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OTHER BINOCULARS #4 & OPTICAL SIGHTS |
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Japanese External Reverse Porro Prism Binoculars. WEBSITE MUSEUM |
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Sometimes I view fun with optics as being in the research. I have fairly developed skills, and view it more as an entertaining challenge than drudgery. I picked this up at my local flea market for $25 and figured that to be the price of the military case, with the odd optics inside being basically free. Since the case and optics were covered in part numbers and contract numbers and such, and marked as being a borescope, and with the 2003 date not that old, I figured tracking everything down would be a cake walk. In fact the only easy thing was the sticker “ METCAL ” for Met r ology and CAL ibration activity of the Naval Surface Warfare Program, and perhaps the Hughes Aircraft Co sticker. The FSCM ( F ederal S upply C ode for M anufacturer) contractor number was a dead end because FSCM had been replaced by CAGE codes. The SABE part number turned up nothing; the “borescope P/N on the case turned up nothing; the contract number turned up nothing; and even the part number on the device with or without “borescope” turned up nothing. Eventually I tried punching in that part number 3493367 as being a NSN / national stock number, though I knew it wasn’t, and that brought up national stock number 4920-01-420-2527 that had 3493367 as being a listed part number buried within that NSN, listing this as basically being an opto electric target test kit to check the aim or harmonization or boresighting of an aircraft armament system when testing it in a simulated way on the ground, and specifically related to the H1 program to upgrade AH-12 Viper and UH1Y Venom combat helicopters. I live within a half hour of Sikorsky aircraft that makes helicopters, and see military helicopters fly by all the time, and frequently find stuff related to helicopters at the local flea market, so it all now makes perfect sense. |
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Speaking of fun flea market optics, I also live near a medical tool manufacturer, and for a short time somebody showed up at the flea market with some endoscopes (optical surgery tool to insert into a person’s insides and organs to have a look or work on them), along with lots of endoscopy tools scrapped after salt spray tests. (I think testing of competitors stuff, because of being all different brands from around the world). So now I have a bigger collection of endoscopy tools than anybody I know plus some optical endoscopes ! |
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Pre 1940 Hensoldt Wetzlar Dienstglas 6x30 German Military Binoculars Captured in Stalingrad |
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Waffenampt ??Stamping on hinge |
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My Hensoldt Wetzlar Dienstglas 6x30 binoculars predate 1940, when German manufacturer’s letter codes were instituted replacing placing maker names on binoculars, in order to obscure factory output levels and what factories to target. These were purchased in Russia as being of Stalingrad capture. Certainly few Russian soldiers in WWII failed to scoop up any functional binoculars they had the opportunity to grab (nor did any American soldier in either of the World Wars). These binoculars have two deep stampings on the pivot arms which I assumed to be Waffenampt acceptance marks, though they do look a bit different than what I am used to seeing as Waffenampts? And I can’t discern a number, when enlarged a lot. The Waffenampt for Hensolt & Sohne Optische Werke A.G. 1939-1942 was “WaA414”. In other respects these are fairly standard WWII era German infantry binoculars. |
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1925 Barr & Stroud No2 Mk I British Military Binoculars |
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My 1925 dated Barr & Stroud British Military Binocular Prismatic No.2Mk I binoculars were made by the Scottish firm in the inter war years, which is a bit unusual, and are broad arrow British military property marked, and were probably originally black. |
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Mystery British Military Property Marked Binoculars |
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My mystery binoculars have no indication of manufacturer, or of brand, or model, or country of origin, or sign it ever had such. But they do have multiple British military property marks. It has a stamped number K805 and what looks like a stamped serial number, plus rotary engraved markings CLY 893 in two places. My guess is they were civilian binoculars taken into British military possession as being a usable non standard type that might be issued to the Home Guard volunteers of WWI and WWII (which in WWII had 1.5 million members to equip). |
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Pre 1940 WWII E. Leitz Dienstglas D.F. 6x30 German Military Binoculars |
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WWII German D.F. 12 x 60 Binocular Director for Antiaircraft Rangefinder (Fertigungskennzeichen) |
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My WWII 12x60 German Binocular Fire Director would have been mounted with 2 others into an anti aircraft 4 m rangefinder. Height of aircraft is critical to flak type antiaircraft fire, which depends on setting the shell fuse to explode at the height of the aircraft, as a proximity explosion rather than direct fire is the function of the 88mm antiaircraft guns (versus direct fire in their anti tank role). Unfortunately my unit is missing it’s data plate so mfgr is unknown and is missing it’s objective sun shields. |
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My E. Leitz Wetzlar D. F. 6x30 Dienstglas German Military Binoculars are of the standard WWII Infantry pattern, but predate 1940 because the manufacturer’s logo is present (rather than a manufacturer’s numerical code). E. Leitz (Leica) together with Zeiss are among the most respected German optics manufacturers. |
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WWII ddx Voightlander Dienstglas D.F. 6x30 German Military Binoculars with bakelite case |
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My ddx (Voightlander & Sohnne AG Braunschweig) Dienstglas military binoculars are post 1940 standard WWII 6x30 German infantry binoculars, and came in a bakelite (early powdered cast plastic) case with “ MD ” manufacturers mark. The “ KF ” (K ätelfest) marking indicates the use of cold weather Invarol lubricant. The German Russian campaign of 1941 particularly brought intense focus onto lubricants for guns, vehicles, aircraft, binoculars, and everything else to enable extreme cold weather operation. (pardon the pun). |
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Two x US Army Telescope Elbow M17 with Tobyhanna Army Depot tag |
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My two US Army elbow telescopes M17 are slightly different. M17 elbow telescopes are fairly common on the US surplus market, usually dated 1942, and made by various manufacturers, because in the past military and optics surplus firms like Edmund Scientific sold loads of these for as little as $12. One sees people claiming these to be tank and artillery telescopic sights. The military had 3 or 4 optical devices called M-17, adding to the confusion. I believe the 1942 M17 elbow telescope to have been attached to the M7, M9,and M10 antiaircraft fire directors for 90 and 120 mm antiaircraft guns for tracking elevation and azimuth, and they were not a direct fire sight. The filters fit in with a role of fire director telescope. I pulled mine out of their original sealed military crates at my local flea market, where one elbow telescope was packed into around 1 of 4 or 5 crates that had the cone and dome object at left, which I think to be the center section of an anti aircraft radar parabolic dome. My M17’s had 1992 Tobyhanna Military Depot tags that gave the national stock number and other reference numbers for the telescope. By that number they come up as elbow telescope but without other useful insights. |
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1914 WWI Rodenstock Fernglas 08 German Military Binoculars (Galilian/ non Prismatic) |
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My WWI German military binoculars are of the ubiquitous pattern issued to all non commissioned officers and are marked “ F.G. 08 ” (Fernglas 08 or binoculars [model] 08), and are marked “ K.B Dienst ” ( K.B. Govt Service property?) and also “ J ” (Bavarian acceptance mark of Geschofabric Ingolstadt) and also “ IX14 ” (production date of September 1914) on the pivot arms. These binoculars are also maker marked “ G. Rodenstock Fernglas 08 No. 7676 Munchen ” on the pivot disk. The case is marked as having been made by “ Emil Busch A.G. Rathenow” (camera maker) and has the normal case lid instructions, which are quite faded. . |
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Bakelite case maker mark |
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WWII blc Carl Zeiss 7x50 Dienstglas German Military Binoculars |
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WWII blc Carl Zeiss 10x50 German Dienstglas Military Binoculars |
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My blc 10x50 Dienstglas WWII German military binoculars were made by Carl Zeiss. They are actually the same size as the 7x50 model above. I suspect the “ • ” to indicates use of a cold weather grease. |
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My blc 7x50 Dienstglas WWII German military binoculars were made by Carl Zeiss. The “ + ” cold mark indicates use of cold weather grease #1442 (E lubricant). “ Dienstglas ” has been the standard German military type designation on binoculars from WWI to the present. |
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WWII rnl Carl Zeiss 6x30 German Dienstglas Military Binoculars (post November 1944) |
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My rnl 6x30 Dienstglas WWII German military binoculars were made by Carl Zeiss after November 1944, when Zeiss changed from their previous blc manufacturer code to the rnl code. The triangle mark indicates use of a cold weather grease. |
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Captured WWI E. Leitz Fernglas 08 German Military Binoculars (Galilian/ non Prismatic) |
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British Barr & Stroud C.F.41 Admiralty (Navy) Binoculars with Expanding Objective Shields |
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My WWII era Scottish manufactured Barr & Stroud CF 41 British Admiralty Naval binoculars are interesting because this example has the very clever 1933 marked patented #416359 metal twist expanding sun shields for the objective lenses. The binoculars themselves are marked for a 1934 patent #436220 and also marked for a 1940 patent application 4440, which dates these as post dating 1940. Like many naval binoculars, these contain internal lever controlled filter disks for various weather conditions. |
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Internal filter disk |
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My WWI German Fernglas 08 military binoculars were made by famous optics maker E. Leitz in Wetzlar in November 1918, near the end of the war (the Versailles Treaty ending the war was June 28, 1919). These were “captured”, and brought back as a souvenir or war trophy to the United States by Corporal Elton O. Bartlow, of the U.S. 83rd Infantry Division, 329 Infantry Regiment, Machine Gun Co., associated with the state of Ohio USA. Their case is marked as having been made by Spindler & Hoyer Gottingen. |
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Case Lid Inside Label |
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Post WWI Civilian Pseudo “Model 08” Non Military Binoculars |
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French “model 08” civilian binoculars |
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So many American and French soldiers brought home captured German noncom model 08 Military binoculars, that after WWI it created enough civilian demand for American and French firms to make and sell knock off civilian center focus binoculars intended to resemble the wartime “08” binoculars and marked as being them. In the normal way that marketing creates self serving illusions, the U.S. made binoculars of this type were marked “ ARMY ” and “ 08 ” and of course these are neither. But to this day people are still deceived. |
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US “Army 08” civilian binoculars |
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Military Combat Helicopter AH-12 & UH-1Y Weapons Systems Optical Aiming Scope Tool |
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Only a few shown. |
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1917 WWI Carl Zeiss Fernglas 08 German Military Binoculars (Galilian/ non Prismatic) |
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My WWI 1917 German Carl Zeiss 08 military binoculars are the Zeiss manufactured version of the Rodenstock and Emil Busch made 08 binoculars above and the Leitz made 08 binoculars below. (08 pattern binoculars were also made in WWI by Oigee, Voightlander, Goerz, Spindler and Hoyer, and perhaps other manufacturers). This pattern of military non prismatic binoculars were cheaper and easier to produce in large quantities than prismatic binoculars, and were considered good enough for to be issued to NCO’s (non commissioned officers) and these cheaper easier to produce design enabled all NCOs to receive a pair, which was a revolutionary military concept. |
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My 08 binoculars came with one of the German WWII button flaps to attach the binoculars to a uniform button so it doesn't bang around and make noise and get you shot at night, or smack you in the face when diving for cover. |
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1912 Prewar Emil Busch AG Fernglas 08 German Military Binoculars (Galilian/ non Prismatic) |
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My pre WWI German military binoculars are marked “ Fernglas 08” and have a “ K ” acceptance mark of Gewehr Prufungskommission Spandau, and are also marked “ XI 12 ” (production date of November 1912) on the pivot arms. These binoculars are also maker marked “ Emil Busch AG Rathenow ”. These were probably a US soldier bring back war trophy, perhaps given to a sweetheart “Bonnie”, and with her name scratched into them. |
