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Military Intelligence Files: Land, Sea & Air, 1938–1974

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Black and white retro image of Lancaster bombers from Battle of Britain in World War Two.

Second World War and Cold War intelligence reports from the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force

The collection provides a definitive and unrivalled source covering international relations, military history and the role played by service intelligence from the Second World War to the early Cold War.
Stephen Twigge,  Former Head of Modern Collections, The National Archives (UK)

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Discover how military intelligence agencies surveyed and countered the Axis and Soviet threats

An image of an aircraft spotter searching the sky with binoculars during the Battle of Britain, World War 2. St. Paul's Cathedral is in the background.

Part of British Online Archives's wide-ranging World Wars series, the resources contained within this collection shed light on the activities and attitudes of British military intelligence agencies during the Second World War and Cold War.

The majority of the documents are weekly, monthly, and quarterly intelligence summaries produced by the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force. In addition, two volumes include records from the British Commanders’-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany (BRIXMIS), providing a fascinating insight into the internal politics and strategic calculations of Warsaw Pact countries.

The images were scanned from paper at the National Archives (UK), with Admiralty (ADM 223), Air Ministry (AIR 22 / AIR 40), Foreign Office (FO 371) and War Office (WO 208) files all featuring heavily. The collection is also accompanied by a contextual essay written by Dr Stephen Twigge, former Head of Modern Collections at The National Archives (UK). 

Contents

Military Intelligence Files: Land, Sea & Air, 1938–1974...

Second World War and Cold War intelligence reports from the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force

Discover 
An image of a Navy submarine partly submerged in the sea.

Highlights

Map of the north-western European mainland, titled Dispositions of German and Italian Forces in Holland, Belgium and France.

Licensed to access Quarterly Army Intelligence Summaries, 1955-1962

The 1950s and early-1960s marked a dangerous period in East-West relations, particularly in terms of the nuclear balance of power. These summaries cover everything from the Suez Crisis to the infamous U-2 incident.
Black and white photograph of a boat on fire.

Licensed to access Weekly Naval Intelligence Summaries, 1940-1945

Much of the Second World War was fought at sea. These weekly naval summaries detail fleet and ship movements, notable battles, and the struggle to protect vitally important merchant shipping lanes.
Black and white aerial photograph of a German bomber plane flying over east London.

Licensed to access Secret Intelligence Reports of the Royal Air Force, Jan 1946-Dec 1946

These reports deal with the aftermath of the Second World War. An overview of the Luftwaffe, based on interviews with Generalfeldmarschall Robert Ritter von Greim and test pilot Hanna Reitsch, is of particular interest.
Identity card with entries blacked out and face blurred, featuring a red Top Secret stamp.

Licensed to access BRIXMIS personnel files, 1947-1970

BRIXMIS personnel were stationed behind the Iron Curtain in a liaison role. In addition to relevant reports, correspondence, and photographs, these files contain information on defectors to and from Warsaw Pact nations.

Insights

  • The respective intelligence branches of the three armed services were largely autonomous until 1964, when they were combined to form a unified Defence Intelligence Staff within the Ministry of Defence.
  • During the period covered by this collection, intelligence gathering evolved, with new technologies allowing for more detailed—and perhaps more accurate—reports and estimations.
  • The types of reports varied, too, with the military and international political context determining the volume of content produced. During the Second World War, for instance, every branch of the armed forces compiled weekly secret intelligence summaries. Afterwards, this only applied to the Royal Air Force.
  • This shift was also reflected in the nature of the content. For obvious reasons, armed forces intelligence reports during the period 1939-1945 were focused on theatre level strategy and tactics. Cold War reports, meanwhile, paid more attention to the internal politics of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact nations.
  • The records of the British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany, also known as BRIXMIS, are particularly concerned with such matters.
  • BRIXMIS dispatches to the Foreign Office served to contextualise armed forces summaries, which surveyed Russian military might and intentions, including troop movements and counter-intelligence efforts.
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Related Media

A photograph of WAAF radar operator Denise Miley plotting aircraft on a cathode ray tube in the Receiver Room at Bawdsey 'Chain Home' station, May 1945.

British Military Intelligence in Context, 1938-1974 Contextual Essays

Military Intelligence Files: Land, Sea & Air provides access to secret British government files produced by the intelligence branches of the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. Held by The National Archives of the United Kingdom, and covering the period 1938 to 1974, the collection provides a definitive... Read more →
Dr. Stephen Twigge
Published 5th December, 2019

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