Lorenz & Knickebein landing/bombing aid

[Gerfaut]

Anybody knows how to handle Lorenz blind-landing device, that can for exemple be spotted in Ju88A-1, (partly hidden, left to column) ?
Two lobes (dash & dot) forming one beam have to be setup (supposedly on map), max range 30 miles (48 km) from landing strip.
Just wondering if and how it can be used ingame...

Anybody knows whether the Knickebein device can be used ? It is a modified Lorenz used for early blind-bombing during BOB.

Not to mention the X-Gerät used by KGr.100 Pathfinder unit, but this is another story !

[1.JaVA_Platypus]

I would rather have Level stabilizer and/or course autopilot working and see about the fancy electronics later!

BTW, is it me, or is the Ju-88 compass porked? It seems to be stuck.

[Blackdog_kt]

The course autopilot works in the He111 and the Me110. There is a small issue with it, in that when you match the desired heading with the actual one before engaging it (to prevent sudden course chances once engaged) it stills needs to make a 5-10 degree adjustment. It's like the two rotating compass cards in the gyro-compass are off in relation to each other by that amount of degrees.

For example, if i'm flying a heading of 120 i set the desired heading at 120 and activate the autopilot. Instead of keeping steady, it will gently rock left and right and then settle at 127 degrees (or 113, i can't remember which way it's offset to).

I don't know if this is a bug or a feature (documented inaccuracy in the real-life system?), but it's doable and easy as pie to fly the 111 and 110 this way.

In the Ju88 this doesn't work, because the gyro-compass is bugged: you can read your magnetic compass and input the heading into the gyro-compass, but it won't update its readout and stays stuck at that value. This prevents using the course autopilot, because the autopilot is "fed" information and decides which way to turn by correlating the desired and actual heading from the gyro-compass. Since the actual heading compass card is stuck, you end up with a constantly turning aircraft and a downward spiral.


As for the Lorenz and Knickebein, i would be extremely interested in seeing how they work. I guess that the beams must be placed on the map via the FMB for it to work though and i wouldn't know how to convert a given IAS/TAS and altitude mission profile into a correct spacing for the intersecting beams to give an accurate bomb drop.

[robtek]

Afaik you have a guide beam that the plane rides to the target.
Then you have two intersecting beams.
The position of the first beam isn't that important, just a few km before the target.
The second beam however must be placed exactly in the middle between the first beam and the target!
When the plane reaches the first intersecting beam the pilot starts a special stopwatch,
now the speed and altitude must be kept as exact as possible and of course the guide beam must be ridden!
Upon reaching the second intersecting beam the pilot presses a second button on the stopwatch, which now runs backward.
Upon reaching zero the stopwatch! releases the bombs.

[Gerfaut]

Originally Posted by robtek

Afaik you have a guide beam that the plane rides to the target.
Then you have two intersecting beams.
The position of the first beam isn't that important, just a few km before the target.
The second beam however must be placed exactly in the middle between the first beam and the target!
When the plane reaches the first intersecting beam the pilot starts a special stopwatch,
now the speed and altitude must be kept as exact as possible and of course the guide beam must be ridden!
Upon reaching the second intersecting beam the pilot presses a second button on the stopwatch, which now runs backward.
Upon reaching zero the stopwatch! releases the bombs.

robtek, what you describe applies to the X-Gerät used by 3-mast He111H's of KGr.100 (multi-beam concept). This is already an "advanced" system, for the signals are decoded by airborne apparatus, then used by the crew.

The Knickebein is an evolution of Lorenz blind-landing system. It relies on two powerful beams crossing just right over the target.
The first one emitting dash signals, and dot for the 2nd one.
So the typical usage is as follows : when the airborne operator hears a continuous signal, it's time to release bombs, but the latter action is done manually with Knickebein.

So basically, in order to use this bombing aid in COD, we need :
- 1 beam for dot signals
- 1 beam for dash signals
- the possibility to setup the beams properly in the FMB, so the beams can be crossed on map when right on target.
- 1 dot sound
- 1 dash sound
- 1 continuous sound.
(not to mention the possibility to adjust the sound volume when airborne).

Well, I guess it's definitely less difficult than a trip to the moon, isn't it ?!
But it is a perfectly historical aid used by LW crews during the BOB which could be added (or fixed/documented if already added).

[Sternjaeger II]

for further info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenz_beam