Image Collection Mediterranean Allied Photo Reconnaissance Wing
A black and white aerial photo of 17 planes at an airfield. The planes are all situated in bays off two tracks running vertically through the image – one light-coloured and one dark. The planes and tracks are surrounded by featureless fields.

Consolidated B-24 Liberators at Torretta Airfield near Foggia in Italy
Collection: MAPRW, Sortie: 15SG/L/0102, Frame: 3045 (28 May 1945)

Mediterranean Allied Photo Reconnaissance Wing

The Mediterranean Allied Photo Reconnaissance Wing (MAPRW) Collection contains c.150,000 aerial photographs taken during the Second World War by Allied units operating from North Africa and Italy. The MAPRW was the reconnaissance and intelligence arm of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces during the latter stages of the Second World War. It was initially based in North Africa and then, as the war progressed, southern Italy.

A black and white oblique aerial photo with scrub-covered hills in the background and water in the midground. The roofs of a town are visible in the foreground. In the top left corner a portion of plane engine and propeller is visible.
A De Havilland Mosquito flying over the Croatian town of Skradin on the Adriatic Coast; Collection: MAPRW, Sortie: 23SD/0244, Frame: 0004 (27 December 1943)

History

The MAPRW had its origins in the Casablanca Conference of 14-24 January 1943. There, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Charles de Gaulle met to discuss the future of Allied operations in the Mediterranean following the successful invasion of French North Africa the previous year.

These discussions led to the creation of the Northwest African Photo Reconnaissance Wing in February 1943 as part of the existing Mediterranean Allied Air Forces. The Wing was initially under the command of Colonel Elliot Roosevelt, the son of the American president.

A black and white aerial photo of the city of Cologne, with a wide river crossed by a railway bridge on the right. The streets are visible, and some buildings have been damaged by bombing. Cologne cathedral is visible just below right of centre.
Cologne Cathedral remained standing despite being struck by several Allied bombs; Collection: MAPRW, Sortie: 106W/0076, Frame: 4030 (22 April 1944)

In November 1943, the specifically British 336(PR) Wing was established as part of the overall North-west African Photo Reconnaissance Wing, and a month later the whole was renamed the Mediterranean Allied Photo Reconnaissance Wing. Throughout 1943 and 1944, the MAPRW became a major provider of target information for raids throughout the Mediterranean region.

Notable MAPRW activity included preparations for Operation Tidal Wave – the dramatic but ultimately ineffective raid by American bombers on Romanian oil refineries at Ploiești – and reconnaissance of the missile testing range at Blizna, Poland where V2 rocket development took place.

A black and white aerial photo of a large rectangular camp filled with numerous rows of huts. Smaller sets of huts sit to the left and right of the main camp. A railway line cuts across the bottom right corner. Fields are visible in the top right.
Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland; Collection: MAPRW, Sortie: 60PR/0462, Frame: 3056 (31 May 1944)

Acquisition

After the Second World War, although much of the MAPRW print library was gifted to the Italian government, a significant portion was transferred to the British School at Rome, before passing to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. In the early 1980s, the material was handed to Keele University in its capacity as an official Place of Deposit, where it joined the Allied Central Interpretation Unit Collection. In 2008 the collections were transferred to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (now Historic Environment Scotland) and became part of the new National Collection of Aerial Photography.

A black and white oblique aerial photo of the sea, with a strip of sky at the top. A harbour is in the distance and the shadow of the reconnaissance plane is visible on the sea. In the top left corner a portion of plane propeller can be seen.
An aerial reconnaissance Lockheed Lightning over Ancona on the coast of Italy; Collection: MAPRW, Sortie: 23SD/0244, Frame: 0009 (27 December 1943)

Scope

The MAPRW Collection – taken by British (RAF), American (USAAF) and South African (SAAF) units between 1942 and 1945 – mostly contains photographs taken throughout the Mediterranean, although coverage also extends into France, Germany, and Eastern Europe.

Geographical coverage
Albania Germany North Macedonia
Algeria Greece Poland
Belgium Hungary Romania
Bosnia & Herzegovina Italy Serbia
Bulgaria Luxembourg Slovakia
Croatia Moldova Slovenia
Czechia Montenegro Switzerland
France Netherlands

collection contents

The Collection is made up of:

  • c.150,000 vertical and oblique aerial photographic prints
  • associated paper sortie plots

Air Photo Finder

A small amount of this collection has been digitised and is available to view on the Air Photo Finder.

Subscriptions

Finding aids are available for this Collection and can be examined with a subscription. 

ArchivesSpace

The whole Collection is accessible via our Paid Image Search and Search Room services. Visit ArchivesSpace to learn about the Collection hierarchies.

Air Photo Finder  Subscriptions  ArchivesSpace - external  

IN THIS SECTION

A black and white aerial photo of about a dozen ships pulled up on a beach. The land beyond the beach has been divided up into a grid, and the scene is slightly obscured by clouds or smoke.

Allied Central Interpretation Unit

The ACIU Collection is home to 5.5 million photographic reconnaissance images taken during the Second World War, providing a visual record of occupied Western Europe.

A colour aerial photo of the Wimbledon area in London. Streets of houses are visible at the right and left edges. A golf course with bunkers and trees occupies the middle. To the left of centre are about 20 tennis courts and a tennis stadium.

British Aerial Survey Firms

NCAP has extensive holdings of photography taken by several important British aerial survey companies over a period of 50 years.

A black and white aerial photo of a city on the edge of the sea. There are buildings and an industrial area in the centre and fields to the right. The photo has been marked with purple pencil highlighting blocks of buildings.

Defence Geographic Centre

The DGC Collection contains aerial photographs of locations around the world, originally used to create maps for issue to British and Commonwealth forces.

A black and white aerial photo of a city. The streets are arranged in a grid. There is a coastline to the right with an area of dark sea at the right-hand edge. To the left are two meandering watercourses and an area of undeveloped wetland.

Directorate of Overseas Surveys

The DOS Collection provides a unique historical perspective, recording the changing landscapes of much of the Commonwealth throughout the 20th century.

A black and white aerial photo of coastal wetlands. The image has the appearance of abstract swirls and patterns in shades of black, white and grey. There seem to be a few trees in the centre and an area of water to the left.

Environment Agency

The EA Collection is a valuable record of the quickly changing coastal landscapes of the south-east of England, from Bournemouth round to Gravesend.

A black and white aerial photomap of a town surrounded by an irregular grid of black and white fields. The photomap is annotated with place names – including Stargard, the name of the town – and is overlaid with numbered map grid squares.

German Air Force

The GX Collection contains photos taken by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, which were then used for intelligence purposes during the Cold War.

An oblique black and white aerial photo of a city with a coastline. The sea is at the bottom left corner. A small number of ships are on the water. The city is made up of what appears to be low-rise apartment blocks. There is a park in the centre.

Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre

The JARIC Collection holds millions of Cold War reconnaissance images and forms unique record of British interests and activities.

A colour aerial photo with a park containing trees and red paths at the left, and Buckingham Palace in the bottom left corner. The River Thames is to the right with the London Eye lying flat over it. The shadow of Big Ben is to the right of centre.

Millennium Mapping

NCAP is home to the Getmapping and UK Perspectives Collections, two parallel projects to create a visual record of the UK at the turn of the millennium.

A black and white oblique aerial photo of an airborne plane from side-on. The plane has one propellor and a see-through cockpit with the pilot visible. There is a rear-facing gun turret, and the fuselage is marked with an American star and ‘312’.

National Archives and Records Administration

The NARA Collection contains worldwide imagery digitised as part of a partnership with the United States National Archives and Records Administration.

A colour aerial photo of the sea, very dark blue to the left and white from the glare of the sun on the right. In the middle a thin peninsula covered in brown grass extends into the sea. It has white cliffs and ends in a series of individual stacks.

Natural Environment Research Council

The NERC Collection contains over 27,300 aerial photographs taken around Europe for research purposes on behalf of the British Geological Survey.

A colour aerial photo of islands surrounded by a deep blue sea. There is one big island left of centre and a small one to the right. The islands have green grass and a mix of rocky and sandy shores. The sea is light blue over the sand.

Scottish Office Air Photographs Unit

The Scottish Office APU Collection provides a remarkable, 100-year record of Scotland’s changing landscapes from 1.5 million aerial photos of Scotland.