WWI German Postcard Artillery Scherenfernrohr Observer RPPC
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
July 31, 1918
The Photograph: The clear, sepia-toned image shows a full-length portrait of a German soldier in a winter landscape, wearing his M1916 Stahlhelm (steel helmet) and a heavy M1915 greatcoat with a distinctive fur or fleece collar.
He stands proudly with a tripod-mounted Scherenfernrohr S.F. 14, the famed "scissors telescope" or "donkey ears" periscope. This advanced optical device, made by premier firms like Carl Zeiss, was a life-saving piece of high technology that allowed forward artillery observers to spot enemy positions and direct fire from the relative safety of a trench. Replacement Battalion, 23rd Foot Artillery Regiment (4. Fuss Artl.
The German Army was exhausted and demoralized.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Material (listing wording)
- photograph
- Dimensions or weight (listing wording)
- 3.4x 5.4in
Identification
- Source note
- Auction-house description published on Invaluable. Attribution and measurements are the auction house’s statements about the photographed example; independent type authentication remains research required.
- Listing object ID
- 199038508
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Independent confirmation of type attribution and auction-house statements remains research required.