Panther IR Scope on estand!

[Dallas]

This isn't an advertisement, but look at this thing. It belongs in the Patton Museum! Wow!

[W Petz]

I believe it is called a vampire..infra-red night vision device used mostly on Panthers and Tiger II's late in the war. Super Rare item!!!

[Dallas]

Yea, I thought the Vampir system was only designed for the Panther and Panther II projects. It was to be used in concert with the UHU IR equiped Sdkfz 251's. Only used briefly in combat as I recall. I wonder what the provenance is on this piece is.

[Matt L]

This very item and two others were for sale on ebaY about 8 months or so ago- I even started a thread about it- and concluded that it really doesn't appear to be an FG 1250. Now, I don't mean to say the seller is trying to pull anything- not at all- but his sight just doesn't match the FG1250 images. Judge for yourselves:

Actual FG1250




Advertised IR scope



Actual FG1250




Advertised IR scope



The actual images were found at http://www.missing-lynx.com/articles..._solutions.htm

None of the threaded 'plugs' line up, the eyepiece is quite different, and the actual FG1250 is much larger. I really don't think it's just me And to my knowledge, there was only one model of FG1250- on the reference website you can see it mounted on the Panther, an SPW- they're both the same.

It doesn't even look like a FG 1229 Vampir:




Apparently there are no markings on the scope that's for sale- something I found to be rather odd if it were German; sure the argument could be made that sicne it was a new device that it was unmarked for secruity reasons- but I have trouble with that given that EVERYTHING made for the Wehrmacht was marked. The smallest parts- sometimes even SCREWS- were marked at least with a Waffenamt stamp. No markings might not be odd for a prototype or a development piece, but the FG1250 was issued- so they had to be marked just like any other device. In the absence of any provenance, the best explanation I could come up with is that this sight is more likely a post-war Soviet copy of the German sights because it seems to share some features, but is still quite different.

Anyone see major flaws in my thinking or have another idea?

If the seller, Ranger, is reading this maybe he can tell us more about where it came from and why he believes it to be German- I for one am really curious

Matt

[Dallas]

Thanks Matt, that is great information! Makes me wonder now.

[Gog]

Thanks Matt, that is great information! Makes me wonder now.

Yes, I believe it to be Eastern Bloc, post war, perhaps T55 or similar. I am sure I have seen these also on maybe a BTR 60 or similar I think.

[Laurence Strong]

Yes, I believe it to be Eastern Bloc, post war, perhaps T55 or similar. I am sure I have seen these also on maybe a BTR 60 or similar I think.

Any chance of some photo's of the above vehicles and the sight together?