• Military history
• History of technology
• Historical Research Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

by: Philipp Vogler

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Kurt Möser

Abstract (as of January 2018)

The surviving aerial photographs from the time of the two world wars still impressively demonstrate the destructive power of man-made war machinery today. Hardly any publication or television documentary on aerial warfare seems to be without them. Surprisingly, the findings are disproportionate to this dissemination. While much has been published in the English-speaking world on the history of Allied aerial reconnaissance, there is a research gap here in the case of its German counterpart.

What technical considerations and development steps led up to its first major wartime use in World War I? What was the relationship between inventors, scientists, companies and the military? How are aerial photographs from this period accessible today?

This study explores continuities and discontinuities in terms of technical development, people, organizational structures and actual military deployment by not only comparing several time periods from the earliest developments to the end of World War II, but also by looking at a transnational dimension. Developments in Germany are compared with those in Great Britain and the United States. Where do conceptual and real differences emerge here? What significance can be attributed to military aerial photography in each case?

In conclusion, the aim is to arouse the interest of experts in the source "historical aerial photograph", which still offers extensive possibilities for historical research.