anyone know what this is ?

[Erich]

Guys/Gals :

any of you fine folk know what this little piece of Luftwaffe on-board equipment is ? 8) Used by twin engine crews for both night and day missions............... I will say no more for the time being.

E `

 

[Erich]

here is the opposite side of "my little device"

once you folk guess I will explain in terms from a very good friend who is a Nachtjagd ace...

 

[plan_D]

There's a compass on it, but I'm sure that's not all it is.

 

[evangilder]

Looks like a navigation "computer". (basically a circular slide rule) The US Navy had a similar device to calculate their way home based on their current heading and the heading of their carrier. I don't remember the name of it off the top of my head though.

 

[Erich]

tell me the name and you win the cookie. Yes it is a navigational computer, but what was it called ? in any case this gives me a bit of time to look for my friends e-mails so I can print them off here.......you guys are quick !

Horrido !

E ♪

 

[evangilder]

The English, or German name for it?

 

[evangilder]

English, either a dead reckoning computer or an air navigation plotter

 

[Erich]

whats the Deutsch though ? not that hard....and the unit has a letter and numeral designation

 

[evangilder]

Oh MAN! Now it gets difficult. I don't know German equipment that well...

 

[Erich]

the device's name begins with K

 

[plan_D]

Knickebein?

 

[evangilder]

Dreiecksrechner DR-2? Used for ground speed computations, drift calculations, endurance, flight time calculations and to help establish bearings with radio signals.

Okay, I did look it up. AT least, that's what I THINK it is!

 

[Anonymous]

this is getting fun actually.....

the first two letters are correct Kn

Peter says this :

" the word computer I heard after the war. as far as I remember we had no computers-Rechenmaschinen in our NJ a/c for determine RAF routes. Our problem was always to find these routings when Zahme Sau. A good indication was when a good night fighter was in the stream and shooting down and of course when the bordfünker found the maximum of the falling down of windows, this was the telltale. At this time the ground-organization ws mostly confused and of no help. "

keep trying

 

[Erich]

that was weird, able to post without signing on ? ok

the other name and I am not looking for this is : "Kreisrechner"

E ~

 

[Erich]

Give me another 10 minutes and if no-one guess I will spill the beans........and include more from Peter.. now to find the other mails..

 

[Erich]

ok EvanG is about the closest. Yes it is a DR 2 computer of sorts....

called by the crews a Knemeyer, a Kreisrechner, named after a German navigator before the war. "We used this for computing (rechnene) of groundspeed and true airspeed and wind direction and velocity. I still have one in use and irritated the American captains I was flying with as co-pilot on DC 3 in 1955."

the unit in question is multi used. 3 different rounded slides with a special slide made of acetate-yellow

About 6 incehes across.

made by: Dennert and Pape in Hamburg/Altona, April 1941
Gerät Nr. 127-107 B
Anforderz. Fl 23825

Baumuster: Plath DR2

on the opposite-white side is marked with Temperature in degrees and bove km in height

a very interesting small piece of necessary equipment for the Bördfunker

 

[plan_D]

Nice, and great information.

 

[evangilder]

Wow, even a nickname. Well, I certainly don't have enough knowledge on German equipment to have guess that one! Good one though. Did we all learn something from that one? I know I did!

 

[Erich]

sehr Gut ! well if anyone else has other "goodies" from the Ww 2 aircrat please chime in. will have to look now for some other cool stuff ..........hey what's that laying in the corner ?

 

[Erich]

well it's German WW 2 but it is Heer recon.

here is a pic of the contents