Piercing the Fog - Air Force Historical Studies Office

Bibliography
invaluable. Complementing the technical information presented by Stanley is
the narrative approach offered in Unarmed and Unafraid. A survey history of
air combat reconnaissance, its chapters on World War I1 are especially useful
for providing a sense of the problems American aerial reconnaissance faced in
the early period of the war.
Material on both photoreconnaissance and photointerpretation is scattered
throughout the records of the numerous air commands contained in the files of
the Air Force Historical Research Agency. Useful official material is in the
folders on Photo Intelligence in the General Carl Spaatz Collection at the
Library of Congress and in the HQ USSTAF “History of the Directorate of
Intelligence” in the same collection. Both contain documents regarding the
debate over the creation of an independent American photointelligence
capability.
The most useful secondary source-indeed, one of the very few-for Y
intelligence is The Enemy Is Listening by former British WAAF Aileen Clayton.
Clayton, like Babington-Smith in photointerpretation, was an early entrant into
signals intelligence. She had extensive and intensive experience in Britain and
the Mediterranean, and her ability to explain the technical aspects of this
somewhat arcane and unromantic aspect of intelligence is unsurpassed.
For the strategic air war in Europe, the USAF’s collection of Eighth and
Fifteenth Air Force records is essential. Particularly useful both in identifying
the main issues and in providing guidance to other primary documents is the
multivolume “History of the Eighth Air Force” prepared by that headquarters
throughout and immediately after the war. Air Force records in the 142 series,
Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, and Predecessors, are useful for providing
the Air Staff intelligence perspective on specific issues, including operations
against the submarine pens, and detailed studies by the Air Intelligence Service
on strategic target systems in Germany. Also invaluable for the European air
war is the War Diary of the Research and Analysis Branch, OSS London,
volume 5, “Economic Outpost with Economic Warfare Division,” RG 226,
National Archives. Although written in the “weren’t-we-great’’ style characteris-
tic of many organizational histories, this study is must reading for an under-
standing of the organization and methodology of the Enemy Objectives Unit,
crucial in the Eighth Air Force targeting and damage assessment effort. RG 226
also contains the many detailed target studies prepared by EOU.
Air intelligence in North Africa is more difficult to track through the
documents than are operations in and from the United Kingdom. In part this
reflects the transient nature of all aspects of North African operations when
contrasted with the more permanent organization, location, and facilities
available in the UK. Additionally, the several changes in command structures
and the joint nature of operations and intelligence necessitate a broad sweep
through sources. Important files include those of the Twelfth Air Force
(AFHRA Gp 650), Northwest African Air Forces (AFHRA Gp 61 2), Northwest
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