Allied aerial reconnaissancephotos over the Owl mountains 1944
| Submitted | Jan. 24, 2022 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Tino Von Struckmann
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
I would like to request a clear copy of the aerial reconnaissance photos taken over the Owl Mountains, especially over Ludwigsdorf and adjacent German installations. Especially GX11680 Mission / negative film number especially 001 - 026 taken 11.12.1944 especially of the project Reise sites.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Tino Von Struckmann
From:
This is an automated reply to inform you that the National Archives and Records Administration received your email.
We have received your request and will respond within 20 working days. Please note that submitting duplicate requests will increase wait times.
If you have any questions, you can call our office at 301-837-3190. You can also visit our web page at www.archives.gov/research/foia.
Notice to NARA Researchers and FOIA Requesters
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.
Thank you.
From: National Archives And Records Administration – Archival Or Special Access
1/31/2022
Tino Von Struckmann
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 123982
411A Highland Ave
Somerville, MA 02144-2516
Dear Tino Von Struckmann,
I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information Act request of
1/24/2022 for records in the custody of the National Archives and Records
Administration. Your request was received in this office on 1/27/2022 and
assigned FOIA tracking number 22-17967.
You requested access to aerial reconnaissance photos taken over the Owl
Mountains, especially over Ludwigsdorf and adjacent German installations,
especially GX11680 Mission/negative film number, especially 001 - 026 taken
11.12.1944, especially of the project Reise sites.
We searched the NARA catalog <https://www.archives.gov/research/catalog> as
well as our finding aids for GX 11680 referred to in your inquiry and did
not locate records associated with this GX number. In order to view foreign
aerial photographs within our holdings, you will need citation information
which includes either a GX number for GX prints or an aerial can number,
spot number and exposure numbers for rolled aerial film. You can gather
this information from aerial overlays. The Cartographic website
<https://www.archives.gov/research/cartographic/aerial-photography> has
step-by-step instructions for locating foreign aerial photography. We also
have blog posts Researching Foreign Aerial Photography
<https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov/2019/09/11/researching-foreign-aerial-photography/>
and Researching Foreign Aerial Photography – Captured German Aerial Prints
<https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov/2019/10/23/researching-foreign-aerial-photography-captured-german-aerial-prints/>
.
The aerial overlays for RG 373 have been fully digitized and are available
to view online in the National Archives Catalog. These overlay indexes are
filed by degree square. To see if an overlay for your degree square is
available, you may enter the coordinates directly into the main search bar
in our catalog as shown in the following examples. Latitude must be two
digits; longitude must be three digits (Examples: 43N072W or 00N049W or
02N043E). You can access our catalog at https://catalog.archives.gov/.
The overlays for your particular area of interest can be found at *51N014E*
<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/44240512> and/or *51N015E*
<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/44240614>*.*
We searched the overlays linked above and located an overlay index dated
December 11, 1944. However, these aerial prints are located in GX 11690
<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/175799547>, not GX 11680 referred to in
your inquiry. For your reference we’ve attached this overlay index. The
citation for these records is below.
RG 373: GX Aerial Prints. GX 11690 SG.
Please note in order to locate specific prints in our GX boxes, you will
need to know the exposure numbers. Copies of records can be obtained
through in-person visits to our research room or hiring an independent
researcher to perform research and obtain copies on your behalf. For more
information about obtaining copies of aerial photographs, please visit our
website <https://www.archives.gov/research/cartographic/order>.
This entry is identified as Record Group 373: German Flown Aerial
Photographs, 1939-1945. As reviewed under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act, there are no restrictions on access and this box is open
and available for research. The stack location is: 331/48/3/3.
You may also wish to contact the National Collection of Aerial Photography
(NCAP) for digitized German Air Force images. Their website is ncap.org.uk.
The Cartographic research room at the National Archives at College Park is
closed due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in Prince George’s County, MD.
Once public health conditions improve and we are able to reopen the
research room we will update our website (
https://www.archives.gov/research/cartographic) with additional information.
If you are unable to come to the National Archives, you may wish to hire an
independent researcher to do research on your behalf. A list of independent
researchers who are familiar with our facilities is available on our web
site at
http://www.archives.gov/research/hire-help/media.html?format=cartographic.
This concludes the processing of your request. If you have additional
questions concerning my review of these records, please contact me directly
at lindsay.muha@nara.gov.
If you are not satisfied with my action on this request, you have the right
to file an administrative appeal within ninety (90) calendar days from the
date of this letter. Appeals must be in writing and may be delivered by
regular U.S. mail or by e-mail. By filing an appeal, you preserve your
rights under the Freedom of Information Act and present the deciding agency
with an opportunity to review your request and reconsider its decision. If
you submit your appeal by regular mail, it should be addressed to the
Deputy Archivist of the United States (ND), National Archives and Records
Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 4200, College Park, Maryland
20740-6001. Both the letter and envelope should be clearly marked “FOIA
Appeal.” If you submit your appeal by e-mail, please send it to
foia@nara.gov, addressed to the Deputy Archivist, with the words “FOIA
Appeal” in the subject line. If you exercise your right to appeal, please
explain why you believe this response does not meet the requirements of the
Freedom of Information Act. All communications concerning this request
should reference FOIA tracking number [XXXXX].
If you would like the opportunity to discuss my response and attempt to
resolve your dispute without initiating the appeals process, you may
contact our FOIA Public Liaison for assistance:
Acting FOIA Public Liaison: Rebecca Calcagno
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Email: DC.foia.liaison@nara.gov
Telephone: 301-837-3190
If you are unable to resolve your dispute through our Public Liaison, the
Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) is the federal FOIA
ombudsman. OGIS offers mediation services to help resolve disputes between
FOIA requesters and federal agencies. You may contact OGIS at the following
address:
Office of Government Information Services (OGIS)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2510
College Park, MD 20740-6001
202-741-5770
1-877-684-6448
*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal
operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may
experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a
substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We
apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and
patience*
Sincerely,
Lindsay Muha
Archivist
Cartographic Branch
--
Lindsay Muha
Archivist
Cartographic Branch
National Archives at College Park, MD
lindsay.muha@nara.gov
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