipment, personnel and aircraft gradually increased. Requests for aerial reconnaissance were coordinated by the US Air Force Intelligence Directorate at Far East, and the operations of the United Nations troops in Korea became more economical and expedient.

Of the lessons of aerial reconnaissance during the Second World War, one lesson has perhaps remained unlearned - the inadmissibility of underestimating the use of seaplanes and flying boats. During the war, American Catalina flying boats, British Sunderland, Soviet MR and German seaplanes and Heinkel and Dornier flying boats conducted coastal and meteorological reconnaissance, carried out anti-submarine patrols and performed other tasks in the interests of the naval forces. strength But after the war, seaplanes and flying boats fell out of fashion in the air forces of Western powers, although a few such squadrons remained in the Soviet Union. Fortunately, the Communists in Korea had a negligible bomber force; if the few airfields that United Nations aircraft had in initial period war in Korea, were subjected to even a weak air attack, then their planes would have to operate from air bases in Japan, losing great advantages. In many cases, only seaplanes and flying boats, dispersed at anchorages in case of air attack, can provide important information about enemy movements and changing weather conditions. The Germans came to appreciate flying boats and seaplanes in 1940 during the Norway campaign, when they had few airfields at their disposal and meteorological and other intelligence was essential to the rapid success of the campaign. It is certain that future conditions similar to those in the Pacific theater may occur in which flying boats will play an important role. Flying boats are a convenient and economical means of passenger transportation on civil airlines; they are capable of carrying large payloads and can be quickly adapted for military purposes. Flying boats are more valuable than many realize.

The need for weather forecasts on a global scale is now greater than ever before, but the role of aerial reconnaissance in this regard is difficult to define. If it becomes necessary to move aircraft squadrons across large bodies of water at speeds in excess of 1,100 km/h, as was the case in early 1954, then the weather service must provide weather forecasts on a global scale. Currently, thousands of land and sea weather stations have been established in all countries, delivering basic weather data. There is countless previously collected information about weather conditions and climate that can help establish relationships between current local weather data and possible long-term weather trends. Electronic equipment is increasingly being used to predict the weather. VHF radios are used to warn of impending storms that pose a danger to aircraft. Using radar stations, they determine the nature of the winds in upper layers atmosphere. It would be impractical to keep large numbers of aircraft busy with weather reconnaissance when those aircraft are needed for more important missions. It would be more expedient to increase the number of land-based mobile weather stations and ships for weather reconnaissance at sea, improve meteorological instruments and ensure reliable communications with central authorities that summarize information on weather conditions.

Of course, there is still a need to use a certain number of aircraft for meteorological reconnaissance, especially in conditions of increasing range of all types of aircraft, when bombers may encounter a variety of meteorological conditions during the flight to the target. It is difficult to anticipate the full scope of operational requirements in the field of meteorological reconnaissance, as well as in the field of military reconnaissance. As the ability to use expensive atomic weapons for close air support grows, tactical military reconnaissance becomes more and more important. We must not allow atomic weapons to be wasted on secondary purposes. In the era of atomic missiles and tactical atomic bombs that can be fired from fighter-bombers, timely and reliable information is extremely important. Expensive tactical guided projectiles also cannot be used against small objects. If ground forces will operate in Africa, South America, Asia and the Middle East, where many areas have not yet been mapped, then the needs for aerial photography will be significant. This is evidenced by the experience of military operations in Malaya. The existing maps of Malaya turned out to be useless for military purposes. It was necessary to compile new military maps, which required aerial photography of an area of more than 10 thousand square meters. km. Much of this work was carried out using helicopters. These vehicles also proved extremely valuable for aerial reconnaissance during the Korean War. But the territories of Korea and Malaya cannot be compared, for example, with the vast expanses of Asia, where there are also no modern large-scale military maps and the compilation of which will require colossal efforts of aerial reconnaissance. It's safe to say that any future conflict that involves aerial reconnaissance will almost certainly involve the entire world. The number of reconnaissance aircraft will be very limited. What can be done in a relatively calm peacetime environment to best prepare for war with limited resources? The first and most important condition is the conduct of universal training of armed forces personnel in visual surveillance. Part of the time spent on physical training and lectures on current issues can be usefully used to study meteorology, camouflage, aerial observation techniques, geography, terrain features - that is, all issues that develop theoretical and practical skills among personnel of all branches of the armed forces for conducting reconnaissance. Activities such as showing special documentary films to all personnel, carrying out practical checks after flights for the assignment of a special observer badge, which entitles them to a salary supplement, will increase general level intelligence training. All Air Force bomber fighter and transport units must have more pilots specially trained for reconnaissance missions. If the initial training of observers is organized on a large scale in the armed forces, it will not be difficult to create reconnaissance detachments in combat air units and staff them with personnel. In addition, conditions must be created for a more flexible switching of aircraft to conduct aerial reconnaissance. Why not, for example, use an entire air wing of bombers and fighters to survey an entire area and thus obtain visual reconnaissance data for that area. But too often only two or three aircraft are allocated for aerial reconnaissance. Just as a good boxer saves his signature punch until he knows the strong and weaknesses enemy, the successful conduct of offensive operations in the air requires detailed knowledge of the enemy's territory, and it is often advisable to delay the commencement of operations until the necessary information has been obtained. Saving effort and money for aerial reconnaissance only leads to a waste of money during bombing.

If the vast spaces covered modern warfare, necessitate aerial reconnaissance on a large scale, they also require special attention to issues of communications and centralized control. The USA, Great Britain and the USSR have created central intelligence departments, but they mainly perform strategic intelligence tasks. It is necessary to organize a unified intelligence service of the armed forces, which would include a unit of photo decipherers who process all intelligence materials received through all channels: this department should include both military and civilian specialists. Of course, in this department there should be specialized units: technical, scientific, industrial, etc., but these units should be general, without any preference for one of the branches of the armed forces. Intelligence information is valuable to all branches of the armed forces: intelligence about weather conditions, radar stations, enemy ships and almost all other information is rarely of interest to only one branch of the armed forces.

Likewise, reconnaissance air units and additionally created reconnaissance observer detachments should also serve the entire armed forces, and not just the air forces. Aerial reconnaissance, like strategic bombing, must be conducted in accordance with national military policy determined by the Departments of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The control of Soviet long-range bomber aircraft during the Second World War was carried out by the State Defense Committee, and reconnaissance aviation units were dispersed, being at the disposal of the commanders of the ground army formations and navy. The Anglo-American Strategic Bomber Force was temporarily subordinate to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but it never sought the subordination of air reconnaissance, which was often the eyes of the Strategic Bomber Force and the assessor of the results of its actions. Of course, there is currently an increasing trend towards unification of the armed forces. Joint intelligence departments and joint committees have already been organized, and the joint development of many staff documents is underway. The time has now come to abolish the various uniforms of individual branches of the armed forces and to develop detailed plans the closest possible unification of the army, navy and air force at all levels where possible. However, this is a big independent question, which is discussed in more detail in Chapter IX. Chapter 3. Reconnaissance Reconnaissance in the mountains is more difficult than on flat terrain. Mountainous, rugged terrain, the presence of mountain spurs and ridges, gorges and valleys between them contributes to the secrecy of enemy movements and the location of his units. In addition, folds

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Aerial reconnaissance arose almost immediately after the appearance of airplanes. Information received from the cockpit influenced not only the results of individual battles, but also the course of history.

Secret mission "Heinkel-111"

After the defeat of the Third Reich and the seizure of numerous archives (including the Luftwaffe) by the Soviet military, it turned out that since 1939, specially trained Heinkel-111 medium bombers had flown at an altitude of thirteen kilometers all the way to Moscow. For this purpose, the cockpits were sealed, and cameras were placed in the bottom of the aircraft. In particular, photographs of some areas of Krivoy Rog, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk and Moscow, dated August 1939, were discovered. However, it was not only the Germans who photographed objects in the USSR. In March - April 1940, a twin-engine Lockheed-12A aircraft flew over Baku at an altitude of eight thousand meters and photographed oil fields.

Air reconnaissance war

On June 13, 1949, US Air Force Major General Cabell ordered Lieutenant Colonel Towler, head of American air reconnaissance, to begin an “aggressive reconnaissance program.” As a result, over the next 11 years, the Americans made about ten thousand reconnaissance flights, mainly along the borders of the USSR. For this purpose, a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer monoplane was used. He was opposed by the Soviet Il-28R, at that time the best aerial reconnaissance aircraft in the world.

In the years cold war the fate of many reconnaissance pilots, both American and Soviet, turned out to be tragic. Thus, the authoritative American publication United States News and World Report reported that until 1970, “252 American pilots were shot down during spy air operations, of which 24 died, 90 survived, and the fate of 138 aviators has not yet been clarified "

As for Soviet air reconnaissance aircraft, many tragic incidents are still unknown. An incident that occurred in the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan on September 4, 1950, when the plane of Lieutenant Gennady Mishin was shot down, received publicity.

Interrupted flight

During World War II and for the next several decades, it was believed that aerial reconnaissance aircraft owed their invulnerability to altitude. So, until May 1, 1960, Americans flew with impunity over the territory of the USSR on a Lockheed U-2 aircraft, until the crew of Mikhail Voronov’s S-75 air defense system shot down Gary Powers’ aircraft 56-6693.

To assess the potential damage to the national security of the USSR caused by such a flight, it is enough to say that the intelligence officer photographed, in particular, ICBMs at the Tyuratam cosmodrome and the Mayak plant for the production of weapons-grade plutonium. After the aborted flight, the photographs did not reach the Pentagon, and Powers went to jail. However, he was still lucky, because a year later he returned to his homeland - Powers was exchanged for Rudolf Abel.

Higher and faster

Following the Lockheed U-2 aircraft, “high-altitude” reconnaissance aircraft appeared, flying at high speeds. In 1966, the Americans commissioned the SR-71 aircraft, which could even fly in the stratosphere at a speed of 3M. However, it did not invade deeply into the territory of the USSR, except that it flew close to the border. But it was successfully used to photograph objects in China.

Using the material obtained through such aerial reconnaissance was not so easy. For example, the SR-71 photographic equipment photographs 680,000 square meters in one hour of flight. km. Even a significant team of analysts cannot cope with such a number of images, especially in combat conditions, when information must be provided to the military in a matter of hours. Ultimately, the main support for headquarters remained visual information, as it was during Operation Desert Storm.

All hope lies in drones

The successes of radar, in particular promising over-the-horizon systems operating on the principle of “wave reflection from the ionosphere,” have sharply reduced the capabilities of reconnaissance aircraft. That is why they were replaced by “drones” - unmanned aerial vehicles. It is believed that the Americans were the pioneers in this field, but the USSR does not recognize this. The promising Tu-143 drone, part of the VR-3 “Flight” aerial reconnaissance system, made its first flight back in December 1970.

However, after 1991, many Soviet projects were curtailed, while the United States, on the contrary, continued to work on the creation the latest models unmanned aerial reconnaissance. Currently, the Americans have installed on the wing the MQ-1 Predator UAV with a flight altitude of 8 thousand meters and the MQ-9 Reaper strategic reconnaissance UAV, capable of patrolling at an altitude of thirteen kilometers.

However, these systems cannot be called invulnerable. For example, in Crimea, in the Perekop region, on March 13, 2014, a modern MQ-5B UAV was intercepted using the 1L222 Avtobaza electronic warfare system.

Air reconnaissance aircraft against aircraft carrier

The arsenal of modern Russian reconnaissance aircraft includes means to overcome the air defense systems of the most developed countries. Thus, twice already - first on October 17, 2000, and then on November 9, 2000 - Su-27 and Su-24 aircraft conducted air maneuvers over the American aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, while the ship’s crew was not ready to respond. The panic that erupted on the deck of the Kitty Hawk was photographed and the images were sent by email to American Rear Admiral Stephen Pietropaoli.

A similar incident occurred in 2016: on April 12, a Russian SU-24 aircraft flew several times around the destroyer Donald Cook with the Aegis missile defense system at an altitude of only 150 meters.

Soundometry is good remedy intelligence, but its scope is limited. It cannot find those targets that are not visible from the ground and that do not give themselves away by the sounds of shots, for example, batteries that are not firing, headquarters, columns of troops in the rear and many other deeply located targets. (262)

In all these cases, aerial reconnaissance means - airplanes and tethered observation balloons - come to the aid of artillery.

Rice. 234 provides a clear picture of the comparative capabilities of ground-based observation, as well as observation from a balloon and from an airplane. What is inaccessible to one is available to another, what is inaccessible to another is available to a third.

A tethered balloon is essentially an ordinary observation post, but raised to a greater altitude. You can get quite comfortable in the balloon basket, taking with you all the instruments necessary for shooting and observation.

From a balloon it is possible to see much of what is hidden for a ground observer in the folds of the terrain and behind local objects. A very wide horizon opens up before an observer on a balloon. From the balloon you can determine not only the direction of the firing battery, but also its location quite accurately.

The balloon is convenient to use in calm weather. In strong winds it sways from side to side and this interferes with observation.

To ensure the successful operation of a balloon in battle, it is necessary to protect it from enemy aircraft and from long-range artillery fire, (263) for which it is a tempting and relatively easily destroyed target.

The aircraft is the most convenient and reliable aerial reconnaissance vehicle. With its help, you can observe from a very high altitude, you can go deep behind enemy lines and penetrate the secrets of their location. The aircraft has two ways of accomplishing this mission: surveillance reconnaissance and photography. Both the first and second methods solve essentially the same problem: to detect a target that is not visible from ground observation points and determine its position on a map or tablet. The most accurate solution to this problem is provided by photo reconnaissance. Therefore, surveillance reconnaissance from an aircraft is usually accompanied by photographing the area where targets are detected.

A photograph taken from an airplane (Fig. 235) makes it possible to find even those targets that, when current state disguises cannot be detected by observation. And most importantly, having such a photograph, you can determine the position of the target relative to local objects recorded in the photograph, and accurately plot this target on the map, which can only be done approximately during observation.

Films taken from an airplane are dropped by parachute onto designated artillery receiving points, from where they are transferred to special photo laboratories for immediate development. After this, they are decrypted, that is, they are carefully studied and all the objects photographed on them are identified - local objects and targets. (264)

One cannot, however, think that it is very easy to carry out aviation flights over territory occupied by the enemy. The enemy always uses numerous and strong air defense systems to prevent observation and photographing of the target directly from above. But from airplanes you can sometimes successfully observe targets while flying over your location under the protection of your air defense systems.

In Great Patriotic War All the reconnaissance methods we examined were widely used.

In connection with the development of technology and later research in the field of physics, other types of reconnaissance appeared on the battlefields during the last war, such as observation and photography in infrared rays, as well as target detection using radar.

The use of infrared rays for observation opens up great opportunities in this matter: a person acquires the ability to see through clouds, at night, in fog. Thus, observational reconnaissance becomes possible even under conditions in which conventional means cannot be used for this.

As is known from physics, infrared rays in the spectrum sunbeam(decomposed into its component parts) occupy a certain place - outside the visible spectrum, next to the red rays; they are depicted as a dark stripe. These invisible rays have the property of penetrating even through an atmosphere saturated with water vapor (through fog). Using a spotlight, infrared rays, invisible to the eye, can be directed at any object from which these rays are reflected. An optical device of a special device is used to capture invisible reflected rays. This device contains a lens, an eyepiece and a so-called electron-optical converter with a screen (Fig. 236). Having passed through the lens and the converter, (265) the rays fall on a luminous screen, on which a clear image of the object is obtained. This image is viewed through an eyepiece.

The use of radar makes it possible to use radio waves to detect unobservable targets in the air, on water and on the ground, and determine their location. You will learn how such reconnaissance is carried out when reading chapter thirteen.

So, you have become familiar with many reconnaissance methods that are used to find targets.

Which of these methods is the best?

It would be a mistake if, in answering this question, you chose one method of reconnaissance and said that it is the best.

It should be noted that none of the listed reconnaissance methods separately can provide comprehensive information about the enemy. In a combat situation, all methods must be used artillery reconnaissance, which are applicable in the given conditions, and, in addition, the data about the enemy that was obtained by reconnaissance of other branches of the military must always be taken into account. Only under this condition can one expect that the most important targets for artillery will be found.

Aerial reconnaissance

type of military intelligence. Conducted over sea and land by reconnaissance aircraft, all crews performing combat missions, as well as unmanned aircraft. The main methods of conducting aerial reconnaissance are: visual observation, aerial photographic reconnaissance and reconnaissance using radio-electronic means.

EdwART. Explanatory Naval Dictionary, 2010

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Books

All reconnaissance aircraft of the USSR. “Eyes” of the Army and Navy, N.V. Yakubovich. The first “military profession” of the newborn aviation was aerial reconnaissance. The first mass-produced airplane of the USSR was the reconnaissance aircraft R-1. The first combat aircraft developed under the leadership of A.N....
All reconnaissance aircraft of the USSR Eyes of the Army and Navy, Yakubovich N.. The first “military profession” of the newborn aviation was aerial reconnaissance. The first mass-produced airplane of the USSR was the reconnaissance aircraft R-1. The first combat aircraft developed under the leadership of A.N....

Reconnaissance aircraft are the main means of operational and one of the means of tactical reconnaissance.

Military aviation conducts reconnaissance and surveillance, adjusts artillery fire and provides communications between headquarters. However, during decisive periods of combat operations, all types of aviation, including military aviation, must concentrate their efforts on the battlefield to destroy enemy manpower and combat assets in the main direction.

Aviation reconnaissance site in common system intelligence service

Aerial reconnaissance does not replace other types of reconnaissance, but largely complements them, establishing with them a continuous chain of reconnaissance and surveillance. In some cases, aviation may be the only possible means of obtaining the necessary data about the enemy.

Possessing the ability to quickly penetrate enemy positions to great depths, quickly explore vast areas and quickly deliver obtained data to the command, aviation has become an indispensable means of reconnaissance of large groups of troops, such as armies, corps and divisions.

Aerial reconnaissance occupies an intermediate position between agents operating on enemy territory and military reconnaissance of ground forces. In the process of combat work, the actions of all types of reconnaissance to collect data about the enemy are closely intertwined, creating conditions for consistent continuity of types of reconnaissance.

A detected object, having fallen into the sphere of observation of reconnaissance orts, cannot and should not disappear from their field of vision. Agent, air and ground reconnaissance sequentially intercept a detected object by observation when it enters their zone of action, transmitting it to each other.

Types of aerial reconnaissance

According to combat significance, aerial reconnaissance is divided into:

a) operational
b) tactical.

Operational aerial reconnaissance is carried out in the interests of the command of fronts and armies to clarify the enemy’s operational plans (grouping and transfer of enemy forces and assets, preparation of probable areas of action within the front or army theater).

The tasks performed by reconnaissance aircraft are determined by the nature of the operation being conducted.

Operational aerial reconnaissance, carried out in the interests of the front command, must penetrate 200-500 km deep into enemy territory (the zone of the rear area of the front and the depth achieved by a series of successive operations).

Aerial reconnaissance, carried out in the interests of the army command, is carried out at the enemy's location to a depth of 100-200 km, covering the rear area of the army with surveillance.

Operational aerial reconnaissance is carried out by order of the army and front-line command.

Tactical aerial reconnaissance is carried out in the interests of troops and the command of corps and divisions (where the division is the highest tactical formation) to determine the size, position and actions of the enemy group in front of the front of a given military unit.

The tasks of tactical air reconnaissance are determined by the nature of combat operations.

Reconnaissance in the interests of the Corps Command is carried out to a depth of 60 km in order to timely detect suitable reserves, especially heavily mechanized formations.

Reconnaissance in the interests of the division command is carried out to a depth of 30-40 km, ensuring that the command makes the necessary decisions in a timely manner and carries them out (an oncoming battle with an open flank, a battle in the presence of mechanized formations from the enemy).

Reconnaissance in the interests of independently operating large mechanized formations and cavalry is carried out to a depth that ensures they can complete their tasks.

Tactical aerial reconnaissance is carried out by order of the command of the corresponding formation, which includes, is assigned to, or is served by the aviation reconnaissance unit.

A special type of tactical reconnaissance is battlefield observation, artillery maintenance and tank escort.

Characteristics of aerial reconnaissance and its various types

1. Positive properties of aerial reconnaissance

1) rapid penetration into the depths of the enemy’s position;
2) rapid survey (for one purpose or another) of large areas;
3) quick delivery of the obtained data to the command;
4) documentary reliability of photographic reconnaissance data;
5) objective impartiality of photographic reconnaissance.

2. Negative properties of aerial reconnaissance

1) the difficulty of recognizing camouflaged enemy objects;
2) the impossibility of obtaining other data beyond what can be detected by the eye or camera (documents, interviewing prisoners, studying the mood of residents, etc.);
3) the impossibility of long-term and continuous observation of the same object ( technical specifications: limited stay in the air, dependence on atmospheric and meteorological conditions).

However, the systematic and systematic conduct of aerial reconnaissance, supplemented by other types of reconnaissance, allows the command to accumulate certain data about the enemy’s position at a certain moment and reveal the dynamics of the situation over a certain period of time.

Characteristics of various types of aerial reconnaissance. Reconnaissance aircraft

I. Subordination of reconnaissance aviation units

Reconnaissance aviation units are subordinate to the chief of staff of the army and receive tasks from him.

2. Air reconnaissance tasks in the most typical operations

Counter operation:

a) determining the intensity of transportation and areas of concentration of the bulk of enemy troops;
b) searching for the main groupings of enemy troops, as well as his fast-moving units, establishing their mode of action (standing, concentrating, moving forward, deploying);
c) determining the deployment line;
d) determining the location of the army reserve, its strength and composition;
e) observation of the flanks;
f) monitoring the activities of administrative stations, supply stations and railways and ordinary roads;
g) reconnaissance of the airfield network and enemy air forces.

Offensive:

a) reconnaissance of the main defensive line;
b) determining the location of the enemy’s operational reserves and the direction of their movement;
c) monitoring traffic on railways and ordinary tracks;
d) reconnaissance of rear defensive lines;
e) reconnaissance of the enemy airfield network.

Defensive operation:

a) establishing the enemy’s grouping during its operational deployment;
b) establishing the location of reserves;
c) observation of the enemy’s rear to determine the nature of the offensive (preparing a defensive line, equipping crossings, etc.);
d) observation of the enemy’s railway maneuver;
e) reconnaissance of the airfield network.

Retreat operation:

a) monitoring the progress of the enemy (advanced units and the main group);
b) monitoring the flanks;
c) special observation of the enemy’s mechanized troops and cavalry;
d) reconnaissance of the airfield network.

In all types of operations, the tasks of reconnaissance army aviation include serving political agencies by carrying out propaganda flights and scattering propaganda literature and leaflets at the location of friendly troops and the enemy.

Additional tasks of reconnaissance aircraft

In addition to aerial reconnaissance, surveillance and communications, reconnaissance aircraft in some cases may be involved in solving other tasks characteristic of other types of aviation.

IN exceptional cases situation, it can be used as attack, bomber and fighter aircraft.

When troops operate in the mountains, in addition to general tasks, it is responsible for:

a) tasks of maintaining communications between groups of troops operating in isolated areas;
b) monitoring the routes leading to these directions both from the enemy and from the flanks;
c) exploration of valleys, mountain ranges, passes and mountain narrows;
d) delivery of ammunition and other types of supplies to groups of troops cut off from their supply routes both by the enemy and by terrain conditions, as well as establishing communications between them and the Command.

When troops operate in the sand against reconnaissance aircraft, except for the tasks specified in paragraphs. a, b and d, may be charged with finding water sources that are easily visible (in the absence of previous sandstorms) along the paths and traces left by the caravans.

Intelligence objects

Railways. On railways, aerial reconnaissance must inspect railway junctions, stations and stages between them.

Intelligence purpose:

a) determining the movement schedule and establishing the intensity and nature of enemy transportation;
b) studying the structure and operation of the enemy’s operational rear;
c) checking magnification bandwidth railways;
d) preparation of a bombing raid on railway junctions, stations, bridges and stages.

The traffic schedule can be determined by observing a railway section 400-500 km long by simultaneously flying over it and photographing it continuously, which allows It is important to take into account the number and nature of rolling stock traveling along it during the day, since the average speed of routes per day does not exceed this distance.

Viewing a site in flight

If it is impossible to view an area of this size, you should limit yourself to an area of 250-300 km, viewing it twice a day every 12 hours.

The nature of transportation is determined by the presence on the examined section of military, supply, passenger and ambulance trains, different from each other in the type of cars and their distribution within the train.

Military trains differ from supply trains in that they have approximately the same number of cars (about 50); this number includes 1-2 class cars in the middle of the train for the command staff, 8-10 platforms and the rest of the covered cars. On the way and at stops, military trains can give themselves away by the smoke of camp kitchens located in the cars, open doors and the presence of a large number of people near the carriages.

Supply trains differ from each other in the number of cars, with ammunition trains having no more than 25-30 cars, and trains carrying other cargo normally having about 45-50 cars (covered and flatcars).

Hospital trains differ from passenger trains in their colors and the signs of a red cross or crescent.

The structure and work of the operational rear are established by determining the location on the railways of various warehouses, shops and repair bodies, which are unmasked by the unloading and loading of rolling stock, the presence of railway tracks trains being assembled and ready, the presence of automobile and horse transport, the emergence of new dirt, heavily traveled roads, and sometimes the presence of cargo located on the ground in the form of long and relatively narrow stacks.

An increase in the capacity of a railway and a large junction is determined by: the opening of sidings and the construction of new ones; carrying out excavation work on hauls and stations to widen and lengthen station areas and lay new tracks; construction of new depots and expansion of existing ones; the appearance at sorting and freight stations of cranes, trestles, etc. for the mechanization of loading and unloading operations.

Preparation for a bombing raid on a railway junction is carried out by aerial photography, determining the area

bombing and recognition of structures (depot, station building, water pump, reservoir tower, rotary device, building with central management shooter), bridges, overpasses, etc.

Highways and dirt roads

When exploring dirt roads and highways, it is necessary to determine:

a) the nature of traffic on the roads (composition, depth of columns, time and place of detection, direction, and, if possible, speed of movement);
b) location of rear agencies (warehouses, storage facilities, repair shops, medical and transit institutions, exchange offices, etc.);
c) areas and settlements occupied by operational and strategic reserves.

The movement of columns is unmasked in summer in dry weather by dust, in summer after rains and in winter - by a change in the tone of the road where troops or convoys are moving; in the summer after rains, when alternating areas of dry and wet, the latter, as more sharply protruding, can easily be confused with columns of troops.

Particular attention is paid to the narrowness of the roads: bridges, gati, crossings, gorges, dams and roads going through swamps, where it is difficult for troops to use camouflage measures.

Forest roads, roads lined with trees, as well as those near which bushes and small groups of trees grow, pose significant difficulties for reconnaissance.

The location of the rear organs is revealed by automobile and horse transport, the busy movement of convoys along roads leaving the settlement, smoke from kitchens and fires, and sometimes by herds of large and small lambing.

The areas and settlements occupied by operational and strategic reserves are distinguished by: the presence of shooting ranges, engineering camps (trenches and fortifications with artificial barriers built for training purposes) and field arenas; accumulation of a large number of people, horses, carts and cars; significant traffic in and between populated areas; laying new roads and widening the broken parts of the old ones; the appearance of trampled places, causing lightening in summer and darkening of the area in winter, and sometimes the appearance of a large number of dugouts and various earthen buildings, and bonfires at night.

Fortified rear lines. Fortified rear lines are normally located at a distance of 50-100 km from the line of contact with enemy troops, ensuring

the possibility of organized resistance in case of forced withdrawal.

Fortified rear lines consist of fortified strips and obstacle zones

Characteristic features of the boundary equipment are:

a) excavation work to remove trenches of all types and purposes, communication passages, shelters and shelters;
b) laying new roads and widening existing ones due to the movement of vehicles delivering construction materials; the appearance of trampling from the walking of people working on buildings;
c) cutting down forests and bushes (clearing shelling); the latter is especially typical when creating a blockhouse defense and surveillance system;
d) demolition of various buildings in populated areas located both on the territory of the border itself and in the immediate vicinity of it (clearing the shelling);
e) the presence and construction of warehouses for construction materials near the boundaries;
f) the presence of a large amount of delivered building materials (barrels of cement, logs, rails, boards, coils of barbed wire);
g) the presence of special land management machines (excavators, concrete mixers, stone crushers, etc.);
h) the presence in some cases of a narrow-gauge field railway connected to the nearest railway station.

Aerial reconnaissance should establish:

a) the general outline of a fortified or fortified line, its extent along the front and in depth;
b) the degree of development of engineering structures in various areas;
c) type of natural and artificial obstacles;
d) if possible, the nature of the work to prepare the barrier zones.

Airfields and air hubs

Characteristic features of airfields are:

a) flat and unobstructed areas of terrain used for airfields;
b) traces from airplane wheels, crutches and skis (in winter);
c) the presence of airplanes and tents on the ground;
d) busy movement of personnel and sometimes cars;
e) aircraft takeoffs and landings.

The airfield configuration and terrain cover do not have distinctive features; in addition, the widely used natural and artificial camouflage largely eliminates all unmasking signs of airfields. One should also take into account the fact that numerous false airfields will be set up to mislead the aerial reconnaissance officer. All this taken together makes it difficult to reconnaissance of airfields and requires it to be conducted through continuous, systematic observation of the area where, based on a number of signs, the presence of airfields is assumed. While conducting systematic observation of enemy airfields, the main goal is to establish the time when enemy aircraft will be on the ground, presenting a good target for their destruction by air attack.

Military aviation. Subordination

Military aviation, organizationally included in a military formation, in various armies is subordinate either directly to the commander of the formation or to its chief of staff.

Artillery aviation is subordinate to the chief of artillery of the military formation to which it is assigned or of which it is a part.

on issues of allotment of airfield areas, manning, special training and special aviation technical supplies, military aviation is subordinate to the chief of the army air force.

Military aviation units temporarily assigned to military formations are subordinate to the same commanders, but only operationally.

General tasks of military aviation and general reconnaissance and surveillance objects

1. Reconnaissance in the interests of the command of a combined arms formation or units. Reconnaissance targets: enemy troops, especially motorized mechanized units, on the move or in place.
2. Intelligence on the commanders of the military branches. Reconnaissance objects: enemy troops on the move or in place, but at a depth of no more than 15-20 km, especially artillery and motorized units.
3. Observation of the battlefield. Objects of observation: enemy and friendly troops in battle formations, regimental, divisional and corps reserves.
4. Artillery fire control. Objects: artillery batteries in firing positions, tanks in concentrated formations or columns, enemy reserves both approaching from the depths and located on the battlefield, headquarters, ammunition supply routes.
5. Air communications, transmitting orders to troops and receiving reports from them,
6. Checking the camouflage of your troops.
7. Air delivery of ammunition and other items in the following cases:

a) the environment of individual parts,

b) actions with a large separation from the front and c) combat with crossing large river barriers. In some cases of combat situations (fighting enemy airborne forces, when destroying mechanized units that have broken through to the rear of their defense), military aviation assists ground troops in the fight against ground targets, and in rare cases is also involved in the fight against the air enemy.

General exploration targets

The objects of aerial reconnaissance are enemy troops, both on the move and located on the spot (halt, lodging for the night, concentration area).

When troops are positioned on the spot:

a) when located in populated areas: roads approaching a populated area, streets, gardens, vegetable gardens and courtyards to detect convoys, artillery pieces, cars, tents, hitching posts, camp kitchens, etc.;
b) when bivouaced:

1) groves, forest edges and bushes to detect tents, carts, cars, tanks, artillery pieces, camp kitchens, hitching posts and groups of people;

2) the banks of rivers and lakes and the space between them and the nearest natural shelters (forests, groves) to identify the horse population at a watering hole or while traveling to it.

Unmasking signs of military branches when positioned on site.

Infantry; a large crowd of people with a relatively small number of horses and carts, the latter forming separate small groups.

Artillery: a large concentration of horses, charging boxes, tractors and a number of cars.

Aviation Background Information

Motor transport: accumulation of trucks in the parking lot and in traffic on adjacent roads; The usual location is settlements near large dirt roads and highways, near railway stations.

Motorized mechanical units: accumulation of vehicles, tanks, armored vehicles and artillery on self-propelled units, significant groups of people.

Troops on the move. The object of reconnaissance is dirt paths in the zone of action of one’s military formation, and with open flanks and beyond the boundaries of this zone for at least 60 km, in order to timely detect enemy columns, especially motorized mechanized troops.

When troops are detected on the roads, aerial reconnaissance must determine and record:

a) observation time;
b) direction of movement;
c) place of the column head;
d) composition of the column (infantry, cavalry, artillery, mixed formation, motorized units);
e) the length of the road section occupied by the column;
e) distances between components columns if they exceed normal;
g) behavior of troops during a reconnaissance flight (camouflage, air defense).

Unmasking signs of military branches when moving

The infantry looks like dots - dark in winter, light or gray in summer. From a height of 1,000 m or more, the points merge and form an elongated rectangle; color - depending on the time of year; gaps are visible between individual divisions.

An infantry column is characterized by a small number of horsemen and carts.

The cavalry unmasks itself thanks to the large size of each individual rider, and partly due to the different color of the horses (if the cavalry unit is not on suited horses). The more the color of the road's soil differs from the color of the horse's composition, the better the visibility.

From a height of 1,000-1,500 m, small groups of riders (10-20 people) are easily visible, and with good visibility, individual ace signs; from a height of more than 1,500 l, the cavalry column presents elongated stripes, better or worse observed 8 depending on the soil color of the road, with small gaps between the units.

It is difficult to detect cavalry movement in bushes and forest thickets. It is impossible to detect cavalry in the forest if there is no dust, which especially unmasks it.

Horse-drawn artillery is revealed by the typical appearance of the teams, especially in the presence of shade.

In some cases, teams of pontoon troops may be mistaken for artillery.

Mechanical artillery is more difficult to detect than horse-drawn artillery, especially! if it has special covers that camouflage the guns.

Individual guns differ from a height of 1,200-1,500 m.

The characteristic contours of the gun are preserved even when observed from high altitudes.

Intelligence organization

The organization of reconnaissance in an oncoming battle using military aviation is in charge of the corps headquarters.

It would be advisable to transfer some of the aircraft to the divisions.

If this is not possible, the corps headquarters is obliged to take into account the requirements of the divisions for aerial reconnaissance.

The use of military aviation in offensive combat

Air reconnaissance missions. In an offensive battle, military aviation is assigned the following tasks:

a) establish the outline of the front edge and determine the depth of the enemy’s defensive line;
b) determine the nature of the enemy’s engineering defense along the entire depth of the defensive zone;
c) establish a second defensive line;
d) determine the location of reserves;
e) identify communication nodes;
f) point their tanks at the targets of their attacks;
g) ensure the fight against enemy artillery by controlling the fire of one’s own artillery;
h) observe the battlefield, paying special attention to the advancement of one’s troops and the movements of the enemy;
i) watch the enemy's rear.

These tasks are carried out in a certain sequence, partly during the preparation of the offensive (tasks according to paragraphs a, b, c, d, g, h, i), partially during the offensive itself (tasks according to paragraphs c, d, e, f, g , h, i).

In addition, before the corps commander makes a decision, military aviation must ensure that the corps headquarters checks all types of intelligence data from the aircraft.

Air reconnaissance objects:

a) engineering structures of the defender along the entire depth of the defensive line;
b) artillery in firing positions;
c) enemy reserves;
d) tanks in waiting positions;
e) headquarters and communications centers;
f) rear roads;
g) crossings behind enemy lines.

Unmasking signs

The enemy's defense line is unmasked by trenches. In open areas, continuous lines of trenches are clearly visible from a height of 5,000 m, and in the future

observed at a distance of 7-10 km. In winter, the visibility of the trenches increases.

In closed terrain (wooded and mountainous), the trenches are clearly visible from a height of 2,000-3,000 m.

Individual details in the trench system are observed only from a height of 800-1,200 m; the presence of people can only be determined if there is significant movement in the trenches.

The main method of reconnaissance is photography.

Photographing the enemy's defensive line is especially important. Photo schemes are multiplied in such a way that, if possible, they are primarily supplied with artillery, battalions and tank companies operating in the direction of the main attack.

Photo diagrams must have a scale of 1: 5,000.

Reconnaissance of well-camouflaged reserves can be carried out not only by air surveillance, but also by using bombs and machine-gun fire to force the hidden enemy to reveal itself.

Artillery positions are recognized by a number of signs, such as the congestion of the roads leading to the firing positions, paths, rear cones (white in summer, black in winter), clearings in the forest (clearing shelling).