D-Day: Prof. Fred Shotton's modified Photo Reccon Mosquito

[betterfromabove]

Dear all,

Does anyone know where I may find out more about the modified Mossie that military geologist, Prof Fred Shotton, used to photograph the Normandy beaches to prepare for Overlord in order to asses their suitability for landing heavy vehicules?

Some questions that come to mind:
- I understand a special wide glass panel was installed underneath: Was this particularly unusual? Any other mods made?
- Where did it operate out of? Any information on serial number and its fate afterwards?
- What height did it operate at? It seems logical it was low-level.
- Being on the military staff, being on-board for the flight was not such an issue. Must have been a difficult choice for his superiors however: Do we know if there was any disquiet, considering how vital we now know wis work was for Overlord?
- Were similar geological phot reconn operations carried out elsewhere in WW2 (I realise most such operations post-WW2 are still embargoed)?

Some basic info on this topic here in this Geoscientist Magazine article on P.27: https://geoscientist.online/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Geo_NOV2020_WR.pdf

Thanks for anything you can enlighten me on about this extraordinary operation!

BFA

[India Four Two]

I was one of Fred Shotton's students in the late 60s. I knew something of his wartime history, but I hadn't heard about the Mosquito!

F. W. Shotton, FRS, Professor of Geology at the University of Sheffield 1945–1949, and at Birmingham 1949–1974, is best known for his research on Pleistocene geology of the English Midlands. However, during the Second World War he became a distinguished military geologist. From May 1941 to September 1943, based in Egypt, he used hydrogeology to guide development of potable water supplies for British forces operational in the Middle East and northern Africa. Recalled to the UK after campaign victory, from October 1943 he helped plan for the Allied liberation of Normandy by providing terrain evaluation (primarily through preparation of specialist maps and contribution of technical advice) relating to beach conditions, suitability of ground for the rapid construction of temporary airfields, and water supply. Following D-Day, 6 June 1944, he was based in northern France and later Belgium, and was involved with further water supply tasks, discussions on quarrying of aggregate, and assessment of soil conditions likely to influence off-road vehicle mobility or the siting of airfields and military depots, thus contributing to Allied victory in Europe in May 1945. Preparing to go into Germany, he was granted early demobilization to resume his academic career. Wartime achievements generated few of his hundred significant publications, but postwar influenced his inspirational teaching and academic leadership.
https://www.lyellcollection.org/doi/abs/10.1144/1470-9236/07-034

One thing he did tell us, that he was very proud of, was that when he was in North Africa, he got rid of all the water-diviners in the 8th Army and replaced them with geologists!

[betterfromabove]

India Four Two - how lucky you were to be taught by the great man! What a life he had. Love the water-diviners story. As you'll know, geology is much under-appreciated topic that sort you out with the basics when you need it most ;-)
Ted Rose has done an amazing job with colleagues of telling the D-Day geological story. There's little chance of us adding anything new on the bigger picture (perhaps just a new audience), but we might be getting somewhere in shining a new light on the aviation portion.
With the help of the DH Museum archivists, we may even have a candidate for the actual airframe(s) he used for those brave pieces of aerial geology fieldwork. Hopefully you can read the key.aero link: https://www.key.aero/comment/2012638#comment-2012638

[Asturias56]

"One thing he did tell us, that he was very proud of, was that when he was in North Africa, he got rid of all the water-diviners in the 8th Army and replaced them with geologists!"

Did he say which one was most successful?

[betterfromabove]

"One thing he did tell us, that he was very proud of, was that when he was in North Africa, he got rid of all the water-diviners in the 8th Army and replaced them with geologists!"

Did he say which one was most successful?

It's a fair question. :-]

[India Four Two]

Did he say which one was most successful?

He told us the geologists were very successful at finding water. He didn't mention whether they had any luck finding pipes and electrical cables like dowsers apparently can. :)

Via the keyaero link that betterfromabove posted, I found Shotton's obituary, from which I have taken these Western Desert passages:


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x541/shotton_e19b5ebc9ef72f3383ec3d298de6c6492198a336.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1587/shotton2_633887ea14d3e9684969144be82121dc5087e569.jpg

Full obituary here: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsbm.1994.0023

[Asturias56]

did he find any oil? that area is full of oil fields these days...................

[kenparry]

Would need to go rather deeper for that?

[Asturias56]

you might get lucky!!!