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A historic black and white oblique aerial photo of a large camp. The camp comprises numerous tents arranged in blocks, interspersed with larger buildings. A road runs through the camp and there is a train on a railway at the bottom of the image.
 

Image of the Month: At the end of the Second World War, United States Army Air Force (USAAF) aircraft of the 111th (Tactical Reconnaissance) Squadron flew numerous sorties over newly liberated France. In the process, fascinating aerial images of a country just starting its recovery from war were created. This one from November 1945 shows US Army Redeployment Camp 'Detroit', near Laon. It was one of more than a dozen 'City Camps' (so-called as they were all named after American cities) centred around Reims. These were originally intended to process American personnel for redeployment to the Pacific Theatre in preparation for Operation Downfall (the invasion of Japan), but when Japan surrendered, they were used instead for repatriation. 'Cigarette Camps' – located closer to ports and named after cigarette brands – were where soldiers actually left France from. The camps were also used to process liberated American POWs and temporarily confine German POWs. 

This image is one of just thousands that have been processed by our fantastic volunteer team. You will be able to find out more about our volunteers in next month's newsletter, celebrating International Volunteer Day. 

Image credit: Collection: NARA, Sortie: 111TRS/R/0052, Frame: 0007 (18 November 1945) 

View Image in Air Photo Finder


Welcome to our penultimate newsletter of 2025! Our image of the month this month sheds some light on a little-known story of the Second World War – the dozens of huge camps that were needed to successfully repatriate millions of men. Thanks to the contributions of our volunteer team, we are now able to share these images and stories. 

Elsewhere in this month's newsletter you can find out about just some of the many artists who contributed to the war effort at RAF Medmenham. From ballet dancer and choreographer Frederick Ashton to prominent art historian David Baxandall, their unique skills and eye for detail were valued at the Allied Central Interpretation Unit. Perhaps most exciting is the presence of official Disney Legend Xavier 'X' Atencio! You can read all about him on ncap.org, and if that whets your appetite a biography of X has been published this month. 

Having flown past 1 million images last month, we are continuing to upload regular batches of imagery to our online portal – you can keep up to date with our uploads through our regular release notes. Our Scan on Demand service is still running for any imagery that hasn't yet been digitised and you can't find on our online portal. Timescales will be a bit different over Christmas to usual, so make sure you check what the deadlines are for orders. 

We hope you enjoy exploring this month’s newsletter!    

Best wishes, 

The NCAP Team 
   
   
A historic black and white photo of two men with dark hair in US Air Force uniforms consulting some paperwork. One man holds a smoking cigarette. In the background a third man and a woman are talking.   A man with a beard and red mohawk operates a flatbed scanner. He is wearing a blue lab coat and black gloves. One hand lifts the lid of the scanner while the other rotates the film spool set over the scanner. A computer monitor and some boxes are out of f
           
Artists at Medmenham  Festive Delivery Timescales 
   
This month, we have published a short series of articles on some of the many artists who served at RAF Medmenham. With its ocassionly unorthodox recruitment policy and need for unique skills, Medmenham had more than its fair share of academics and creatives. Particularly exciting is the presence of official Disney Legend Xavier 'X' Atencio, who worked on Fantasia and Dumbo, among much else!   

Image courtesy the Medmenham Collection		 Our Scan on Demand service will continue to run over the festive period for not-yet digitised imagery. The NCAP office will be closed on the 25-26 December 2025 and 1-2 January 2026 bank holidays. Standard and Express Delivery will be unaffected, while the deadline for Super Express Delivery will be 10:00 on 17 December. 
   
Read More Find out more
   
 
 
A historic black and white vertical aerial photo of a bombed city. Numerous roofless houses and craters are visible. To the left of the image are trains in some railway sidings. To the right are boats on a canal.   https://www.ncap.org/news/2025/image-release-note-0021
           
Air Photo Finder Update  Xavier 'X' Atencio: The Legacy of An Artist, Imagineer, and Disney Legend 
   
By the end of October, total uploads to Air Photo Finder reached 1,028,267 frames across 7,654 sorties. The latest October release of 10,355 frames focussed on Second World War aerial imagery sourced from NARA, with a strong emphasis on wartime France and Germany.  This month's series on artists at RAF Medmenham has been inspired by the publication of the official biography of Disney Legend Xavier 'X' Atencio. It depicts the life, art, and lasting legacy of Atencio, detailing how he put himself into his work and used his talents, passion, humour, and creativity to inspire generations.

Image courtesy the Medmenham Collection. 
   
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