Facilities & Installations

Luftnachrichten Signals and Signals Intercept Units

The mission of the Luftnachrichten, the Luftwaffe’s signal and intelligence service was wide-ranging, including: radar-equipped units to detect and control intercepting aircraft, communications and signal intercept units and line signals units equipped to provide and maintain connectivity (line, telegraph and radio). The radar units have been covered in an earlier article; this one looks at examples of intercept and signals unit in the Eastern and Western theaters.

aerial photo of Luftnachrichten Intelligence Collection Site at Wissant France

aerial photo of Luftnachrichten Intelligence Collection Site at Minsk Belarus

aerial photo of High-Frequency Direction Finding Antenna HF/DF at Minsk, Belarus

aerial photo of Possible Luftgau-Nachrichten Regiment 27 at Minsk Süd Airfield, October 1943

aerial photo of Equipment for Possible Luftgau-Nachrichten Regiment 27 at Minsk Süd Airfield, October 1943

aerial photo of Equipment for Possible Luftgau-Nachrichten Regiment 27 Deployed at Minsk Kolodishchi, May 1944

The Luftwaffe’s signals intelligence component, Luftnachrichten Abteilung 350, with fixed and mobile intercept (funkhorch) battalions, were deployed in key areas across the Reich. A good example, Luftnachrichten Funkhorch Abteilung West, was deployed near Wissant, Pas-de-Calais, France. Coverage from December 1943 shows a site occupied by one of the battalion’s companies had widely-dispersed positions with a number of equipment types (Graphic). Some of the positions and associated buildings were protected by blast walls.

Luftnachrichten Funkhorch Abteilung Ost was located in Minsk by mid-1943, having been moved from more forward positions in Smolensk. In February 1944, probable elements of the battalion were identified at a site near Shchitomirichi, 9 km southwest of the city center. The site, which was set up sometime after June 1943, had six separate antenna positions connected to a group of buildings (Graphic). A newly-constructed telephone line ran to the facility from the east. The deployment was preceded by construction of an Adcock HF/DF antenna 1.5 km to the east (Graphic). As it was midway between Minsk Süd and Machulishchi Airfields, it is difficult to determine if the Adcock was for intelligence collection or air navigation.

On 7 October 1943, equipment for a possible Luftnachrichten unit was identified at Minsk Süd Airfield, the Luftwaffe’s main base in the area as well as the Headquarters of Luftflotte 6. Although this equipment could have belonged to the Funkhorch Abteilung, it is more likely It was from a signal unit, Luftgau Nachrichten Regiment 27. The regiment came from Smolensk in June 1943 and by early 1944 was reported to be northeast of the city in the vicinity of Kolodishchi. The equipment -- generally matching Luftnachrichten vehicles seen elsewhere-- included a large number of trucks and trailers and several tents in the airfield support area (Graphics). Some of the vehicles appeared to be deployed and the presence of tents suggested the possibility equipment was being checked out. The vehicles were not present on 26 September, but by that time, a possible training site with similar equipment had already been set up at the north side of the airfield. The training site was removed after October, and by 28 May 1944, appeared to have been moved to a barracks near Kolodishchi (Graphic).