Zeiss Balloon Photo teodolite Wa.Prw. equipment. Zeiss factory Photo´s

[Mikedenmark]

Here are some Zeiss factory photo´s of a Phototeodolite set.
They are marked Wa.PrW. A and B on the sockets, hinting that they are the property of the Waffen Prüfungswesen at the Heereswaffenamt.

The complete set:

https://skydrive.live.com/#cid=8170A8901E91D319&id=8170A8901E91D319!114&sc=d ocuments

The two from the back:

https://skydrive.live.com/#cid=8170A8901E91D319&id=8170A8901E91D319!115&sc=d ocuments

And from the front:

https://skydrive.live.com/#cid=8170A8901E91D319&id=8170A8901E91D319!116&sc=d ocuments

Closer up front of one:

https://skydrive.live.com/#cid=8170A8901E91D319&id=8170A8901E91D319!113&sc=d ocuments

Closer up at the back of one:

https://skydrive.live.com/#cid=8170A8901E91D319&id=8170A8901E91D319!112&sc=d ocuments

And a drawing of how they are used:

https://skydrive.live.com/#cid=8170A8901E91D319&id=8170A8901E91D319!143&sc=d ocuments

The set of instruments shown here, was only a step toward the Kinoteodolite. This set can ( probably ) only make one photo of each ascent, controlled by the light signal sent from the unit to the left in the drawing.

I would venture the guess that it was set up next to the cannon that fired the grenade that was going to be measured. Just like the ordinary Richtmittel. Then the corresponding positions of both instruments, and that of the cannon, would make triangulations possible once a set of photo´s had been taken. That would make photo´s of the grenade in flight possible. And calculations on muzzle velocity, and possibly, of stability in flight, too.

If these instruments still exist, they are most likely either in the UK, or USA.
For a scientific team, they must have been worthwhile to take into custody.

The lens is a tessar 1:5, f=50 cm ( the 50 is open for speculation, 5x cm at least) with serial number 744xxx, which dates it just before 1926. The lens can be older that the equipment in general.


Later, the Kinotheodolite came into use.

The kinoteodolite would be able to film, and record, the ascent of a ballistic object. Like a large artillery grenade, or a V2 rocket ( which technically is nothing but a very large self propelled grenade )

Then the trajectory would be measurable on a movie film, along with measurements of time, and 3 dimensional directions.

[Mikedenmark]

I didn´t realise what these instruments really do, when I posted my original comment.

They are used to follow weather balloons, and they are used for tracking, and photographing, rockets.
They are NOT used to track artillery grenades, as these fly too fast, and are too small.

I found an american description on the web on how to operate such a set. Seems it cannot follow either balloon or rocket the first minute. Field of view being much too narrow, to find, and hold, a view of the object.
After a minute or so, then observation becomes stable enough to work. The object is by then so far away, it will be trackable.
Each is operated by two men. One for angle, the other for direction. At precise intervals observations, or photographs, are taken.
This means that it IS possible to take multiple photos of each ascent. Only other operators have to switch Photographic plates, while the observers keep tracking.
The american paper mentions obne observation pr. minute.

This particular set was most likely emplayed at Peenemünde, or, also likely, earlier, at Kummersdorf, when the early test specimens of the A4 ( V2 ) rocket were flown. ( A1, A2 and A3)

[mlespaul]

Mike,
I was going to correct you but you already caught it (as it is described on the manual's diagram) The Kinotheodilit and other theodilit units used to track the arc and velocity of the FZGs and A-4s were of the Askania-Werke design and construction (at least the ones that I have seen). Usually this was done to correct incongruities for the next launch to ensure a consistent pattern and ensure the targets were calculated for correctly for angle and propulsion. These are the types that have the smaller optical director telescopes at either side and have the larger aperture opening in the center and are on a more advanced wehrkries column mounting. They also had a feed into a motion picture device which recorded the flight as it was being tracked and followed by the theodilit and performed a clock-like timing analysis which was superimposed onto one corner of the observation picture. These systems were kept in use after the war and seems as though the designs remained similar up through into the 1960s.