Kfz-Nachtmarschgerät

Notek Tarnscheinwerfer on an ESCI Jagdpanzer Hetzer.
Notek Tarnscheinwerfer on an ESCI Jagdpanzer 38 (t) “Hetzer”.

Notek Kfz-Nachtmarschgerät (Ger. lit. motor vehicle night marching equipment), the blackout lighting system for wheeled and tracked vehicles, captured vehicles, and requisitioned civilian vehicles of the Wehrmacht, introduced in 1939, consisted of the helmet-shaped Notek Tarnscheinwerfer blackout headlight, the Abstandsrücklicht multifunctional rear light, and the step switch for turning both devices on and off, as well as for adjusting the brightness level of the blackout headlight.

Abstandsrücklicht.
The missing Abstandsrücklicht of the Matchbox Panzerhaubitze II “Wespe” was made from a 2.5 × 1.25 × 0.6 mm section of polystyrene strip and mounted on the left rear of the hull at the proper 115 cm height.

The purpose of the equipment was to provide vehicles traveling individually or in convoys at night with blackout lighting that would render them impossible to detect by aircraft or ground observers. Furthermore, the Abstandsrücklicht (Kolonnenfahrgerät convoy driving device) facilitated the cohesion of convoys.

The Tarnscheinwerfer blackout headlight and Abstandsrücklicht rear light were to be mounted on the driver‘s side of the vehicle at a height of 80 to 120 cm. Care had to be taken to mount the blackout headlight as far forward on the vehicle as possible to avoid illuminating the side of the hood or other vehicle parts.

Lighting Levels

  • 0 – Tarnscheinwerfer and Abstandsrücklicht turned off.
  • H – Tarnscheinwerfer turned off, Abstandsrücklicht turned on; e.g. when driving in convoy, if it was necessary to drive without blackout headlights altogether, out of consideration for the enemy, or if only the lead vehicle was to use blackout headlights; the other vehicles in the convoy followed at the usual distance of 25 to 35 m using the Abstandsrücklicht rear light. With this setting, aerial observation was impossible, ground observation only possible up to 300 m.
  • V1 – Tarnscheinwerfer at minimum intensity, Abstandsrücklicht turned on; e.g., in the darkest night and when close to the enemy, generally when driving into the battery position, deploying into reserve, etc. With this setting, aerial and ground observation beyond 500 m was impossible. On brighter nights, the setting could be switched from V1 to V2, but not in close proximity to the enemy.
  • V2 – Tarnscheinwerfer at medium brightness, Abstandsrücklicht turned on; e.g., near and behind the front, when moving to the front, and when redeploying motorized units. Aerial and ground observation beyond 800 m impossible.
  • V3 – Tarnscheinwerfer bright, Abstandsrücklicht turned on; e.g., during blackout drills in peacetime and peacetime exercises on public roads. Aerial and ground observation beyond 1500 m impossible.

Since the Tarnscheinwerfer obscured the vehicle‘s width, the parking lights of the main headlights or the side position lights of the vehicle had to be turned on. Therefore, the vehicle was driven with parking lights, but not with high or low beams under any circumstances.

The Notek Kfz-Nachtmarschgerät motor vehicle night marching equipment proved far more effective in the field than the textile Schlitzblenden slotted lens covers, Abblendkappen dimmer caps, and Bosch RL3-xx camouflage devices that had previously been used to conceal the headlights of pre-war vehicles. These latter devices, however, continued to be used; often, the headlight lenses were simply painted over so that light could only escape through a narrow slit in the center of the lens.

Military Glossary