Original German WWII 10×50 Dienstglas Binoculars by Gustav Appel, Berlin-Spandau with Leather Case dated 1944 – Brought Back By Army Chaplain Lt. Colonel James Jager, 406th Field Artillery Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The 10 x 50 Dienstglas was one of the most used German issued binoculars of WWII. These are fully functional with clear optics and made by one of the very best makers at the time (still in business today!). They are nicely marked as follows:

Dienstglas
10×50
398352
cxn

The left barrel is maker marked for Gustav Appel, Berlin-Spandau and comes complete with original black leather carry strap. Both diopter adjustments operate smoothly and there are no chips or dings on the eye cups. There is wear to the textured coating, mostly on the right side, indicating that the soldier probably held it one-handed. The optics are in excellent condition and clear. Original leather neck strap is included, and is in great shape, still soft with most of the finish remaining.

Also included is the excellent black leather carry case with working spring loaded closure strap. The case is in excellent condition, without a carry strap. The case is dated, maker marked, and Waffenampt proofed on the lip of the lower portion: ksd 1944.

The inside lip is marked with James P. Yager O-543356. James Yager was a US Army Chaplain, having been Ordained on June 7, 1941 after attending seminary at Mount Saint Mary’s in Norwood, Hamilton, Ohio. During WWII he served as a Chaplain for the 406th Field Artillery Group. After the war he continued service with the Michigan National Guard until 1966. After this, he reentered service with the Army and served as Chaplain in both Nuremberg and Berlin. He retired from the military in 1970 after approximately 30 years of service, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Following military retirement he served as a priest in St. Mary’s Church of Spring Lake, St. Mary’s Church of Sand Lake and St. Clara’s of Coral, St. Mary’s of Spring Lake again, Our Lady of Fatima of Shelby and Rothbury and finally St. Catherine’s of Ravenna, to which he was named Diocesan Consultor. In October 1980 Father Yager was honored with the Distinguished Service Award for demonstrating the highest level of dedication and contribution to Catholic Secondary education over a period of many years.

This is overall an excellent example of the classic eye piece for German infantry officers during WW2 which continued service with a US Army Chaplain!

Models
Binoculars used by the German military in the Second World War were made by a huge number of makers. The most well-known were Carl Zeiss, Ernst Leitz, Swarovski and Voightlander. Up to 1940 they carried the maker’s name and as well as the word ‘Dienstglas’which means service glass. From around 1940 the the maker’s name was replaced by a three letter code.

There were three common types of binocular issued to the German military before and during the Second World War: 6×30, 7×50, 10×50.

6×30
The 6×30 was the type commonly issued to NCO and officers. According to ‘Deutsche Soldaten’ they were issued to the squad leader independent of rank. They often had a graticule which is a series of lines in the right-hand lens. It was used to estimate distances. If you knew the size of a man or a truck that you could see with the binoculars, you could estimate the distance based on the number of lines it measured in the graticule. It was a technique that soldiers had to learn.

Early binoculars were made from brass. Later ones were made from an alloy of magnesium and aluminum, which was extremely light. Towards the end of the War binoculars were sometimes made from bakelite.

7×50
These are the classic night vision binoculars preferred by sailors. However, this spec was also used by the Wehrmacht (Army) and Luftwaffe (Air Force) as well as the Kriegsmarine (Navy). They are larger and usually the classic Zeiss shape.

10×50
These are the most practical size for modern applications such as bird watching or spectator sport. They give you powerful magnification and bright lenses. They had specialized use in wartime and were issued to artillery units. Senior officers have also used this type of binocular.

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, used a pair of 10×50 Dienstglas binoculars. His had the bakelite eyepiece caps missing. He more than likely had them removed to better fit his “trademarked” dust goggles.