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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 0346.PDF
180 FLIGHT FEBRUARY 17TH, 1944 FLAK always the same. In some cases it consists of up to three heavy batteries, each* with four 88 mm. guns and some 2 cm. batteries ; in other cases there are two light batteries, each with twelve 2 cm. guns. While the mixed battalion has up to four light searchlight units, the light Flak battalion has about sixteen. In both cases the search lights are of the 60 mm. type with a range of about 16,000ft. under conditions of good visibility. Heimatflak Searchlight units are motorised and include sound detectors, lighting plant, etc., and have their own signal formations. In some cases these are heavy searchlight battalions com posed of four motorised batteries and equipped with 150 cm. searchlights. In good visibility their range is approximately 25,000ft, At tached to the heavy flak formations they are usually placed at the outer defences of the protected target. While the 60 cm. and 150 cm. searchlights are the most usual, some German units are equipped with searchlights of 100, 150, 200 and 230 cm. lens diameter. If the views of Artillery General Becker, who, since 1911, has been connected with the tech nical development of German Flak, are to be considered as representative of German expert opinion, the role of searchlights is not highly valued. In his view the two main disadvan tages of searchlights are that the light warns the aircraft, and prompts it to evasive manoeuvres, and that their efficiency in cloud is nominal. The anti-aircraft artillery inside Germany, the Heimat flak, consists of motorised heavy and medium batteries and stationary elements, the latter being in strong pre dominance. While the equipment is, of course, of the standard German type discussed elsewhere in this article, the crews are largely composed ©f non-combatant men, part-timers and, more recently, with the increased demands on German man-power by Luftwaffe auxiliaries, boys between 14 and 17 years of age. The methods of aircraft detection and warning, for which wireless is extensively used, has undergone various changes, and little public information is available on this subject. The following description is, however, extracted from enemy sources: "The warning of approaching air craft-is transmitted by wireless from advance watch-boats to coastal stations and is immediately passed on direct 1 The 37 effective mm. (1.45m.) Flak 36, a development of the Flak 30 has an ceiling of 11,800ft. Figures in German flak designations indicate the year in which the type was put in service. telephone lines to all inland report centres as well as to the nearest air watch command, and to the air watch command at Berlin. As soon as enemy aircraft cross over the outer limits of the pre-alert zone of the coastal stations (broken line in Fig. 2) an alarm is given. '' At this stage searchlights, sound detectors and pre dictors are manned, and guns kept ready to fire awaiting orders transmitted electrically. Defence System "As soon as the attacking aircraft cross the alert zone (AZR in Fig. 1) of town A, all railway and industrial establishments are completely blacked out. Searchlights begin to play and some batteries open fire. In the neigh bouring town B there is only the usual partial black-out because the aircraft have not yet crossed the pre-a'ISfc. zone (PAZ) of B. Flak units are not manned except lui guards." There is little doubt that with the intensification of Allied air attacks this method, which is based on reports published early in 1943, has been -» changed and the SS: whole warning sys- t e m substantially accelerated. Close-up of the 88 mm. gun : (1) Re cuperator. (2) Dial Light. (3) Elevation Receiver. (4) Hy draulic Buffer. (5) Balancing Springs. (6) Traversing hand wheel. (7) Cross levellinghand wheels. (8) Elevation hana wheel. (9) Firing lever. (10) Scale. (II) Position of loading tray. (12) Rammer,
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