Night vision devices (NVDs) have occupied a very important place in the modern world for several decades. These optoelectronic devices, which provide the operator with an image of the terrain (target, object) in low light conditions, are widely used today in various military equipment. First of all, night vision devices are used to support combat operations at night, to conduct covert surveillance (reconnaissance) at night or in insufficiently lit rooms, to drive military equipment of all types without using unmasking headlights and to solve other similar tasks.
In the modern world, night vision devices are entering the civilian market, and are no longer something amazing or unique. However, at the dawn of their appearance, everything was completely different. NVDs were a real breakthrough, the development of the first such devices was carried out in different countries of the world even before the start of World War II, and the war itself only accelerated and gave impetus to developments in this direction. Own night vision devices were also developed in the USSR.
Even in the pre-war years in the Soviet Union, work was actively carried out on the development of various devices designed to increase the firepower of tanks and expand the possibilities of their combat use at any time of the day and under different climatic conditions. Back in 1937, at the NIBT proving ground on a light tank BT-7, searchlights designed for firing at night were tested and recommended for serial production. And in 1939-1940, Soviet infrared night vision devices were tested on the BT-7 tank, which received the designation "Thorn" and "Dudka". The set "Thorn", which was created by the engineers of the State Optical Institute and the Moscow Institute of Glass, included infrared periscopic glasses and a set of additional equipment designed for driving combat vehicles at night.
Tests of an improved kit called "Dudka" took place at the NIBT proving ground in June 1940, and then in January-February 1941. This set included periscopic infrared glasses for the tank commander and driver, as well as two infrared searchlights with a diameter of 140 mm and a power of 1 kW each, a control unit, a separate infrared signal lamp and a set of electric cables for glasses and searchlights. The weight of the glasses, excluding the weight of the helmet mount (side braces and straps, head shield), was 750 grams, the angle of view was 24 degrees, and the range of vision was up to 50 meters. These night vision devices were assembled by the specialists of the plant No. 211 NKEP. They basically satisfied the specialists of the GABTU of the Red Army and provided the ability to drive tanks at night, but the imperfection and cumbersomeness of the design of the first infrared glasses, as well as the difficulties with their use, especially in winter conditions, required their further constructive improvement, which was never finally implemented because of the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War.
During the war years, the mass production of night vision devices in the Soviet Union was not possible. Although the Soviet industry produced them, but in very limited quantities. The instruments were supplied to the fleet and tank divisions as test samples. For example, the Black Sea Fleet in the summer of 1941 had 15 sets of shipborne night vision systems, and by the fall of the same year received 18 more night vision devices. The ground units began to receive the first devices only in 1943, they arrived in small test batches, which were forbidden to be used in battles. The range of the first night vision devices did not exceed 150-200 meters, basically they were only suitable for ensuring the movement of convoys of equipment at night.
Some of the night vision devices created during the Second World War are truly exotic options, about which it is very difficult to obtain additional information. For example, the Automobile Archive Fund, specializing in technical documentation for Soviet vehicles, by May 9, submitted material with unique photographs of night vision devices designed in 1941 in Moscow for subsequent installation on road transport. Unfortunately, neither the exact name of the designed devices, nor the authors of the inventions are known. With a high degree of probability, the presented prototypes will forever remain in the role of experimental and demonstration samples.
Photo: Automotive Archive Fund, autoar.org
With the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, within the walls of the All-Union Electrotechnical Institute, a special design bureau was organized, the main task of which was the development and introduction into production of new types of weapons and military equipment. It was at VEI that numerous night vision devices were created for ships, aircraft, tanks and small arms. In the archive of the automotive fund, a unique document was found that contains a brief description of the automotive and reconnaissance night vision devices.
With the onset of darkness, truck drivers were forced to minimize the use of headlights, as the convoys were subjected to shelling and bombing from the enemy. This, in turn, became the reason for the slowdown in traffic and frequent accidents at night. As a solution to this problem, the All-Union Electrotechnical Institute installed a night vision device on a GAZ-AA truck (the famous lorry).
Photo: Automotive Archive Fund, autoar.org
The principle of operation of the night vision device was quite simple - binoculars with two lenses, two electro-optical light converters and two magnifiers were placed in the cab of the truck, which served to enlarge the image and rotate it 180 degrees. An ordinary car headlight was installed on the roof of the cab of the car - an illuminator with a fairly powerful 250-watt bulb. The headlamp was covered with a special light filter that allowed only infrared rays to pass through. This light, invisible to the human eye, was read out with the help of electron-optical converters of binoculars and converted into a picture. The batteries used to power this system were located in the back of the truck. Thanks to the presence of such a device, the driver could drive at night, in complete darkness, at a speed of up to 25 km / h, focusing on the terrain through binoculars. At the same time, the visibility of the device was limited to only 30 meters.
At the same time, a portable version of the device intended for scouts was designed and assembled. The principle of operation of the device was similar to the car version. All devices were attached to brackets and belts directly to a person. On the chest was a headlight from a GAZ-AA car with a 12-15 W car light bulb, a rechargeable battery on the scout's back, binoculars in front. The total weight of such a portable kit should not exceed 10 kg.
Photo: Automotive Archive Fund, autoar.org
