The name NOTEK comes from a contraction of the Munich-based manufacturer Nova-Technik GmbH (located in Munich), which produced these lighting devices. Notek lamps were developed and supplied on a massive scale during the interwar period and during World War II for the German army and for certain civilian passive defense applications. NOTEK lighthouses were born out of the need for lighting that would allow nighttime movement without being detectable from the ground or the air. The company also supplied Germany with fixed lighting devices for buildings and mobile lighting devices on tripods.
Context and Creation of Notek Lighthouses
Under curfew conditions (in English “blackout”), the NOTEK lighting system provided sufficient visibility for the driver to drive in the dark and maintain distance between vehicles in convoy while minimizing the light signature visible to a distant observer.
For vehicles, the kit sold by NOTEK consisted of: a single front headlight with its base, located on the left driver’s side, a rear light installed above the identification plate and a rheostat to adjust the intensity.
The night running system was installed on most of Wehrmacht vehicles: Kubelwagen, Schwimmwagen, command cars, trucks, armored vehicles, SDKFZs… only bicycles, motorcycles, and sidecars were not equipped with it (contrary to what is sometimes seen on restored sidecars).The front NOTEKs began to disappear from Panzer IIIs and other armored vehicles from September 1942, replaced by BOSCH headlights with blackout hoods. However, the welded NOTEKs were not replaced, which explains why they are still found on Hetzers produced at the end of the war.
NOTEK Menu
Notek main page
Notek front headlight >1 / >2
Notek rear light >1 / >2
Notek Switch
Notek Support
Notek bunker
