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Les « Vampir 1944-45 Allemagne NACHTJÄGER Les « Vampir » du Reich ! La Panzerwaffe et ses dispositifs de combat nocturne Par Yann Mahé L’auteur tient à adresser ses plus sincères remerciements à Petr Pechar, sans qui cet article n’aurait pu voir le jour. Note : le lecteur voudra bien nous pardonner quelques lacunes iconographiques mineures tant il est, encore aujourd’hui, extrêmement difficile de se procurer des clichés corrects sur ce type de dispositifs et, surtout, sur les unités allemandes les ayant utilisés ! Nous vous réservons néanmoins quelques « scoops visuels », à l’instar de ces rarissimes clichés de tenues Leibermuster présentés dans nos colonnes ! 1 Nachtjäger, les « Vampir » du Reich ! La Seconde Guerre mondiale, conflit qui a vu les différentes nations belligérantes accomplir des progrès remarquables dans le domaine de la technologie militaire, reste surtout associée à la bombe atomique, aux avions à réaction, aux fusées balistiques ou aux radars. Ces innovations concernent principalement la troisième dimension. Mais l’on oublie bien souvent que des avancées tout aussi spectaculaires ont vu le jour au sein de diverses armées de terre. C’est ainsi que plusieurs puissances se sont intéressées à la technologie infrarouge, seul le III. Reich ayant sérieusement étudié la possibilité de munir ses chars de moyens de détection autorisant le combat de nuit. Dans ce domaine, au fil des mois, les ingénieurs et penseurs militaires allemands vont mettre au point un système d’armes complet et ultramoderne. Et, de fait, les Panzer parviendront à remporter des succès locaux prometteurs contre les Alliés durant les derniers mois de la guerre. Comme bien souvent, l’aversion des hauts responsables de la Wehrmacht pour les nouvelles technologies et les incessants raids aériens anglo-américains sur les usines allemandes n’ont permis que l’introduction tardive et à une échelle négligeable de ces équipements précurseurs de ceux des armées d’aujourd’hui. Afin de comprendre les subtilités de la déboucher sur l’élaboration de sys- du WaPrüf 8, est chargé de la mise en t Gros plan sur le technologie liée au combat nocturne tèmes de vision susceptibles de faci- œuvre de ce projet. Il est assisté dans projecteur de 60cm durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, liter les opérations de nuit. C’est le cette tâche par des ingénieurs de AEG, d’un semi-chenillé de détection infrarouge il convient tout d’abord d’expliquer cas en particulier de AEG (Allgemeine du Reichspostforschungsanstalt (Institut Sd.Kfz. 251/20 Ausf. ce qu’est exactement l’infrarouge. Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft) qui met au de recherche de la Poste) et de la firme D Infrarotscheinwerfer Depuis 1863 et les travaux du physi- point, en 1934, un tube cathodique Zeiss, déjà mondialement connue pour « Uhu ». Le cylindre cien écossais James Clerk Maxwell, baptisé « Braunsche Röhre », un la qualité de ses optiques. visible sous le projecteur est le télémètre BG 1251 l’on sait que la lumière est une onde, appareil de conversion permettant de En 1939, après trois ans de travaux, Beobachtungs Gerät plus précisément une onde électro- transformer une lueur infrarouge en l’équipe livre une version militarisée 1251. À partir de juin magnétique, c’est-à-dire possédant lueur visible par l’homme. L’avancée du convertisseur d’image infrarouge 1944, comme ce fut déjà une composante électrique et magné- est décisive et coïncide peu ou prou qui est adaptée sur un canon anti- le cas en Tunisie puis en Sicile et en Italie en tique. On parle alors de spectre élec- avec l’arrivée de l’Oberst Guderian char 3,7cm Pak 35/36. Le système 1942-43, l’activité aérienne tromagnétique, lui-même subdivisé en au Kommando der Panzertruppen, le consiste en un projecteur (Infrarot- de la Royal Air Force longueurs d’ondes, autrement dit, en commandement des troupes blindées. Scheinwerfer) émettant un faisceau et de l’US Air Force va fortement entraver les couleurs. Or, l’œil humain ne discerne L’officier est alors en train d’ériger en infrarouge monté au-dessus du bou- mouvements des Panzer qu’une toute petite partie de ce spectre doctrine militaire les enseignements clier de la pièce, le convertisseur et de leurs colonnes de électromagnétique (équivalente à peu qu’il a tirés de ses quinze années d’ex- d’image (Bildwandler ou Biwa) étant ravitaillement, les obligeant près aux couleurs de l’arc-en-ciel). périence au contact des formations manipulé par le tireur du Pak. bien souvent à rouler de nuit. C’est pour cette L’infrarouge est une des ondes de ce motorisées de la Reichswehr, et met Comment cet appareil fonctionne-t-il ? raison qu’a été développé dernier, située juste après le rouge qui inlassablement l’accent sur la néces- Il est important de le préciser car tous le Sd.Kfz 251/20 : afin est la dernière couleur de la lumière sité de pouvoir livrer des combats les dispositifs de vision nocturne éla- d’accompagner le Panzer visible quand on se déplace dans le nocturnes, ce afin de ne pas avoir à borés par le Reich durant la guerre vont V Panther au combat, puis les Panzer-Grenadiere. sens croissant des longueurs d’onde ralentir les opérations du « Blitzkrieg » fonctionner de la même manière. Au Sauf mention contraire, toutes du spectre. La principale propriété de à la tombée de la nuit. cours de leurs recherches, les techni- photos : Bovington Tank Museum l’infrarouge, invisible à l’œil nu, est Cela arrive à point nommé car l’invention ciens allemands ont constaté que la de véhiculer la chaleur. On parle alors de AEG ne tarde pas à susciter l’intérêt de lumière infrarouge se reflétait de façon de rayonnement thermique. De fait, la nouvelle Wehrmacht. En effet, à partir quasi-similaire à la lueur du jour et que le rayonnement émis par des objets de 1936, le WaPrüf 8 (Département des ses faisceaux pouvaient être convertis à température ambiante, comme le optiques et équipements d’observation) en lumière perceptible. Pour permettre corps humain ou un véhicule ayant du Heereswaffenamt, l’office de l’Ar- aux canonniers de percevoir cette lueur, son moteur en route ou coupé depuis mement de la Heer, travaille en colla- deux instruments sont utilisés : un pro- peu de temps, est observable par l’in- boration avec AEG pour développer un jecteur muni d’un filtre émettant une termédiaire de capteurs infrarouges système de vision infrarouge permettant lumière infrarouge relié à un convertis- qui connaissent leurs premières appli- de conduire, d’observer et d’acquérir seur d’image capable de transformer cations militaires dans les années 30. des cibles de nuit. Le Dr.-Ing. Gaertner, cette lueur infrarouge en lumière visible. t Fin des années 1930, LES SOUBRESAUTS DE L’INFRAROUGE les servants d’un canon DANS LA WEHRMACHT Pak 35/36 de 3,7cm s’entraînent au combat Durant l’entre-deux-guerres, du fait antichar de nuit, dans la de la réduction drastique des effec- neige. Sous l’impulsion d’officiers énergiques, la tifs imposée à la Reichswehr par le Reichswehr est rapidement « Diktat » de Versailles, son comman- devenue une armée dant en chef, le Generaloberst Hans von capable de combattre en conditions nocturnes, les Seeckt, décide de forger une Armée milieux militaro-industriels surentraînée et apte à combattre dans allemands s’efforçant n’importe quelles conditions. Ainsi, de mettre au point des aucun aspect des opérations tactiques équipements adaptés à ce type d’engagement. La n’est négligé par les instructeurs de firme AEG est la première la Reichswehr, le combat nocturne à élaborer un système étant systématiquement enseigné à la de visée infrarouge qui troupe. Aussi, dès le début des années sera expérimenté sur... le Pak 35/36 de 3,7cm. 1930, plusieurs firmes allemandes Archives Caraktère entament-elles des recherches devant Coll. Kadari 2 u Au cours de la guerre En outre, les campagnes victorieuses deux unités de la de la Wehrmacht de 1939 à 1941 Panzerwaffe s’intéressent tout particulièrement et la maîtrise aérienne acquise par la au développement des Luftwaffe dans le ciel d’Europe ren- équipements de vision dent les viseurs nocturnes totalement nocturne, la Panzer- inutiles aux yeux de l’état-major alle- Lehrversuch-Kompanie « Fallingbostel » et la mand, si bien que les recherches de 1./Panzer-Versuchs-und la Heer sur les systèmes infrarouges Ersatz-Abteilung 300 connaissent bien peu d’avancées dans (Funklenk). L’on voit ici la les mois qui suivent. voiture d’état-major Tatra Typ 97 de la seconde Au contraire, les autres puissances lancée sur la piste d’essai se lancent à cette époque dans la du terrain d’Eisenach. conception de tels matériels. Ainsi, les Droits Réservés Soviétiques expérimentent, en 1940, sur des chars BT, leur système de conduite infrarouge « Dudka » éclairant à 50 mètres. En France, à la veille de l’inva- sion allemande, des travaux portent sur des projecteurs de détection infrarouge La lumière infrarouge invisible à l’œil nu être engagés de nuit, mais se révèle devant équiper la ligne « Maginot » afin est projetée par l’Infrarot-Scheinwerfer, très encombrant et, de plus, est sujet de repérer les approches ennemies, le puis elle se réfléchit sur la cible et s’en à de fréquentes pannes techniques. fort alsacien de Schoenenbourg devant retourne au viseur Bildwandler renfer- En outre, le faisceau produit par son être équipé dans ce but. Mais l’Armis- mant le tube cathodique « Braunsche projecteur est limité, bien inférieur aux tice de juin 1940 ne permettra pas au Röhre » qui convertit alors l’image 300 mètres de portée efficace du Pak projet d’aboutir. Quant aux Britanniques, infrarouge en une image visible par le 35/36, ce qui, en conditions réelles ils concevront, en 1943, le dispo- pointeur.
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