DIENSTGLAS 7X50
The WWII German Dienstglas 7x50 binoculars, universally known as the standard-issue "service glass" or duty binoculars of the Wehrmacht, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe, represented the pinnacle of Third Reich optical engineering and were issued by the thousands from 1939 to 1945 as essential tools for observation, artillery spotting, naval reconnaissance, and low-light night operations across every theater of the war. Built primarily by elite manufacturers such as Carl Zeiss Jena (under wartime codes blc or rln), Ernst Leitz Wetzlar (beh), Emil Busch (cxn), and even occupied French firms like Huet, these rugged Porro-prism instruments delivered a crisp 7x magnification through massive 50 mm objective lenses that gathered exceptional light for their era—yielding a field of view around 7.3 degrees or 128 meters at 1,000 meters—making them prized "night glasses" especially aboard U-boats and surface ships where silhouette identification at dusk or dawn often decided survival. Featuring individual eyepiece focusing, uncoated (or occasionally coated) optics in most army models, rubber-armored variants for Kriegsmarine U-boat use with fold-back Bakelite eyecups or sliding objective shields, cold-weather grease markings like the "+" or "•" for arctic or Russian Front deployment, gas-mask-compatible long-eye-relief designs, and occasional right-eyepiece reticles for rangefinding, the 7x50s were housed in durable aluminum or Bakelite bodies often finished in field-gray, tan, or naval gray paint; post-1940 production typically omitted full maker names in favor of coded markings followed by serial numbers to maintain wartime secrecy. Though heavier than smaller 6x30 infantry glasses, their superior light transmission and durability earned them legendary status among German forces, with many thousands captured by Allied troops who prized them as superior trophies, ensuring the Dienstglas 7x50's enduring reputation today among collectors and historians as a symbol of German precision optics that helped shape the course of history from the beaches of Normandy to the depths of the Atlantic.
Fregattenkapitän Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock (1911-1986) began his naval career in 1931 and transferred to the U-boat arm in 1939, later commanding the Type VIIC submarine U-96 as Kapitänleutnant from September 1940 until March 1942 while attached to the 7. U-Flottille and conducting eight war patrols in the Battle of the Atlantic that resulted in the sinking of twenty-four ships totaling 170,237 gross register tons along with two ships damaged for 15,864 gross register tons and one ship declared a total loss. For his achievements during the first three of these patrols, in which U-96 under his command sank fourteen ships of 115,580 gross register tons and damaged two others of 15,864 gross register tons including the prominent sinking of the British troopship Almeda Star of 14,935 gross register tons on 17 January 1941, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 26 February 1941 as Kommandant of U-96 in recognition of his rapid destruction of more than 125,000 gross register tons of enemy shipping in a short period. For further successes achieved over the course of another five war patrols in which he sank an additional ten ships totaling 58,746 gross register tons, he received the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 31 December 1941 while still serving as Kommandant of U-96, after which he went on to command the 9. U-Flottille in Brest and briefly U-256 before becoming Flottillenchef of the 11. U-Flottille until the end of the war.
Korvettenkapitän
Herbert Schultze (1909-1987) was one of the most successful and widely
known U-Boot commanders of the Kriegsmarine during the early years of
the Second World War, achieving fame as the commander of U-48, one of
Germany’s most successful submarines. After taking command of U-48 in
1938, Schultze began a remarkable combat career in the Atlantic, where
his aggressive yet often highly publicized adherence to traditional
naval prize rules brought him international attention. During the
opening months of the war he sank numerous Allied merchant vessels,
including Royal Sceptre, Winkleigh, Firby, and many others, while
conducting a series of highly successful patrols that resulted in tens
of thousands of tons of enemy shipping destroyed. His growing record of
success, leadership, and effectiveness in disrupting British maritime
supply lines led to the award of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on
1 March 1940. Schultze continued his operational achievements
throughout 1940 and early 1941, eventually reaching a total of more than
169,709 gross register tons of 26 Allied shipping sunk, making him one
of the leading U-Boot aces of the period. In recognition of these
continued successes while commanding U-48, as well as his sustained
contribution to the Battle of the Atlantic and exemplary leadership
within the U-Boot-Waffe, he was awarded the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz
des Eisernen Kreuzes on 12 June 1941 as the sixth U-Boot
commander to receive that distinction. Shortly afterward he was
withdrawn from frontline patrol duty and assigned to command the 3.
U-Flottille at La Rochelle, later serving in several important staff
positions under Großadmiral Karl Dönitz.
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DIENSTGLAS 6X30
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DIENSTGLAS 6X30
Generalleutnant Georg-Wilhelm Postel (1896-1953), born on 25 April 1896 in Zittau, rose through the ranks of the German Army from his service in World War I to become a Generalleutnant, commanding the Infanterie-Regiment 364 of the 161. Infanterie-Division, then the 320. Infanterie-Division, and finally the XXX. Armeekorps before his capture by Soviet forces on 30 August 1944 during the capitulation of Romania; he died in Soviet captivity on 20 September 1953. As Oberst and Kommandeur of the Infanterie-Regiment 364, Postel earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 9 August 1942 for his leadership on 4 February 1942, when he took overall command of German units around a Soviet penetration zone south of Wosszino and directed a successful attack that closed the resulting gap in the frontline, together with other defensive actions around Rzhev in early 1942. Promoted to Generalmajor and appointed Kommandeur of the 320. Infanterie-Division, he received the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 28 March 1943, the 215th such award, for his exemplary frontline leadership amid extremely bitter fighting between the Don and Donez rivers from mid-January 1943 onward; often fighting without contact to neighboring units, his division repulsed overwhelming Soviet assaults while contesting every kilometer of ground, withdrew from forward strongpoints on orders, and conducted a nine-day breakthrough battle that eliminated several strong enemy battlegroups, including a reinforced Soviet rifle regiment on 10 February 1943, before reaching friendly lines on 13 February, during which Postel personally led from the most dangerous positions and was wounded while carrying out reconnaissance. As Generalleutnant still in command of the 320. Infanterie-Division, Postel was awarded the Schwerter zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub on 26 March 1944 for his outstanding leadership throughout the summer of 1943 near Belgorod, the heavy defensive battles around Kharkov in the autumn of 1943, and the winter operations of 1943/44 near Krementschug as well as further successful defensive actions around Kirovohrad and south of Tscherkassy in early 1944.
Hauptmann Hans Stern (1907-1972) was born on 2 May 1907 in Kassel, Germany, and died on 30 March 1972. During the Second World War he served initially in the Heer, participating in the campaigns in Poland and France before advancing with the 6. Panzer-Division during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa on the Eastern Front, where he held the rank of Hauptmann and served as Chef of the 3. Kompanie in the Panzer-Regiment 11. For his exemplary leadership and combat performance in this role he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 15 July 1941. He had earlier earned the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse and the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse, together with the Panzerkampfabzeichen ohne Zahl. In 1943 Stern transferred to the Waffen-SS, rising to the rank of Obersturmbannführer and later commanding the SS-Brigade Westfalen among other units; after the war he continued his service in the Bundeswehr, attaining the rank of Oberstleutnant.
Oberleutnant Hans-Werner Deppe (1921-2009), born on 21 March 1921 in Obernbeck-Herford in Westphalia, Germany, and who died on 30 December 2009 in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, was a decorated German infantry officer whose courage during the Second World War exemplified frontline leadership in the Heer. Initially serving as Leutnant in the III. / Infanterie-Regiment 58 of the 6. Infanterie-Division, he had already proven himself in the heavy defensive battles near Rzhev in August 1942, an action that led to his award of the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 31 October 1942 after an earlier recommendation for the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes was declined. By 1943, promoted to Oberleutnant and acting as Chef of the 3. / Grenadier-Regiment 58 within the same division, Deppe earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 August 1943 for his decisive intervention during the breakthrough battles south of Orel on 8 July 1943, when the reinforced I./Grenadier-Regiment 58 assaulted heavily fortified Russian positions northeast of Kutyrki. Facing a sudden and powerful enemy counterattack supported by artillery and aircraft that overran the neighboring 1. Kompanie after it lost its commander and platoon leaders, Deppe instantly recognized the mortal danger to the entire Bataillon, deviated from his assigned mission, and with his own depleted 3. Kompanie—already weakened by the loss of both Zugführers—charged into the enemy’s exposed flank with a resounding Hurra amid exploding shells. Wounded in the shoulder by a grenade during the ensuing close combat, he refused to yield, alternately standing or lying atop a Sturmgeschütz while firing an MG to rally his Grenadiere through sheer personal example, repelling the Soviet thrust, then pursuing on his own initiative to clear the heavily defended Rachel of remnants and push the farthest south in a narrow attack wedge; struck a second time in the arm, he only relented for medical treatment after being explicitly ordered by the Regiment. His lightning-swift situational awareness, bold independent initiative, outstanding personal bravery, and exemplary Führungsstärke not only saved the depleted Bataillon but enabled the regiment’s successful penetration of the strongly fortified enemy defensive network northwest of Kutyrki, inflicting around 150 enemy dead while capturing prisoners, a Katyusha rocket launcher, anti-tank guns, and numerous small arms with comparatively light German losses, actions that proved decisive for the broader operation as detailed in his award citation.
Oberleutnant Viktor Lindemann (1916-1942) was born on 23 November 1916 in Koblenz in the Rhine Province of Germany and served as an officer in the Heer during the Second World War. As Leutnant and Adjutant of the III. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 124 he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 21 September 1941 for his conduct during operations on the Eastern Front in the opening phase of the German campaign against the Soviet Union. He later received promotion to Oberleutnant and was appointed Chef of the 4. Schwadron of Radfahr-Abteilung 72 in the 72. Infanterie-Division. In addition to the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes he was decorated with the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse and the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse. Lindemann was killed in action on 9 September 1942 near Dubakino on the southern sector of the Eastern Front while serving in his command role with the bicycle reconnaissance unit. The precise action or series of actions that led to the award of his Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes is not described in detail in the available biographical entries on the internet, which record only the date, his rank and his assignment at the time of the bestowal.
Hauptmann Hans Stern (1907-1972) was born on 2 May 1907 in Kassel, Germany, and died on 30 March 1972. During the Second World War he served initially in the Heer, participating in the campaigns in Poland and France before advancing with the 6. Panzer-Division during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa on the Eastern Front, where he held the rank of Hauptmann and served as Chef of the 3. Kompanie in the Panzer-Regiment 11. For his exemplary leadership and combat performance in this role he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 15 July 1941. He had earlier earned the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse and the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse, together with the Panzerkampfabzeichen ohne Zahl. In 1943 Stern transferred to the Waffen-SS, rising to the rank of Obersturmbannführer and later commanding the SS-Brigade Westfalen among other units; after the war he continued his service in the Bundeswehr, attaining the rank of Oberstleutnant.
Oberleutnant Hans-Werner Deppe (1921-2009), born on 21 March 1921 in Obernbeck-Herford in Westphalia, Germany, and who died on 30 December 2009 in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, was a decorated German infantry officer whose courage during the Second World War exemplified frontline leadership in the Heer. Initially serving as Leutnant in the III. / Infanterie-Regiment 58 of the 6. Infanterie-Division, he had already proven himself in the heavy defensive battles near Rzhev in August 1942, an action that led to his award of the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 31 October 1942 after an earlier recommendation for the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes was declined. By 1943, promoted to Oberleutnant and acting as Chef of the 3. / Grenadier-Regiment 58 within the same division, Deppe earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 August 1943 for his decisive intervention during the breakthrough battles south of Orel on 8 July 1943, when the reinforced I./Grenadier-Regiment 58 assaulted heavily fortified Russian positions northeast of Kutyrki. Facing a sudden and powerful enemy counterattack supported by artillery and aircraft that overran the neighboring 1. Kompanie after it lost its commander and platoon leaders, Deppe instantly recognized the mortal danger to the entire Bataillon, deviated from his assigned mission, and with his own depleted 3. Kompanie—already weakened by the loss of both Zugführers—charged into the enemy’s exposed flank with a resounding Hurra amid exploding shells. Wounded in the shoulder by a grenade during the ensuing close combat, he refused to yield, alternately standing or lying atop a Sturmgeschütz while firing an MG to rally his Grenadiere through sheer personal example, repelling the Soviet thrust, then pursuing on his own initiative to clear the heavily defended Rachel of remnants and push the farthest south in a narrow attack wedge; struck a second time in the arm, he only relented for medical treatment after being explicitly ordered by the Regiment. His lightning-swift situational awareness, bold independent initiative, outstanding personal bravery, and exemplary Führungsstärke not only saved the depleted Bataillon but enabled the regiment’s successful penetration of the strongly fortified enemy defensive network northwest of Kutyrki, inflicting around 150 enemy dead while capturing prisoners, a Katyusha rocket launcher, anti-tank guns, and numerous small arms with comparatively light German losses, actions that proved decisive for the broader operation as detailed in his award citation.
Oberleutnant Viktor Lindemann (1916-1942) was born on 23 November 1916 in Koblenz in the Rhine Province of Germany and served as an officer in the Heer during the Second World War. As Leutnant and Adjutant of the III. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 124 he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 21 September 1941 for his conduct during operations on the Eastern Front in the opening phase of the German campaign against the Soviet Union. He later received promotion to Oberleutnant and was appointed Chef of the 4. Schwadron of Radfahr-Abteilung 72 in the 72. Infanterie-Division. In addition to the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes he was decorated with the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse and the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse. Lindemann was killed in action on 9 September 1942 near Dubakino on the southern sector of the Eastern Front while serving in his command role with the bicycle reconnaissance unit. The precise action or series of actions that led to the award of his Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes is not described in detail in the available biographical entries on the internet, which record only the date, his rank and his assignment at the time of the bestowal.
Source :
https://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/dba/de/
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