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A substantial number of Heinkel He 100D-4s went to reconnaissance units, equipped with various cameras and assigned a Rüstzustand designation based on the type of camera installed. The He 100D-4/R3 was fitted with a Zeiss Rb 50/30 camera installed vertically behind the pilot's seat. The letters in "Rb 50/30" stood for the type of role the camera was to be used. For example, Rb stood for Reihenbilder, a shortened version of the original name—Reihenbildmesskammer—series-picture, topographic camera. The first number would be the focal-length of the lens in centimetres and the second set of digits would be the film format size, again in centimetres. The Rb 50/30, therefore, was a topographic camera with 50cm (19.69 in) focal length lens and a film width 32cm (12.60 in). This camera was manufactured by Carl Zeiss G.m.b.H. and was fitted with a Tessar 50cm lens.
The Rb 30 series was by far the most widely used reconnaissance camera operated by the Luftwaffe. First introduced in 1938, it was a large format camera designed mainly for task of carrying out photo-mapping work. At the beginning of the World War II, the Rb 20/30 was in general use throughout the Luftwaffe, however, as Allied aircraft slowly forced the Luftwaffe to fly at greater higher heights, the focal length of the lenses increased and the Rb 50/30 and 75/30 became more widely used. The camera was fitted with an iris shutter within the lens and when fitted with a full magazine of film (210ft) and all attachments, its approximately weight was 160lb. Using a large film format, 32cm wide perforated film, this would give a frame size of nearly one foot square. During the exposing of the imagery, the film itself was held flat within the camera by means of dynamic air pressure that was supplied by the camera motor drive.
This particular aircraft, He 100D-4/R3 Trop, Stammkennzeichen VO+SU, served in the Mediterranean and is equipped with two 300 liter (66 gal) external wing tanks common to the R3 variant. It also has the Trop modifications which consisted of the mounts for a cockpit umbrella on the left side of the fuselage, sand filters on the wing root intakes, and the radiator fairing that fixed the radiator in the lowered position.
Cheers,
Logan