S.F. 14 Z. »Rabbit Ears«
The telestereoscopic Scherenfernrohr 14 Z. scissor telescope, developed by Carl Zeiss in 1914, was subsequently produced by many optics manufacturers as a rangefinder for the German armed forces. The “S.F. 14.Z.Gi. H/6400 M +” with serial number 339525, pictured above, is a scissor telescope made by Hensoldt Wetzlar with a grid plate (army) M.1917, calibrated up to 6400 m, and metric thread (M), which was re-greased with Instrumentenfett 1442 (+) cold-weather lubricant between August 1942 and early 1944. The manufacturer‘s mark “HENSOLDT WETZLAR” in plain language indicates that this instrument was produced before November 1940; for better camouflage, Hensoldt used the coded marking “bmj” from 11/1940.
Available Models
- Officer with Scissor Telescope, 75 mm Lineol
- German Command Staff, 1:35 Dragon 6213
- German Observation Group, 1:35 Tamiya 35073
- German Officer Artl.Rgt 6 w/Rabbit Ear Binoculars Russia, 1:35 Royal Model 172
- German Panzergrenadiers WW2, 1:72 Revell 02511
- German Headquarters in Winter Uniform, 1:72 Zvezda 6232
- WWII Indian Infantry Heavy Weapons, 1:72 Strelets M129
- German Jagdpanzer 38(t) »Hetzer« Tank Destroyer, 1:72 ESCI 8375
- Mortar Crew, 1:87 Preiser 16540
The scissor telescope № 339525 from Hensoldt, pictured here, appears to have been painted dark olive (»Field Grey No. 3«) at the factory, and was later given an additional camouflage of Dark Grey RAL 7021, which was either only sprayed on in a diagonal striped pattern, or applied overall, but rubbed off in places due to constant handling of the movable tubes. This is particularly the case in the center section of the tubes. The contrast between the two dark camouflage colours is so low that the telescope appears to be painted in a monochromatic dark grey at first glance. Chipped paint and scratches at the front of both tubes may be an indication that this scissor telescope was mounted on an armoured vehicle and has repeatedly struck the edge of the armour plate or the inside of a hatch in the process of being mounted or dismounted.