A camera that was used in the Manhattan Project (Atomic Bomb Drop on Nagasaki)

Looks to me like the only Winnek patent for a camera of this particular design. A filing date of 1947 and an issue date in the 50's would make sense for hardware developed during the war.

His earlier patents seem to pertain to his stereographic process and method for embossing acetate films.
 
A contemporaneous source detailing Mr. Winnek's Trivision:
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/issue_pdf/backmatter_pdf/95/2471.pdf

SCIENCE, 1942:

TRIVISION
A REVOLUTIONARY advance in x-ray- photography was
announced by its inventor, Douglas F. Winnek, of Mount
Vernon, N. Y., at the meeting of the New York State
Medical Society.
Trivision is the name Mr. Winnek gives to his new
technic for better x-ray pictures. By means of a special
film, a single x-ray picture can be made to show length,
breadth and depth-in other words, three dimensions.
With the aid of a grid superimposed or printed on the
emulsion plate of the film, measurements of these dimen-
sions can be made from the same single picture.
A single trivision picture, for example, would show the
surgeon whether a bullet or shell fragment was behind,
in front of or to the side of a bone or other internal body
structure. With the grid he could also measure accurately
the distance of the bullet from the bone or other tissue.
In case of broken bones, Trivision would similarly give
swift, accurate information on the amount of displace-
ment of the broken ends of the bone. To get this infor-
mation at present, Mr. Winnek pointed out, surgeons must
have stereoscopic pairs of x-ray pictures taken, must look
at them in complex viewing devices and use tedious
measuring technics.
Motion can also be reproduced on the Trivision film.
Such actions as the winking of an eye, the rotation of a
clenched fist and the meshing of gears have been recorded
and the motion studied in three dimensions.
Trivision pictures, which can be made in color as well
as black and white, are taken with a scanning camera on
ordinary photographic film embossed on the base side
with microscopically small lens ridges or lentieulations.
Click to expand...
 
I took Fred's advice, and last night I sent an email to the Naval historian, William Timble.

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"Raid the camera says exactly what it is, where it was made, and by whom. The daughter obviously has additional documents, and Naval historians like William F. Trimble, History Dept., at Auburn University, can fill in the rest for you. The camera or its brothers were obviously involved, it is only for the daughter to confirm it by providing documents to PBS, if she is not writing a book herself."
 
ampguy said:
Since Ashworth was on the project since February, and was responsible for finding locations in the Pacific, and 155 practice drops had taken place in UT, NM, and the Pacific, if he did use one of these 3D or experimental x-ray cameras, and he met with and/or showed images from this camera to Truman, it would be interesting historically to know when these meetings took place, and what the images showed.

It would be most interesting if a historian could examine the diary dates and reconcile them with Truman's schedule and see where they could fit on a timeline.
Click to expand...

3D images may yield more information about buildings on the ground than 2D images. We keep returning to the diary dates.
 
As Robert McNamara was quoted in the movie Fog of War, "[Curtis]
LeMay​
said that, If we'd lost the war, we'd all have been prosecuted as war criminals."
Click to expand...
... Which would make this camera an instrument used in a war crime.
 
My War Criminal ... the camera

My War Criminal ... the camera

Nh3 said:
... Which would make this camera an instrument used in a war crime.
Click to expand...

So, do we send the camera to jail or have it tortured or hang it?
The rope better be quite thick!
 
raid said:
So, do we send the camera to jail or have it tortured or hang it?
The rope better be quite thick!
Click to expand...

Raid, you have a sinister looking equipment at your hand with a dark history. I suggest you donate it asap and remove its dark presence from your household. 🙂


But seriously, you might have a better chance with contacting anti-nuclear weapons campaigners and museums or even Japanese embassy to see if they have a use for it.
 
First I need to know the camera's role in WWII, if it had any at all.
The internet has a purpose to it; I have posted the thread on three sites so that googling for the camera becomes easier for people. I hope that interested parties contact me. A 3D Museum Director contacted me yesterday.
 
Nico,

This is an aerial camera that is fixed to infinity focusing. Also, it is so heavy that two peopleor three are needed to put the camera on some cart to move it around "to take snapshots" with it. It also needs a film back.

I would post any photos taken with it if I had any.
 
As you said, many LF cameras use Ground Glass focusing. Others use a rangefinder - like the Graflex Graphic press cameras. I've never seen a LF camera with "no focusing" except perhaps a pinhole camera. Upon re-read of earlier posts I believe perhaps I didn't see that you said it was a 'fixed focus' camera.
 
We are still trying to figure out the secrets of this camera.
Maybe the patent application sketches show some details that reveal the camera type.
 
Another suggestion - consider the Experimental Aircraft Assn (EAA) - the folks that have the massive fly-in every summer in Oshkosh, WI. They have an excellent aviation museum, a big "war birds" group, and I'm pretty sure they have a several members who specialize in air recon history. Pretty sure they have (or had) an air recon display at the museum with a P-51 set up for photo recon.

EAA members are surprisingly like RFF'ers - big interest in obsolescent tech, lots of folks who DIY, lots of collectors, and some folks with BIG money.
 
Dates

Dates

would help to authenticate the latter part of the daughter's claims in your first post, which otherwise conflict with the numerous accounts from biographies and historians who've already published intricate and detailed timelines of minute events and equipment used that led up to the 2 missions.

Good luck with your research -time is not on your side, as the veterans who were involved in these events are passing away and aging quickly.

raid said:
We are still trying to figure out the secrets of this camera.
Maybe the patent application sketches show some details that reveal the camera type.
Click to expand...
 
Douglas Winnek's daughter is very upset at me, and maybe rightfully so.
Her father's legacy is not questionable and she believes that I am after sensationalism by contacting the TV show. I should cancel my request to the PBS producer for investigating my camera.

What a bad start this is.
 
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