Watching for the next aircraft
Binoculars raised, the Feldwebel is looking above the battlefield. This skywatcher belongs with the Eastern Front anti-aircraft group, where spotting and identifying a threat had to come before the guns could be brought to bear.
Feldwebel is a German NCO rank, so the figure suggests supervision as well as observation. His freestanding pose also allows him to be associated with the gun platform. It is a reminder that an anti-aircraft position needed eyes and communication, not just a recognizable cluster of barrels.
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