German Vampir Infrared Night Vision for Tanks-1945

[Marc780]

The Germans actually were among the first to use infrared lights and viewers for war. As many know, "infrared" is simply a different spectrum of light, that is not visible to the naked eye, but only through special viewers. So the Germans came out with the "Vampir" night vision using infrared, for small arms and another for use on the tanks, this one. This sight had both an infrared searchlight and viewer for the tank commander to see what the light illuminated. If used earlier in the war, by many German tanks equipped thusly on a large scale, you can imagine what sort of effect these infrared sights might have had when used against the allied armies on both eastern and western fronts. But the sight came out very late in war-far too late to have any real effect on the battlefield- so we will never know.

You kind of have to admire the sheer determination of the people in the Waffenamt, the Germans were actually making plans to try to negate the total allied air superiority by having the panzers attack at night using these infrared sights. The device was designed so you could aim the main gun using the infrared sight, by a complicated system of range estimating bars that went up and down with the gun and searchlight. So the commander could see the range by aiming the searchlight.

Here's a Panther with one of these gadgets attached to the commander's cupolla (sp?).



I was thinking of making one of these for my HL King Tiger but i've already got plenty to do on this, with the other mods i already plan to do. Bracing the hull, bushing the wheels (because most of them turn way too hard), changing the gearbox and redoing the paint to 1944 dunkelgelb base scheme. Still it would be quite a challenge-i can imagine maybe adding in a tiny red LED to the model of the sight.
Someone apparently made actually made a scale version of this infrared searchlight/sight for 1/35 scale tanks at one time, but the page from the site that sold them is gone. Here's the image of it



and the real thing again, rear view.



If someone has already made or wants to scratch build one of these, i'd sure like to see the pictures.

[scalawag]

This one is available:

http://www.rctank.de/Infrared-night-vis ... h-headlamp

And Welsh Dragon Models have this on their web site but presently out of stock

http://www.welshdragonmodels.co.uk/asia ... 1790-p.asp

I believe the Asiatam one has a red LED in the IR lamp

[Marc780]

Thanks scalawag! Someone has made everything for r/c tanks at one time or another i suppose. Clever of them to actually make this in scale form but the demand must have been too low.. All the expensive casting molds for the piece made and everything.

Perhaps there could be another sub forum on these sights called "tank parts we want to buy!" If they had a polling option and showed enough demand I'm guessing someone would come out with the stuff. For instance I'd love to find brass bushings for my plastic wheels HL king tiger (I know Tamiya already does them but they don't interchange and how many are crazy rich enough for them anyway-$1500 for a Mark IV yet). Instead of making them myself. ( Ball bearings could be added on instead, people have done it, but just for the road wheels a greased bushing is simpler and perfectly adequate.)These purpose built bushings would have to be cheap though, $10 maybe (but for the vendor, they'd be very cheap to make also).

[Jnewboy]

Here is a 1/18 IR Panther and infantry I did a few years ago for a collector