Unseen aerial photos of UK in World War Two, including bombed out football stadium, available to public for the first time
16 August 2023, 12:32
Thousands of aerial photos of the UK during World War Two have been made available for the first time.
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The 3,600 photos, taken by the US air force during the war, show how the UK was changing during the conflict.
The collection includes images of a bombed out Old Trafford stadium, ancient monuments in West Sussex surrounded by American troops, and soldiers relaxing at an army camp in Wiltshire.
The photos, taken in 1943 and 1944, were taken by US units stationed in the UK during the war.
Washington formally joined the Allied struggle against the Nazis in 1941.
The photos were taken as practice for reconnaissance planes, who would later be used to spy on the Nazis.
Manchester United's stadium Old Trafford was first hit in 1940 and largely destroyed in 1941. The stadium was not used again for football until 1949.
Photographers also documented Cissbury Ring Iron Age hillfort in Worthing, surrounded by defence installations in case of an enemy invasion, as well as other ancient monuments.
In a separate photo, troops are seen playing baseball at a US army camp in Wiltshire.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: "Our USAAF collection records changes taking place in England as a result of the second world war, as well as capturing fascinating incidental detail, like American troops playing baseball.
"Our collection of USAAF wartime photographs were taken in England by the pilots and aircraft of squadrons that provided intelligence for the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany.
"This came at a cost, with many pilots killed in the line of duty."
