World War II: Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance continues to be an important operational activity. The identification and photographic detection of enemy positions and movements remains a fundamental element in a war conducted on the ground and at sea. In WWII, bombers and reconnaissance aircraft take on a different role, that of rescuing and picking up shipwrecked and injured troops, pilots downed in the Mediterranean Sea after being shot down or seamen whose ship has been sunk. During the entire operational cycle of the war, the most commonly used aircraft – and those that prove to be the best performing ones – are the Cant Z.501 seaplanes, and especially the Cant Z.506 ‘Airone’ (heron), that are used for three different tasks: as bombers, as reconnaissance planes and as rescue planes.