Peenemunde Discovery

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 7,989

Just curious...anyone know what Mark of recce Spitfire discovered the German facility at Peenemunde?

Original post

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

I would suggest that the proving ground at Peenemunde, which was established pre-war was, almost certainly well known of long before any Spitfire flew over it to take pictures.

Moggy

Member for

14 years 9 months

Posts: 699

IIRC Sidney Cotton flew over in his Lockheed 12A

Regards

Member for

18 years

Posts: 256

Phantom II

Did you mean to ask which aircraft took the first aerial photograph of a V1 on Peenemunde? (No, I don't know the answer).

DD

Member for

11 years 8 months

Posts: 1,354

According to the superb history of the German rocket program, "The Rocket Team" by Ordway and Sharpe, " pg 78, the Peenemund establishment was first photographed on May 15th 1942, when Flt Lt D.W Stevenson was on his way to cover Swinemunde following a photographic mission over Kiel."

It does not describe the aircraft, so perhaps somebody can trace the pilot and squadron and make the deduction. I would have thought it was a PR Mosquito that far in.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

Phantom II

Did you mean to ask which aircraft took the first aerial photograph of a V1 on Peenemunde?

That I would guess is what was meant, or even which aircraft was tasked to take the first recce shots of Peenemunde?

Certainly it wasn't discovered by aerial reconnaissance; it was revealed to the UK intelligence in November 1939 - The Oslo Report

http://www.v2rocket.com/start/chapters/peene/oslo_report.html

Moggy

Member for

14 years 6 months

Posts: 26

F/L D.W. Steventon [not Stevenson] was a member of 1 PRU. His photos of Peenemunde were the first to cover the facility, though at the time the significance of the site was not known. He was flying Spitfire PR.IV R7037.

Best Regards

Andy Fletcher

Member for

11 years 8 months

Posts: 1,354

What colour underpants was he wearing on the flight ! :)

Member for

17 years 1 month

Posts: 354

Does anybody know the colour scheme of R7073 ? Please .

Member for

14 years 6 months

Posts: 26

What colour underpants was he wearing on the flight ! :)

The ORB doesn't record what colour his pants were on this sortie but it is probable they were PRU blue so that the Germans couldn't see them at high altitude.

Member for

14 years 6 months

Posts: 26

Does anybody know the colour scheme of R7073 ? Please .

Hi OHOPE,

R7037 would have been overall PRU blue.

Best Regards

Andy Fletcher