... years, the combined total killed in the Crimean War, The American Civil War, The Prussian Wars, The Boer War, The Russo-Japanese War and the Balkan War totaled just over two million. This unprecedented toll of human lives (over 10 million killed) was mainly a result of the mass production of heavy artillery and rapid-firing weapons that were able to hit targets with previously unattainable accuracy. The reason for this accuracy was not so much the static nature of trench warfare but the increasing use of optical munitions, particularly the aerial reconnaissance photograph [Image.1]. Each military advantage resulted from whichever side saw the enemy first. As John Taylor says the science of sight had become one of the most notable features of the war [1]. So vital had this weapon become that by the end of WW1 the RAF (Royal Air Force) had increased it's photographic staff from five in 1914 to ...

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