The Scheinwerfer-Richtgerät C 43 (K) 200, also known as Scheinwerferrichtgerät C/43 or Vorhaltrechner C 43, is a searchlight aiming device developed during World War Two. It was used to direct the beam(s) of larger 150 cm or 200 cm searchlights onto incoming aircraft. Because a searchlight would present itself as a clear target while scanning the sky blindly in the dark, its beam revealing its own position, an accurate aiming device was essential.
Delay calculator
The device is an analog computer, also called a “delay calculator” (Ger: Verzugsrechner), that was designed to convert an acoustic bearing into an optical bearing, while accounting for the sound travel time. To enable the detection of an acoustic bearing a sound-locator listening device (Ger: Horchgerät) or directional receiver (Ger: Richtungshörer) was used, like the Horchgerät C 39 or the Ringtrichter-Richtungshörer (RRH), although the latter had an integrated delay computer installed on the back of the device.
The determined direction was verified using mounted sighting telescopes and transmitted the directions electrically to the connected searchlight, like the Scheinwerfer 43.
Acoustic direction-finding
Before the start of World War Two, listening devices were the primary direction finders for anti-aircraft search light batteries and FlaK batteries. With the introduction of radar devices like the FuMG/FuSE, which performed the task of aircraft detection faster and more accurately, the role of listening devices was gradually limited to guiding searchlights during the war. But as the supply of these radar systems was just enough to supply the anti-aircraft batteries, listening-devices remained in use until the end of World War Two. The acoustic direction-finding principle was also kept as a fall-back system in case of enemy radar interference.
General information
This is the general information given by WTS Koblenz:
- Weight
1140 kg - Year of manufacture
1943 - Manufacturer
“Universelle” Cigarette Machine Factory, J.C. Müller & Co., Dresden A34 (akb)
Universelle-Zigarettenmaschinenfabrik J.C. Müller & Co
In 1898, engineer Otto Bergsträßer founded “Universelle” in the German city of Dresden. The company manufactured machines for producing cigarettes with cardboard filters, mouthpiece sleeve machines, as well as the first continuous-feed (strand) machines.
Expansion
From 1915, the company operated under the name Universelle-Zigarettenmaschinenfabrik J.C. Müller & Co in English “Universelle Cigarette Machine Factory, J.C. Müller & Co“. The company acquired various other machine factories in Dresden. Its product range included a wide variety of items, such as tobacco roasting and cooling machines; tobacco loosening, mixing, and sieving machines; automatic box-filling machines; packaging and labeling machines; chocolate cigarette machines; as well as motorcycles and printing presses.
Wartime production
From 1936, the company partially transitioned to armament production. Supplied items included, among others, aircraft parts, machine guns, searchlights, torpedoes, and weapon guidance systems. The latter presumably included the Scheinwerfer-Richtgerät C 43.
Forced labour
During the Second World War, foreign and forced laborers, prisoners of war, and concentration camp inmates were utilized in the production. At the Florastraße 14 in Dresden, Universelle established Plant III as an external camp of the Flossenbürg concentration camp. Beginning in October 1944, 700 female prisoners from the Ravensbrück concentration camp, who were subordinate to Flossenbürg, were also brought in for labor.
In Februari 1945 the factory complex was largely destroyed during an Allied bombing raid on Dresden.
Post war
Based on the Saxon referendum of June 30, 1946, the company was transferred to public ownership (Volkseigentum) and was initially named VEB Universelle-Werke Dresden.
Surviving Scheinwerfer-Richtgerät C 43 (K) 200
This Scheinwerfer-Richtgerät C 43 (K) 200 on Mount Kb 36 c was photographed at the Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung (WTS) in Koblenz, Germany.
Sources
- wikipedia.org
- festungswerke-cuxhaven.de
- bundeswehr.de
- museumwaalsdorp.nl
- archiv.sachsen.de
- koerber-stiftung.de
