La Telephotographie Aerienne
French footage of Aerial Kite Photography Drill

The film was filmed on July 15, 1915, at Carency Saint Eloi in France, about 250 kilometers north from Dieppe.

This was the only time the army had the right to make images on the front. Information was heavily censored. Only clean images of the horrific war were used, so as not to demoralize the civil populations.

It is possible that this film was shown to the public in cinémas with the military news, but it was primarily a documentary for the state chief warrant officer. During wartime, it was important to know enemy positions & the effectiveness of artillery barrages, & kite aerial photography represented one of th very safest ways to get this information.

The servicemen seen in the film are a part of a regiment of aerostiers servicemen. Unlike most of the horsedrawn French Army of the time, they were motorized, even equipped with a motorized darkroom. In 1915, this film represented the highest development of tecnology in the service of war.