Original Item: Only One Set Available. This is a great German World War Two set of Doppelfernrohr (double telescope) 10 x 80 German gun sight binoculars. These were used for direct sighting on the German Flak 36 (88 mm) Gun and are offered in very good condition. They are painted a lovely ordnance tan finish. There is some wear as shown, but both original sunshields are intact, and the optics are still great with all four lenses still switching out as intended. The headrest is gone, however.

Most commonly seen being used by the KRIEGSMARINE (German Navy) on Ship Bridges and on Conning Towers of U-Boats, these are the giant 10 x 80 Binoculars so much favored in WWII. 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. The optics are still very clear but as mentioned the headrest is missing.

The Steel Sun Shades are still present and in good condition, and are removable if so desired. The right side of the binocular body is marked:

D.F. 10 X 80
dkl X
“KF”
16711
F.
+

"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 an early-to-mid 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 operational, with clear optics, which show some minor 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.

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