Original Item: Only One Set Available. This is a fantastic pair of German World War Two Doppelfernrohr (double telescope) 10 x 80 German gun sight binoculars (flakfernrohr), which has been mounted to a wooden base for display! These were used for direct sighting on the German Flak 36 (88 mm) Gun and are offered in very good condition. They are painted with a lovely Afrikakorps tan finish. This set is one of the more complete we have offered, with the angle valve still intact, as well as the headrest.

They come complete with the mount cradle, which displays the elevation on the left side as the binoculars are moved. This in turn is attached to the top of the correct azimuth turntable, which allows for precise adjustment of the side to side angle. The attachment pole has been mounted to a wooden board measuring 17½” in diameter, so that the set can be placed onto the pole and tightened.

The set is in fantastic condition, and still retains all of its markings. There are adjustments for eye relief, width and a selection of various tinted filters, which rotate into place using the control on the left side. The dial is labeled klar (clear), hell (light), mittel (medium), and dunkel (dark). In a typical example of German WW2 era (over)engineering, the control actually controls a mechanism that swings each individual filter in place on both sides simultaneously. A more modest implementation with filters that were fitted over the eye pieces would have probably been more economical, and less likely to break. The light filters still move correctly.

The Steel Sun Shades are still present and in good condition, and are removable if so desired. This set also includes the original padded head rest/shade, which is still soft, with minimal cracking. The right side of the binocular body is marked:

D.F. 10 X 80
△ dkl X
64671

"D.F." Is the abbreviation for Doppelfernrohr (double telescope), with 10 x 80 indicating the magnification power of the optics. The German wartime three letter code dkl stands for Josef Schneider & Co., of Kreuznach, a specialist lens maker, and under that the set's serial number is given. Wartime serial numbers for this maker range from 5437 up to 82,036, indicating this is a mid-to-late war example. The colored symbols on either side of the maker indicate the type of lubricants to be used on the binoculars.

This set is fully operational, with partly clear optics, which show some discoloration and haze when you look through them. We assume that they just need cleaning and servicing, which they probably have not had since WWII. The set has fully functional focus and width adjustments, and the filters move into place easily. The overall condition of the set is very good, with lovely paint. We have not made any attempts to clean or service any part of the set to preserve the patina.

The mount cradle on this example is marked with ecr, an unknown German maker who is not present in the current known collection of 3-letter German maker codes. A great research opportunity!

A magnificent set, ready to display or even use after a good servicing!