Suomen Maavoimat в "Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin" Device

Экспериментируя с новыми световых устройств связи, Тигерстедт сделал открытие, что замешательство быстрое мерцание света от передатчика был несколько дезориентирует к наблюдателю. Это, в свою очередь, привело его вниз путь исследований о влиянии мерцающие огни - и его интерес был взволнован открытием, что имело место значительное количество предыдущих исследований осуществляется на дезориентирует сила мерцающие огни. Идея нападения освещении казалось бы первым пришло в голову, капитан Оскар де Торен, Королевского флота, в 1915 году. Его предложение заключается в использовании мощного света projecters на механических транспортных средствах (позже танков), чтобы они могли двигаться по освещенного поля в ночное время. Намерение состояло в том, чтобы скрыть все продвижении за освещенной передней и так полностью ослепить врага, чтобы придать прицельный огонь с его стороны невозможно. После его идея была отклонена военным министерством в 1917 году и снова в 1922 году, де Торен получила разрешение представить его правительству Франции. Между тем в Англии эта идея была обнародована собственности в триллере озаглавленном "Око за око".

В 1933 году синдикат, известный как синдикат де Торен, была сформирована с г-н Марсель Mitzakis (гражданин Великобритании греческого происхождения) был его менеджером. Генерал-майор J.F.C. Фуллер был его технические консультации, а герцог Вестминстерский финансировал. Первый судебный процесс во Франции состоялся в 1934 году, а вторая, с улучшением аппарата, в Шалон в 1936 году в котором приняли участие представители войны Office. Это привело в Военное министерство запрашивает синдиката произвести демонстрацию в Англии. Это произошло в феврале 1937 года на равнине Солсбери приняли участие Эрик Тигерстедт, который связался Mitzakis на раскрытии того, что над этим работают. Демонстрация была достаточно удовлетворительными, что британское военное министерство заказаны три комплекта устройства для дальнейших испытаний. Со своей стороны, Тигерстедт вернулся в Хельсинки убеждены, что здесь была эффективным оружием, и он быстро создал небольшую команду для дальнейшего углубления возможностей. Основанные на воздействии оптического голос-коммуникатора и наблюдений испытаний Великобритании, первые эксперименты были проведены командой Тигерстедт, где было установлено, что высокая скорость мерцания мощный свет на определенной частоте была очень дезориентации эффект на наблюдателя. В сущности, быстрое мерцание вызвал наблюдателей учащихся расширяются и сжимаются очень быстро, временное ослепление и дезориентирует их.

Полный масштаб испытаний были проведены в середине 1937 года, за свет угольной дугой в 12 миллионов свечей власти. Было обнаружено, что, когда этот свет был установлен на устаревших общевойсковое Экспериментальная танковых частей и мелькали быстро, это было невозможно для «врага» сил, чтобы найти автомобиль точно. В одном из тестов, Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin оборудованных транспортным средством управляло к противотанковой пушки. Даже сейчас, когда он закрылся с 2000 метров до 500 метров, артиллеристы (стрельб раундов, каждый принимает) не смогли попасть в танк. Когда попросили нарисовать маршрут, пройденный Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin equippped танк, наблюдатели обратили прямой линии, в то время как на самом деле бак был пересечении диапазона из стороны в сторону. Было также обнаружено, что быстрое мерцание действительно очень дезориентирующий, с эффектами, включая головокружение, потеря равновесия и тошнота. Было установлено, что этот эффект может быть дополнительно повышена путем быстрого переключения цветов.

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Ну а по поводу носителя - здесь:
http://www.aviarmor.net/tww2/tanks/gb/d … k1_vcl.htm

The Matilda I-Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin Turret: the light operator sat on the left side of the turret and was provided with asbestos gloves so that he could change the hot carbon arcs when they burned out. He was also provided with a machine gun in the turret front. The Matilda I was a two-man tank, with a Driver and a Commander. Besides operating the light and the machine gun, the commander had to direct the driver and operate the wireless. There being no room in the turret for the wireless, it was placed in the hull and the commander had at first to duck down inside to operate it (by the time of the Winter War, Tigerstedt-designed headphones and a mike were in use which were voice-activated and reduced the need to duck down to operate the radio, improving combat coordination somewhat).

Suomen Maavoimat Matilda Mk I Tank fitted with a Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin Turret. A small number of Matilda MkI’s had been ordered by the Maavoimat in early 1937 and delivered towards the end of the same year. The Maavoimat converted them for use with the Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin. The Matilda Mk I had a Speed of 8mph on road and a maximum of 5.6mph off-road, with a range of 80 miles.

The Suomen Maavoimat’s “Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin” Device (continued)

The basic principle of the Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin device was founded on the proven physiology of the way the eyes react to light - if bright light falls on the eye, the pupil contracts to shut out the excess light. Conversely, if the light is suddenly extinguished the pupil dilates in an effort to increase the amount of light falling on it. The theory was that if a bright light was shone through a mechanically driven shutter, set to open and close at a certain frequency, the onlooker would become virtually blind as his eyes would be continually trying to adjust themselves to ever changing conditions. The early experiments had borne this theory out and a decision was made to equip a number of tanks with the device. In early 1938, the Maavoimat’s program to fit out a complete Armoured Division was well underway (we will look at this program when we come to study the Maavoimat’s equipment and organisation in detail) and it was decided to equip the small number of British Matilda I tanks with the lights.

Aproximately 45 Matilda I’s had been ordered from the UK’s Vulcan Foundry in May-1937, but by the time the tanks were delivered in early 1938, the experience of the Finnish volunteers in the Spanish Civil War had led the Maavoimat (and primarily the Maavoimat’s Combined Arms Experimental Unit who had a major influence on such decisions) to the conclusion that a tank armed with a mere machinegun and with no practical anti-tank weapon was not particularly useful. With enough Matilda I’s to equip two full Tank Company’s, it was decided that a practical use for them would be to fit them with Tigerstedt’s Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin device’s, and combine them with newer tanks in a special tank battalion.

The work to convert the Matilda I’s was conducted in great secrecy. A new turret was designed, divided into two compartments (the new armoured turret was built by Bofors as Finland did not have the technology to cast steel tank turrets – and in fact did not manage to do this through the entire duration of WW2. Bofors were kept in the dark as to what would be fitted inside the turret). The operator sat in the left hand compartment while the optical equipment occupied the right hand side. There was a vertical slit down the front of the turret for the light beam to shine through. The 13,000,000 candlepower light came from a simply built carbon arc mounted on a cradle in the center of the light compartment, the power being supplied a 9,5 Kw generator driven by a seperate auxiliary engine.
The intense beam of light from the carbon arc source was picked up by a reflector which was a parabola in its vertical axis and an ellipse in its horizontal axis to produce a beam which converged and subsequently diverged from a nodal point some 60 to 70 inches from the source of light. This beam was reflected half way down its primary focus by an ordinary flat reflector of polished aluminium. The effect of the two reflectors was that the arc lamp could be mounted behind armour and the beam was emitted at the point where the beam converged, which was through a slot two inches in width and 24 inches in height in the front of the turret. Although this slit was vertical the light struck the target area horizontally, this was achieved by the use of the parabolic mirror. The addition of the alloy reflector prevented the mirror being shattered by the machine gun or small arms fire and, in fact, it was found that even after repeated hits, the light intensity was hardly affected. The angle of the beam dispersion was 19 degrees which meant that if the Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin-equipped tanks were placed 30 yards apart in line abreast, the first intersection of light fell about 90 yards ahead and at 1000 yards the beam was 340 yards wide by 35 feet high. This formed triangles of darkness between and in front of the Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin into which could be introduced normal fighting tanks and infantry.

In “disorientation mode”, blue and amber filters allowed the light to be coloured as well as white. The mechanical shutter could flash the beam on and off up to six times per second. It was found the blue light caused the tank to appear to be at a greater distance than it actually was, and blue and amber light beams from two tanks could combine to illuminate a target with white. A flashing beam would further dazzle and disorient enemy troops by not giving their eyes a chance to adapt to either light or darkness.
An experimental Regimental Combat Group was formed in early 1938, made up of one Armoured Battalion equipped with the 45 Matilda I’s and a like number of the Skoda TNHP tanks (which had been ordered in 1936 and delivered in 1937). Armed with the Bofors 37mm anti-tank gun, the earlier Skoda was actually a far more effective fighting vehicle than the Matilda I. Two infantry battalions and a Light Artillery Battalion operated in support of the tanks. An isolated training area served as the base for the Regimental Combat Group, with tight security maintained. After the conscripts who had been selected for training had arrived at the base, they were provided with a demonstration. One of the Training Cadre, Ylivääpeli (Master Sergeant) Kolehmainen, had volunteered to drive a Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin-equipped Matilda at some risk to his life. During the day, a gunnery range had been 'swept' (i.e., all tank-tracks removed), taking on the form of a harrowed field. As darkness approached, a light anti-tank gun was pulled out under the charge of Sotilasmestari (Sergeant-Major) Järvinen, the NCO in charge of the gunnery range, He was informed that a vehicle would drive on to his range later that night and that he must stop it using his anti-tank gun with live shells.

At a given radio signal, Ylivääpeli Kolehmainen moved off from his hidden position 2,000 yards away, watched by the entire Regiment and a somewhat nervous Colonel Nurmi, the newly formed Regiment’s CO. With shells being fired at him at the rate of one a minute, Ylivääpeli Kolehmainen calmly manoeuvred his tank over the range, stopping, reversing and crossing the range from side to side, all the time keeping the light dead ahead and changing the colour screens. When only 500 yards from the still-firing anti-tank gun, Ylivääpeli Kolehmainen gave the pre-arranged cease-fire signal. Ylivääpeli Kolehmainen then pulled up in front of the Officers and NCO’s (including Sotilasmestari Järvinen) and each one was given a sheet of paper and asked to draw a line representing the route taken by the tank. Almost without exception, most drew a straight line from the starting point to their position. Then, to prove what had really happened Ylivääpeli Kolehmainen illuminated his track marks to the incredulous Officers and NCO’s! Training and the development of suitable tactics began the next morning.

During this experimental training phase, the tactical use of this device showed great promise. It was found most effective to use the Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin-equipped Matilda’s in groups of four to six advancing in line abreast with beams interlocking. It was most important that at no time did the beams fall on the troops within the 'cloaks' of darkness as they would then appear in silhouette to the enemy and be easily picked off. The experienced operator was able to elevate and depress his beam ( + 10 degrees elevation to -10 degree depression) via a hand wheel at the same time checking through a dark green glass on the carbons in case of adjustment. In this way, he was able to compensate for the tank's progress over undulating ground. It was, however, found as time went on that, when viewed from a flank, the troops in these triangles of darkness were silhouetted and it was further learned that the tanks, when not maintaining accurate station, became themselves easy targets for enfilade anti-tank fire. Various formations were evolved in order to overcome these disadvantages, f.e. the provision of flank troops equipped with Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin-equipped Matilda’s to blind the enemy who were in a position to enfilade the attack.

The illuminating power of the lights was tremendous and when a company of sixteen tanks, eight of them equipped with the Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin, were operating it was possible to read a newspaper five miles away on a dark night much to the wonderment of the local rural population who had no idea what was going on within the training area. This immense volume of light presented its own problems with security and rumours ran wild. Following some six months of training, a demonstration was given to senior Officers of the General Staff – “enemy” troops were placed on a hill and warned they would be attacked from a hill 1 1/2 miles away. At the start of the attack, two Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin-equipped Matilda’s came round each side of the hill on 'scatter', this manoeuvre broke up the hill's outline and enabled three others to move on to the crest. When on top, they opened their shutters to display a 'steady' beam which was the signal for the two 'scatter Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin-Matilda’s to change to 'Steady'. The tanks moved down the hill in line abreast, in the manner already described, with troops and tanks hidden in the 'cloaks' of darkness. At the bottom lay a river with a small bridge which had to be crossed. This was achieved by the outside Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin-Matilda’s closing their shutters and moving across the bridge where they again opened their shutters when spaced thirty yards apart. This enabled the other Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin-Matilda’s and supporting vehicles to move across unseen before opening up as well. The first thing the “enemy” officers and troops knew was when the lights were extinguished revealing “Finnish” troops holding fixed bayonets at their chests.

As more experience was gained with this device, it became clear that some of the earlier claims were exaggerated. It had already been pointed out that the scheme for using the triangles of darkness to cover the approach of assault troops necessitated using Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin-equipped tanks for flank protection. It was found too, that the blinding effect was not as great as originally thought. Moreover, the whole device depended on the maintenance of secrecy untill it first used as it was realised that antidotes could be rapidly improvised and the value of the Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin correspondingly reduced. An even more serious setback was the discovery that the use of a green sunfilter enabled an observer to see clearly the actual slot through which the light passed. This information was communicated to Tigerstedt, and resulted in a re-think of the Suuritehotaisteluvalonheitin approach.

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