History is an interesting subject, the more you know, the more you realize you don't know crap. Below is a link you can read.
German Infrared Driving and Fire Control Equipment
Panther Ausf.G equiped with an Infrared Night Vision Sperber (Sperber FG 1250) device, on a testing site.
Captured in Normandy a German Sd.Kfz. 251/20 - Uhu (Eagle Owl) in late 1944, mounted a 60 cm infrared searchlight with a range of 1.5 km for illuminating targets at night, they guided IR sight-equipped Panther tanks to targets that were out of range of their own smaller infrared searchlights
As early as 1939, the first night vision devices were introduced by the German army. The first devices were being developed by AEG starting in 1935. By the end of World War II, the German army had equipped approximately 50 Mark V Panther tanks, which saw combat on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. The “Vampir” man-portable system for infantrymen was being used with STG-44 Sturmgewehr assault rifles.
By the end of the war Germany had started using the technology in limited areas to spot planes. I remember reading about them being used at the end of the war, more so in defense of Berlin though. The Soviet Unions reached Moscow before we did, and it goes without saying the the wooden biplanes would be immune to the technology used by Germans in Berlin as the Soviets advanced.
The ZG 1229 Vampir weighed about 5 lbs and was fitted with lugs at the weapons production facility. The soldier carrying this was known as night-hunter. As well as the sight and infrared spotlight, there was a 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.
The searchlight consisted of a conventional tungsten light source shining through a filter permitting only infrared light. The sensor was not sensitive to body heat because it operated in the upper infrared (light) spectrum rather than in the lower infrared (heat) spectrum.
The Vampir gear was used for the first time in combat in February 1945. 310 units had been delivered to the Wehrmacht in the final stages of the war. Eastern Front veteran 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 fitted both to MG34 and MG42 machine guns.
The Zielgerät ZG 1229 Vampir displayed by a British soldier.
It is quite remarkable that we defeated Germany by the grace of God. I say that, because if Hitler was not such a megalomanic idiot, her could have ruled the world. All he had to do was wait about 5 to 1o years and no one on the planet would have been able to stop him. We were only able to stop him, because he and Japan wanted to go to war before they were actually ready. This pushed the United States into waking up and getting our ass in gear to catch up. Another 5 to 10 years and we would have been screwed.
For that we can thank God, because I can only imagine the hell he would have put the World through.