So, some people say that the pen is mightier that the sword. Sometimes that may be true, but it can also be said that the sometimes the most devastating shots come not from a gun, but a camera.

Above in the picture are cameras that were used during WWII to gather intelligence and determine the effectiveness of bombing missions.

It should be no surprise that the first gun cams came about during WW1, used mainly for training by the British Royal Flying Corps were special versions of the Lewis machine gun were fitted with cameras and took pictures when rounds were fired.

By the time WWII came about, most aircraft contained versions of these cameras. In fact when you are watching a shows about WWII and see all that great dogfight footage, odds are they came from cameras like this.

Besides recording aircraft kills, the cameras were used to determine effectiveness of bombing. By rolling the film during bombing missions it would be much easier to determine whether a target was destroyed, damaged or missed. Sometimes this footage would be released to the public via newsreels, to show the people at home just how that war was going. Another application has seen footage from these cameras being used to identify resources from the other side of the fighting. Pilots and aircraft, units and soldiers.

This technology has continually improved as time has gone by. Between having the cameras on the aircraft, on the personnel and now on satellites, war has never been covered so well.