Dbq Essay Questions

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(U) Essay Exam Question 1.
(U) How did British employment of aerial reconnaissance for intelligence differ between World Wars One and Two? At what echelons (tactical, operational, strategic) did such intelligence play a role during each conflict and why?
(U) The actual full utilization of aerial reconnaissance using heavier than air platforms occurred during World War I. The use of this new technology aided field commanders, and gave strategic planners unprecedented insights into enemy dispositions, capabilities and extrapolated battlefield intentions. The British employment of aerial reconnaissance was mainly tactical during World War I and was used to map out the battlefield by cartographically plotting out the Forward Edge of the Battlefield, …show more content…

This threat became even more omnipresent when the USSR detonated their first atomic bomb on 29 August …show more content…

There was a real concern that the United States was falling behind in the nuclear arena and this led to gaps in what the Soviets had or did not have. These threats were known as the “Bomber Gap” or “Missile Gap.” To counter the uncertainty, Presidents Truman and Eisenhower both supported the creation of the U-2 and Corona/Discoverer satellite programs. On 24 November 1954, Eisenhower gave the go-ahead to build 20 U-2 aircraft. The U-2 first operationally flew in 1956 and completed 24 missions over the Soviet Union before the Francis Gary Powers shoot down by an SA-2 Guideline missile on 1 May 1960. About the same time that the U-2 took its first flight in the summer of 1956, the CIA embarked on the Discoverer/Corona program. After years of attempts, the first successful acquisition of imagery from Corona/Discoverer program occurred with Discoverer XIV on 18 August 1960, just three months after the cessation of U-2 flights over the Soviet