German Infra-red Nightfighting Equipment During WW2

German Infra-red Nightfighting Equipment in WW2

This is an updated version of an article I wrote for the SOTCW Journal

Now the last desparate months of the Reich in WW2 isn’t an interest of mine per se but I do enjoy gaming the battles for the German border and winter 1944/45. 

Recently I found myself reading Tomb of the Panzerwaffe by Aleksei Isaev and Maksim Kolomiets for review. The book covers the last major offensive by the Germans in Hungary and, whilst covering the make-up of the German forces, the authors discuss the use of infrared equipment by the Germans. This got me thinking and I did a bit of digging.  

Germany began to develop such devices in the 1930s. AEG actually created a prototype in 1939 which was fitted to a 37mm Pak 35/36 anti-tank gun but the results were disappointing to the military who needed sights with capabilities equivalent to firing at daytime. In the autumn of 1942 tests of a night optical sight (ZG1221) for the 75mm Pak40 gun were started concluding in the middle of 1943. Whilst the results were okay (firing was possible on targets to a range of about 400 metres) the Wehrmacht didn’t give approval. AEG, on its own initiative, produced 1,000 optical sights for the Pak40 in early 1944. The effects of Allied airpower over Normandy in June 1944 finally served as a stimulus with the need for Wehrmacht units to move at night and to avoid the attentions of Allied planes.  

Arguably the most interesting and successful adaptation of night-fighting equipment was on the Panther tank. General Guderian suggested the IR sight should be developed for use with the Panther and a variant (ZG1221K) was fitted to the commenders cupola, the headlamp allowed the commander to see ahead of the vehicle about 100 meters, this was considered inadequate and the development of an IR observation vehicle the Uhu (owl) was ordered.

In November 1944, the Panzer Lehr Division was relocated to the Fallingbostel military training area in Bergen in order to test the still top secret infrared image converter night vision devices and Uhu-Spw, which were currently being developed, in troop trials.

At the end of November the equipment was complete and a dress rehearsal took place in front of the Inspector General, Colonel General Guderian . After this Guderian exercise, which did not go well in the snow because the snowflakes were reflected by the infrared light from the image converter devices, 

The sight consisted of an infrared searchlight and an image converter. The searchlight came in various diameters (up to 60cm) but all received the designation Uhu (Owl). In accordance with their intended use there were different versions of night vision devices – Zielgerät (aiming device), Fahrgerät (night driving) and Beobachtungsgerät (observation device). 

In practice one 60cm Uhu would be assigned to a group of five IR equipped Panther - the range of the IR viewer on the Panther was increased to 700 meters through the capability of the larger searchlight.  

Two different arrangements/configurations were created and used on Panther tanks:  

Version A – Sperber (Sparrow Hawk) was made up of one 30cm infrared searchlight (with a range of 600m) and an image converter operated by the commander – FG 1250. From late 1944 to March of 1945 some Panzerkampfwagen V Panther Ausf G (and other variants), mounted with FG 1250, were successfully tested. From March to April of 1945 approximately 50 Panthers Ausf G (and other variants), mounted with FG 1250, saw combat service on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. Panthers with IR operated with SdKfz 251/20 Uhu (Owl) half-tracks with a 60cm infra-red searchlight and SdKfz 251/21 Falke (Falcon). This version could be easily mounted on any type of armoured fighting vehicle. 

Version B – the second, more complicated arrangement was "Biwa" (Bildwandler) which, in addition to the provision under the Sperber configuration, also provided the driver and gunner with one 30cm infrared searchlight (with range of 600m) and image converter (installed respectively on the front hull and on the mantle in front of the gun sight). Various variants of Panthers were converted and mounted with "Biwa". It was reported that tests were successful but there are very few combat reports from the Eastern or Western Fronts. Due to the lack of evidence the existence of Version B is still questioned and even considered a hoax. 

Various units are reported by various internet sourses as having received IR Panthers including 116^th Panzer Division - 3rd company of 24th Panzer Regiment, Western Front, Autumn of 1944 (see below), Sixth SS Panzer Army (Hungary, Spring 1945) and both Panzer Divisions Müncheberg and Clausewitz towards the very end. 

Here things become a little mirky!! 

One combat report is by a veteran of 1st SS Panzer Regiment of 1st SS Panzer Division "LSSAH", who states that a few Panthers equipped with infrared night-vision devices (possibly from 116th Panzer Division) were used in 1944/45 during the Ardennes Offensive. 

Various internet forums have had flame-ups over the use of IR equipment being used at all in the West and basically dismiss such claims as being rubbish and unproven.  

In April of 1945, Panthers equipped with Biwa IR equipment joined Panzer Division Clausewitz and, in mid April near Ülzen, destroyed an entire platoon of British Comet cruiser tanks. Also on 21st April 1945, The same Panthers overran an American anti-tank position on the Weser-Elbe Canal. Most of those reports can’t be confirmed and are questionable. 

Again both these reports are generally discredited and dismissed by the a majority of online forums, etc 

In addition, it is reported but not supported that a single unit equipped with Jagdpanthers received and used infrared night-vision devices.

Another uncredited report I found on the internet states:

“Uhu and Puma (the author claims Panthers with IR gear were called Pumas, but I have not read this elsewhere??)  in combination were said to have been used by two units on the Eastern Front with immense success; it was claimed that 67 Russian tanks had been knocked out in one night. These two units and the unit captured were said to be the only three German units equipped with I.R. gear. Gear for other units was, however, said to be in existence hidden in various places, which are known to Major von Werthern.

It is not recorded how many Panther tanks with I.R. gear were in each unit, however the training unit that was captured by the Allies was made up of 4 Sd.Kfz.251/20 Uhus, 16 Sd.Kfz.251/20 Falkes, and 3 staff cars. Even if the unit in question had 16 Panthers, which seems unlikely, that is still more than 4 kills claimed on average per tank! 

Also In the spring of 1945, a Sparrowhawk group was sent from the Panzertruppenschule in Bad Fallingbostel to StuhlweiBenburg in Hungary as part of the 6th SS Panzer Army. They were responsible for a large number of tank kills during the surprise offensive from February 17th to 24th, 1945 that destroyed the Russian bridgehead.

The remaining Panther tanks in the association also moved east. However, they were wiped out in Hungary because their infrared devices were allegedly ineffective due to heavy snowfall. There was a thaw back then! In reality, the remaining 63 Panthers actually arrived in Hungary on time, but without their infrared equipment which remained in Bad Fallingbostel for no apparent reason.

BMW 321 Staff Car with night driving gear

Nachtjäger

Infra-red equipped tank units were accompanied by panzergrenadiers, some of whom were armed with their own night fighting equipment – the vampire. The ZG 1229 Vampir weighed in at 2.25 kilograms (about 5lbs) and was fitted by means of lugs onto the StG44 assault rifle at C.G. Hänel at Suhl, the weapons production facility.

The grenadier carrying this was known as a Nachtjäger (night-hunter). As well as the sight and infrared spotlight, there was a 13.5 kilogram (about 30lbs.) wooden cased battery for the light and a second battery fitted inside a gas mask container to power the image converter. This was all strapped to a Tragegestell 39 (pack frame 1939). The searchlight consisted of a conventional tungsten light source shining through a filter permitting only infrared light. It operated in the upper infrared (light) spectrum rather than in the lower infrared (heat) spectrum and was, therefore, not sensitive to body heat.

Vampire gear was first used in combat in February 1945. However small arms infrared device introduction took place in early 1944 and I have read one report of Americans finding odd STG44s with large strange optic sights during the Ardennes battles (field tests maybe?)

 310 units were delivered to the Wehrmacht at the final stages of the war. Russian reports consist of snipers shooting at night with the aid of 'peculiar non-shining torches coupled with enormous optical sights' mounted on their rifles. Similar infrared gear was reportedly fitted both to MG34 and MG42 machine guns.

Other branches of the German military also developed IR equipment:

Kriegsmarine

The "Seehund" an infrared device developed for the Kriegsmarine and used from 1941 for signaling and infrared detection mounted on a 35cm searchlight. It seems to have had a maximum range of 4.5km under perfect conditions.

There was also a passive shore based aiming device "Warmepeilgerate" designed by Zeiss resp. Elac, which appears to have had good results up to 40km (large targets) under perfect conditions.

                                                                             Luftwaffe

The first on-board aid in German night fighters was the IR-based optical search device Spanner built by AEG .

"Spanner I" worked actively, with headlights, lenses and image converters

"Spanner II - IV" worked passively, with a lens and image converter (without headlights). However, they were only produced in small

The Do 17 Z-10 Kauz II was an improved version of the Do 17 Z-7 Kauz I, with a larger, more effective armament and early infrared technology (although I doubt this feature would be implemented). It was a night fighter variant of the infamous flying pencil, and unlike the earlier Kauz I, it did not possess any suspended armament. The Do 17 Z-10's offensive armament consisted of four 7.92 mm MG 17s grouped above the IR searchlight in the center of the nose and two 20 mm MG FFs in the lower nose, compared to the three MG 17s and one MG 151 of the Z-7. While each MG FF had a drum of only 90 rounds, the drums could be reloaded mid-flight by a dedicated crew member.

DO-17 Z10 "Kauz II" night-fighter with "Spanner" infrared detection system of I/NJR 2 at Gilze Rijen, Holland 1941

Infra-red sights and wargaming

Now how we incorporate this technology onto a wargames table is an interesting question, obviously IR equipped tanks, etc can move and see better at night. But unless you are running a specific scenario I don`t see IR having much of an effect on  a tabletop. During my time as editor of the SOTCW Journal, I published a scenario by Stuart Pearson about a Nachtjager raid on Russian lines. I can easily see a skirmish type scenario with these IR equipped weapons being used making an interesting change of pace. Bolt Action actually covered Nachtjager in their late war supplement and Warlord Games actually produced a few figures so equipped.

S&S Models do an add on kit for your plastic or resin Panthers in 20mm

https://sandsmodels.com/product/infrared-panther-fittings-pair/