Scottish Team that Continues Work of Top Secret WWII Intelligence Unit Featured in BBC Documentary

12 May 2011

The discoveries of a Scottish based team that continues the work of a secret intelligence unit are now the subject of a new BBC documentary which tells the story of a crucial WWII operation.

The documentary uses 3-D imagery from the National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), held at RCAHMS in Edinburgh, to tell the story of a secret operation that was critical to the outcome of the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Crossbow, the Allies used 3D aerial photography to hunt for and destroy the Nazi’s ‘Vengeance’  or V-weapons, before they could be launched against Britain. The V-weapons were a strategic priority for the German high-command, who believed this revolutionary technology could help turn the tide of the war.  Remarkably this same technology would later go on to be used by NASA to propel the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon.

The documentary, which goes by the same title, features the work of NCAP Curator Allan Williams and his team, whose ongoing research represents the legacy of a top secret WWII photographic interpretation unit that was based at RAF Medmenham in Buckinghamshire.