Knickebein radio navigation system

E39314

The Knickebein radio navigation system was a World War II German Luftwaffe beam-guidance technology used to direct bombers accurately to their targets at night and in poor visibility.

Aliases (1)

Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II military technology
beam guidance system
radio navigation system
accuracy high accuracy for era
basedOn Lorenz beam system
beamName elevation beam
guidance beam
beamStructure two crossing radio beams over target
category German World War II electronic warfare equipment
aircraft navigation system
radio direction system
codeNameByBritish Headache
conflict World War II
countermeasureType radio jamming
spoofing beams
countryOfOrigin Nazi Germany
deploymentMode airborne receivers
ground-based transmitters
developedBy German Luftwaffe signals units
developedInPeriod late 1930s
era 1939–1941
firstOperationalUse 1940
guidanceType beam-riding guidance
radio beam guidance
identifiedBy British intelligence
installedOn German bombers
nameLanguage German
nameMeaning crooked leg
navigationMethod audio signals in pilot headphones
course indication by tone patterns
notableUse Battle of Britain
Blitz over the United Kingdom
operator Luftwaffe
opposedBy British countermeasures
purpose to guide bombers accurately to targets
range hundreds of kilometers
status obsolete
successor X-Gerät
Y-Gerät
targetRegion United Kingdom
targetType urban bombing targets
usedBy German bomber crews
usedFor bomber navigation
bombing in poor visibility
night bombing
uses VHF radio frequencies
intersecting radio beams

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
bombing of Coventry
navigationSystemUsedByAttackers

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