Rbl. F. 14 Artillery Dial Sight and 10 cm K 14 sight carrier (Germany)

Artillery panoramic sight, (Rundblick fernrohr) for a 10 cm K 14, secured in its sight holder. The sight Consists of a short telescope bent at right angles and surmounted by a moveable head. The head was fixed on a horizontal graduated table and was capable of being turned in any direction by a knurled thumb screw. The object-glass was in the vertical tube and the light was reflected to the eye by two prisms or mirrors inclined in the moveable head and in the angle of the telescope. The sight is black overall, with its central portion above the azimuth drum painted a bright red. A clinometer buggle is mounted above the eyepice, with a mirror placed above the bubble. The uppermost prismatic element of the sight is painted in white letters with 'Captured by 13th AMGB [Australian machine Gun Battalion] 8 8 18.' The sight differs from the more common Rbl. F. 16 in that it has an auxiliary eye piece on the upper prism.

An inscription on top of the upper prism reads:
CP Goerz
Berlin.
Rbl. F. 14 umg.
Fabr Nr. 137364
XII. 17.


Roughly inscribed onto the horizontal micrometer housing is the number 'L 250 B', which is possibly the gun number to which it was attached. A 'B' possibly denotes that this was the secondary sight issued to the gun. The sight has a largely black finish, with adjustment screws in uncoated brass.

Above the goniometer the sight is painted in bright red. This appears to have been done to make the sight more visible from a distance, when used in combination with an aiming circle. The lower eye pice retains vestiges of its black rubber shroud.

The sight holder is fabricated from steel and brass, painted in semi gloss field grey. Inscribed onto the side of the holder, and picked out in white paint, is:
Buchss Nr.375 z.Rbl.F. 14
10 cm K 14 Nr 293-296

The Krupp logo, of three interlocking circles, is inscribed below.

This was an artillery sight issued to the German Army during the First World War for employment with light field guns and howitzers. In firing, the panorama sight was firmly fixed into a tubular sight clamp. It could be easily adjusted to every kind of artillery piece, irrespective of the kind of sighting device that it had. It served both as an ordinary telescopic sight and as a dial sight for laying at an reference point.

It allowed the gun layer to see over the top of the gun-shield without exposing himself, and gave a high line of sight, enabling the gun to be kept under cover. This sight is unusual in being still attached to its parent gun's sight holder, and in having the capture markings present.