Das Bf-110 mit Spanner-Anlage (I.R sensor)

[phat trev]

Would anyone know of any photos of BF-110-D3/U1 with the Spanner-Anlage Inra-red sensor? was it fitten to a number of Bf-110 fighters or just the one? BF-110-D3/U1 G9+CM (the only one I have found so far..)

I have found that the sighting aid was fitted to find RAF night bombers (Wellingtons etc.) early in the war. Used to seek out 'enemy' (er...our) engine exhaust heat, the Brits soon figured out they were to fit shrouds to the aircraft masking any heat patterns so ended the use of Spanner' (arn't we clever..)

[Ed Russell]

Look here http://www.luftwaffe-experten.org/forums/i...p?showtopic=199

Also, I haven't seen the first or last but here's some more pointers.

According to Mr Owl Decals there is a photo of Bf 110 D-3 G9+CM in the book The Other Battle : Luftwaffe Night Aces Versus Bomber Command from Peter Henchliffe and in one of Theo Boiten´s books Night Airwar or Nachtjagd there is Bf 110 D G9+CM in an emergency landing sometimes in 1942.

Apparently G9+EH of 1./NJG 1 crashed and overturned on Boenninghardter airfield on 21/22-08-40 and there is a photo here http://www.flughafen-boenninghardt.de/heimatschutz.htm but I can't see the Spanner pod!

Also, there is reputedly an image in "Die Deutsche Luftwaffe, Zerstorer-und Nachtjagdverbande Teil 1" by Meyer & Stipdonk [VDM, 2006] which is captioned as three Bf110C/D in flight all belonging to I./NJG 1. This includes one coded G9+EH and a pod can just be made out under the fuselage.

If anyone has these pictures I also would love to see them.

Edit - My understanding is that Spanner-Anlage was an active IR system, using IR illumination from that pod under the nose and did not rely at all on passive detection of exhaust radiation. Exhaust shrouds were more to hide the bright light from exhausts than the heat. Spanner was soon dropped in favour of radar but apparently development went on till the end of WW2. Popular translation Spanner = Peeping Tom, Anlage = Installation, although this may be apocryphal, Spanner also being (I believe) the night flying Geometer spp moths in German.

Edited September 11, 2010 by Ed Russell

[FalkeEins]

Also, there is reputedly an image in "Die Deutsche Luftwaffe, Zerstorer-und Nachtjagdverbande Teil 1" by Meyer & Stipdonk [VDM, 2006] which is captioned as three Bf110C/D in flight all belonging to I./NJG 1. This includes one coded G9+EH and a pod can just be made out under the fuselage.

If anyone has these pictures I also would love to see them.

it's a distant shot of a black silhouette against the sky - absolutely nothing to see apart from the vague outline of a fuselage pod (possibly..)

[phat trev]

Thanks ed, thats very interesting. And the links are a bonus. thankyou.