Berlin-Moabit, Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945 C4925

Target indicators, also known as target markers or TI's for short, were

flare A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...

s used by the RAF's

Bomber Command Bomber Command is an organisational military unit, generally subordinate to the air force of a country. The best known were in Britain and the United States. A Bomber Command is generally used for strategic bombing (although at times, e.g. during t ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. TIs were normally dropped by Pathfinders onto the target, providing an easily seen visual aiming point for the following "main force" of bombers to aim at. After their introduction, the use of TIs expanded to include en-route markers to gather up lost aircraft, additional TI drops to keep the target lit over long periods, and various changes in technique to address German defences. The use of TIs allowed the RAF to concentrate its advanced navigational systems in the Pathfinder units. Most widely used were the H2S ground scanning radar and

Oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

navigation system, the former requiring considerable training to be useful, the latter able to guide only a single aircraft at a time. The limited number of navigational units meant that spreading them through the force would have limited effects. By concentrating these in a single Group (

No. 8 Group RAF No. 8 Group was a Royal Air Force group which existed during the final year of the First World War and during the Second World War. First World War No. 8 Group was formed in April 1918 as a training unit and designated 8 Group (Training). I ...

) and having them drop TIs, the accurate fixes could be used to guide the entire attack. The same basic system had been used by the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

's ''

Kampfgruppe 100 ''Kampfgruppe'' 100 (KGr 100) was a specialist unit of the Luftwaffe during the early stages of World War II. It is best known as the first unit to use the "pathfinder" concept, with its aircraft being equipped with the latest radio navigation ai ...

'' during

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

, for similar reasons. Target indicators were available in various colours, some with ejecting stars of the same or a different colour. During a raid, bomb aimers would be instructed by the Master Bomber to drop their bombs on the target indicators of a specified colour, the marker aircraft carrying different colours to be used if the initial target indicators were dropped off-target. The first target indicators could be cancelled over the radio by the Master Bomber and the marker crews instructed to drop new target indicators of a different colour, until the correct aiming point was correctly marked. The Main Force bombers would then be instructed by the Master Bomber to bomb the colour of the most accurate target indicators. Target indicators could be fuzed for both air and ground burst, the air burst markers – referred to as "sky marking" by the RAF – resembling bunches of grapes or upturned fir trees when detonated in the air under their parachutes. The Germans called these "Christmas trees" because of their shape. Marking of targets was carried out using the following methods: * "Newhaven" – target marking blind using H2S, then with visual backup marking * "Parramatta" – target marking by blind-dropped ground markers, prefixed with "Musical" when the bombers were guided by Oboe * "Wanganui" – target marking by blind-dropped sky markers when ground concealed by cloud, prefixed with "Musical" when Oboe-guided The three

code word In communication, a code word is an element of a standardized code or protocol. Each code word is assembled in accordance with the specific rules of the code and assigned a unique meaning. Code words are typically used for reasons of reliability, ...

s were initially chosen by asking three Bomber Command personnel in the operations room where they came from. One was from Newhaven, England, one from

Parramatta Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...

, Australia, and one from

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

, New Zealand. Oboe was usually carried by Pathfinder

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...

es.

History

The first TIs were converted "cookie" bomb casings filled with red pyrotechnic,

benzole In the United Kingdom, benzole or benzol is a coal-tar product consisting mainly of benzene and toluene. It was originally used as a 'motor spirit', as was petroleum spirits. Benzole was also blended with petrol and sold as a motor fuel under tra ...

, rubber and

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...

. These were nicknamed "pink pansies" and were used for the first time on the night of 10/11 September 1942 against Dusseldorf.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{RAF-stub Pyrotechnics Equipment of the Royal Air Force Military equipment introduced from 1940 to 1944