Greetings! it seems that I have finally meet a comrade also interested in Searchlight hardware! please see http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=63528&p=3&topicID=20173573 in this forum. I worked based in a pre-ww1 searchlight cart photographed by mr. Eric Hagen as it appears in "The ww1 modelling page" photo gallery. Such a valuable images You have provided, thanks You a lot for share this information. I am a searchlight fan and can offer some items of ww2 harware also. If You are interested in more images I can update some this week end. All the best, EDUARDO
Thats a lovely model, but Im wondering about model numbers, and how many of each type of each light would be used in the searchlight section that accompanied each corps at the start of the war? If you had any info Id be extremely thankful. Keep up the modelling work!
The use of Military Searchlights pre date that of aircraft by some years its probarbly the case that these are intended primarily for battlefield use against land targets with anti aircraft being secondary if considered at all.........
heres a stereograph of a smaller french trench searchlight...
In the near decades before the war, German technicalogical manufacturing enjoyed a very lucrative commercial business in Europe, and around the world. Such is the case with the "search light" wagons pictured. ( Italy, for example acquired dozens of them , and they were used time and again while fighting the Austrians. ) The second and third photos above depict the 60cm Scheinwerfer as marketed by the firm of Seimens-Halske. ( yes, the same Seimens AG of today which is the world's largest electronic/engineering company. If you wear a quality hearing aide, for example, chances are it's a Seimens. ) You will note the light is telescopic. The heavy protze( limber ) carried the generator, and trailed connecting wires to the companion wagon to power the instrument. Four of these vehicles were part of every German Korp enventory when the war started. And no, the original intent was not for tracking aircraft at night. Rather, their role was to bathe nocturnal targets with stark elumination for direct-fire weapon systems.
In the near decades before the war, German technicalogical manufacturing enjoyed a very lucrative commercial business in Europe, and around the world. Such is the case with the "search light" wagons pictured. ( Italy, for example acquired dozens of them , and they were used time and again while fighting the Austrians. ) The second and third photos above depict the 60cm Scheinwerfer as marketed by the firm of Seimens-Halske. ( yes, the same Seimens AG of today which is the world's largest electronic/engineering company. If you wear a quality hearing aide, for example, chances are it's a Seimens. ) You will note the light is telescopic. The heavy protze( limber ) carried the generator, and trailed connecting wires to the companion wagon to power the instrument. Four of these vehicles were part of every German Korp enventory when the war started. And no, the original intent was not for tracking aircraft at night. Rather, their role was to bathe nocturnal targets with stark elumination for direct-fire weapon systems.
-- Edited by 28juni14 at 15:32, 2008-11-29
exactly what I was looking for, thanks. How many of the 60cm lights were attached to each Korps?
There were 4 per army corps when Germany went to war. In addition to the searchlight batterie, a Sprechenwagen zug ( telephone wagon ) detachment usually accompanied them. Later, when RFC night raids became particularly annoying they were suplimented by 110cm, and 150cm pieces specifically intended for detecting the night raiders. These larger pieces were less mobile , and usually situated in high-priority target areas. Yet they continued to be used in their original roles as well. ( It was the 110cm, and 60cm pieces that signifigantly aided in the defense of Zeebrugge on St.George's Day in April 1918.)
It is interesting to note that so advanced were their design, these lamps remained technically unchanged during use in WW2; save for the addition of a 200cm model.
I wonder how long a searchlight would last if it was used to illuminate targets on land ? One would have thought it would have attracted bullets and shells like a lantern attracts moths...