very old aerial photos

[shanew]

hi all can you tell were and when these were taken
I have 13 photos and they all seem to have before and after shots on different days and wow the after are bad any way you guys will have the answers they all have numbers in the top corner and are from different days
are they ww1 I think they date 1918

[shanew]

ok I know they are 3 of them are france I googled cuincy and there if 3 photos of that place before and after so I am guessing ww1 I before

[Jim]

Neuville-sur-l'Escaut is written on one of them. That is a small town - both back then and still today - that is up in the north of France, about 20 kilometers from the Belgian border. It is on the Escaut River hence the second part of the town's name. The nearest city is Lille which is about 30 kilometers to the northwest. You can google the name of the town and click on Maps at the top of the results page to see exactly were it is.

Both sides were taking huge numbers of aerial photos of each other's positions and the surrounding country side every day during the war. Aerial reconnaissance was one of the most important and common missions undertaken by aircraft during the war. Very large numbers of these photos still exist and you can pick them up for relatively modest amounts of money. They make a fun and inexpensive collecting topic. Often you find them with markings on the backs that indicate which squadron took the particular photos plus other details.

[ClinA78]

Any picture taken above Belgium?

Thanks

ClinA-78