21cm MÖRSER
Foot Artillery Panoramic Sight (0-5760)
21cm Mörser Panoramic Sight (a very unexpected Christmas Present from a French girl (Denise Delhotal)). The sight is graduated from 0-5760 for German Foot Artillery. This scale, which is a 16ths of a degree scale, was generally used from the 1900s-1916. Foot Artillery adopted the German Field Artillery 0-6400 mil scale around 1916. The Panoramic Sight (Rundblickfernrohr) fits directly onto the artillery piece and is used in conjunction with the 0-5760 aiming circle to lay the piece for indirect fire. It appears that this sight was for Mörser number 97 then switched to Mörser number 141. I believe the “A” marked on the sight signifies that it is the primary for the piece. Firing pins and other parts are similarly marked “A” or “B” for primary or replacement respectively.
The red paint on the sight’s upper portion is to make it easier for the layer to see and set his aiming circle on the sight from a distance.
As is the case with many German WW1 Era optics, this sight is manufactured by C.P. Goerz.
There is a leveling bubble within the box set just above the eyepiece.
This is a photo of a sight of this type in service with a 21cm. Mörser.
All images, research, and text are sole property of Ralph Lovett.