Thousands of aerial pictures taken during World War Two have been made available to the public for the first time.

The photographs, which reveal “astonishing level of detail”, include shots of Old Trafford football ground and Newbury racecourse, and were taken by US army air forces (USAAF) stationed in England in 1943 and 1944.

The 3,600 black and white images give a birds-eye view of the country as it changed during the six-year conflict.

One shot shows the bomb damage to the main stand at Old Trafford football stadium in Manchester, after it was hit in an air raid in March 1941.

Manchester United’s home ground wasn’t used for football again until 1949.

The collection has been made available to the public for the first time in an online, searchable map on the Historic England Archive.

Ancient meets modern in a picture of Cissbury Ring, an iron age hill fort in Sussex, surrounded by anti-tank defences, featuring ditches and concrete aimed at slowing a potential enemy advance.

Nearby Worthing Pier is seen with part of its decking removed to make an enemy landing more difficult.

A low-level picture shows part of a US Army camp with troops playing baseball.

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Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “Our USAAF collection records changes taking place in England as a result of the Second World War, as well as capturing fascinating incidental detail, like American troops playing baseball.

“Our collection of USAAF wartime photographs were taken in England by the pilots and aircraft of squadrons that provided intelligence for the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany. This came at a cost, with many pilots killed in the line of duty.

“We are making these images available to the public for the first time online, giving people access to this remarkable collection of historic photographs. They help to highlight the vital role aerial reconnaissance played in the Second World War.”

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