CCTV cameras were first used to monitor Nazi V-2 rockets: Here's how wartime technology became a global surveillance tool

CCTV cameras are now a routine part of everyday life, watching over streets, airports, shopping malls, banks, and public transport systems. But few people know that the technology was first used during World War II to monitor Nazi Germany's V-2 rocket launches.

The journey from a single military monitoring system in 1942 to today's vast digital surveillance networks spans more than eight decades, driven by breakthroughs in recording, storage, and networking technology.

CCTV's origins trace back to World War II

The earliest known CCTV system was installed in Germany in 1942 to observe the launch of V-2 rockets, the world's first long-range guided ballistic missiles. Unlike television broadcasts, the footage was transmitted through a closed circuit, meaning it could only be viewed within a specific network using wired or point-to-point wireless connections.


Commercial CCTV systems became available in the late 1940s, but they remained limited in their capabilities.

Why early CCTV systems were impractical

The biggest drawback of early CCTV technology was its inability to record video. Since there was no way to store footage, operators had to monitor camera feeds continuously.

The introduction of magnetic tape recording allowed surveillance footage to be stored, but the process was expensive and cumbersome. Reel-to-reel tape systems offered limited storage capacity and required manual replacement, making them impractical for widespread use.

The 1970s changed everything

A major breakthrough came with the arrival of Video Cassette Recording (VCR) technology in the 1970s. Recording, erasing, and replaying surveillance footage became much easier, encouraging wider adoption of CCTV systems.

Further innovations such as multiplexing, which enabled multiple camera feeds to be combined, along with the emergence of affordable digital storage devices, transformed surveillance technology. Modern CCTV systems can now monitor dozens—or even hundreds—of cameras simultaneously while storing large amounts of footage digitally.

When CCTV became a crime-fighting tool

The United States was among the first countries to use CCTV for crime prevention.

The first known installation took place in Olean, New York, in 1968, where cameras monitored the city's main business district. In 1973, CCTV cameras were installed in Times Square, New York. During the 1980s, surveillance networks expanded rapidly across cities in both the United States and Britain.

CCTV use surged after 9/11

Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, CCTV deployment accelerated worldwide. Today, surveillance cameras are commonly installed in banks, railway stations, airports, buses, shopping centres, offices, and public spaces as part of security infrastructure.

Do CCTV cameras actually reduce crime?

Whether CCTV cameras significantly reduce crime remains a topic of debate.

A study by the U.S. Department of Justice examining surveillance systems in different countries found mixed results. Some cities reported measurable declines in offences after CCTV installation. For example, Tokyo recorded fewer vehicle-related crimes and a slight drop in violent incidents after introducing surveillance cameras in 2002. Similar reductions in street robbery and vehicle theft were reported in parts of London, Oslo, and Amsterdam.

However, other locations—including East Brighton in the UK and Glasgow in Scotland—reported little or no reduction in crime following CCTV deployment.

Today, cities such as London, Beijing, Shanghai, Moscow, and Chicago are among those with some of the world's largest CCTV surveillance networks, highlighting how a technology originally developed for monitoring wartime rocket launches has evolved into a key component of modern urban security.