4.13 development update discussion and feedback

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Sita

it very interesting thing ... in VVS RKKA in some special cases AAA projector was used like some support equipment for night mission ...
that video is example of some of that equipment ...
ground crew take AAA projector and put it on ground to target direction with some time periods ... or make some figure by light ray from projector .... like arrowhead in video ...

So, searchlights were used to form a "pointer" which guided the bombers along the correct flight path to the target?


I thought that it might have something to do with the way that searchlights were used to track aircraft for night fighters and AAA guns.

Historically, searchlight batteries were ordered to search particular sectors of the sky, possibly guided by radar or sound ranging equipment.

Once one searchlight detected a plane, two or more other searchlights in the area would then quickly focus their beams on the same plane.

The multiple converging beams made it almost impossible for the plane to escape the searchlights by taking evasive action, and clearly identified the plane to flak and night fighters.

So, to get night AAA ops right, you'd need to have searchlights randomly sweep the sky (or sweep certain sectors of the sky, with some aid from radar) until they detect a hostile target.

Searchlights can also detect a target when it silhouettes itself under clouds or against the moon, or a target makes itself visible (fire or turning lights on).

Then, 2+ searchlights converge on the target, and all the lights track it until the plane is out of range.

AI planes will attempt evasive action (typically by "corkscrewing") while the searchlights attempt to follow it.

Flak automatically "sees" and preferentially targets planes being tracked by searchlights. (Even if they can't see the plane, they can still aim using the converging searchlight beams. Later in the war, some flak was radar directed.)

Night fighters automatically "see" and home in on planes being tracked by searchlights.

Night fighters with radios can command flak batteries to stop firing once they begin their intercept.