U.S. Air Force
Combat Camera
The airmen who document warfare from inside it. Combat Camera operators deploy with combat forces to capture imagery for intelligence, operations, public affairs, and the historical record. They carry cameras instead of rifles into the same firefights.
From WWII Film to Digital
1942 - Present
WWII
AAF COMBAT CAMERA
AAF
Army Air Forces
BDA
Battle Damage Assess
Recon
Photo Intelligence
Film
COMBAT FOOTAGE
Army Air Forces combat photographers flew bombing missions to document strike results for battle damage assessment. Their reconnaissance photography was critical intelligence for planning subsequent raids. The footage they shot became the historical record of the air war over Europe and the Pacific. Many of these cameramen were killed in action flying the same missions as the bomber crews they documented.
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MODERN
JOINT OPERATIONS
OIF
Iraq Documentation
OEF
Afghanistan Ops
SOF
Embedded Operations
Digital
HIGH-DEF CAPTURE
During OIF and OEF, Combat Camera operators embedded with units across both theaters. They documented air strikes, ground operations, humanitarian missions, and detainee operations. Their imagery supported intelligence analysis, legal proceedings, and public affairs. Combat Camera airmen have earned Bronze Stars, Air Medals, and Combat Action Medals. They go where the fight is and bring back the proof.
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COMCAM
Combat Camera
1st
Combat Ops Spt Sqn
3N
Visual Info AFSCs
Joint
DoD Asset