the bombardier could use the real target for adjustments, rather than having to "tune" the instruments on a test target located closer to the aircraft. The bombsight could be used against targets 90° to 40° in front of the aircraft, and up to 20° on either side. On final approach, the autopilot was engaged, while the bombsight adjusted the flight path in response to last-minute changes by the bombardier. Bomb release was normally automatic in order to reduce timing errors. The Lotfe 7 was normally installed near the nose of the aircraft with the mirror tube projecting through the fuselage to the outside of the aircraft. In most installations, like those in the Junkers Ju 88 or Heinkel He 111, the tube ended in a fairing under the fuselage with a protruding flat window in front. In other cases, like the Arado Ar 234 or the prototype bomber conversions of the Messerschmitt Me 262, the tube was open to the air, mounted so the mirror window was almost flush with the fuselage line. In the case of the single-seat Ar 234, the bombsight was difficult to access, so the autopilot was engaged first, allowing the pilot to remove the control yoke and access the bombsight. After the war about a thousand unused Lotfe 7's were found in the Zeiss factories and shipped to the USSR. There was an attempt to use them in the B-25 Mitchell to replace the much more complex Norden, but the Lotfe 7 interacted badly with the Soviet-designed Si-1 autopilot and the problems were never fixed. Versions Lotfe 7 - Junkers Ju 88 Lotfe 7A - Heinkel He 111H-5 Lotfe 7B - Heinkel He 177A Lotfe 7C - Arado Ar 234, He 177A, Ju 88 Lotfe 7D - Ar 234, Focke-Wulf Fw 200, Ju 88 Lotfe 7H - Ju 88, Fw 200, Messerschmitt Me 262A-2a/U2 Lotfe 7K - Ar 234, Me 262A-2a/U2 Lotfe 7K-2 - Me 262A-2a/U2 Specifications for Lotfernrohr 7C Height: Width: Depth of Lotfernrohr: Weight, complete: Power requirement: 90 W without heating, 190 W with heating (under +5° Celsius) Magnification: 1.4x Field of View: 35°, equivalent to at a range of Range of movement for the sight tube: +80° to -20° Limits of operation Altitude above target: altitude non-synchronized; altitude synchronized True Air Speed: References External links Lotfernrohr Lotfe 7B,C,C/D und D Bombenvisier (in German) with original Luftwaffe and Carl Zeiss manuals Optical targeting