Japanese External Reverse Porro Prism Binoculars. WEBSITE MUSEUM

  OTHER BINOCULARS #1 & OPTICAL SIGHTS (MOSTLY MILITARY)

Two Nedinsco (Dutch Zeiss) 7x50 M/56 Danish Navy Binoculars serial numbers 4797 and 4581

The Nederlandse Instrumenten Compagnie (usually known as Nedinsco) is a Dutch subsidiary of Zeiss that was founded in 1921 in Vlissingen in the Netherlands, then soon moved to Venlo. I assume it was founded to be able to produce military optics without regard to restrictions against German military production imposed by the WWI Treaty of Versailles. These two M56 Nedinsco binoculars carry a Crown military property mark, dessicant ports, believed for a Danish Navy contract.

S Ǿ ARTILLERIET

(NAVAL ARTILLERY)

MARINE-TJENESTEKIKKERT

(MARINE SERVICES/ NAVY)

M/56 (believed to indicate MODEL 1956)

British Barr & Stroud Ltd Type G.K.5 6x42 Naval Artillery Director Binoculars

My British Royal Navy G.K.5 Fire Director binoculars were made by the Scottish Firm of Barr & Stroud Ltd Glasgow. Fire directors calculate the arc of fire (indirect fire) necessary to drop artillery rounds on targets over much longer distances than possible for direct fire (think mortar versus rifle sighting). This is the optical line of sight mechanism which would interact with the distance calculation and gun performance factors and wind factors when attached to the fire director to give elevation and windage settings to the gun crew. Undated, but believed to date in the period WWII to a decade or so after WWII.

These binoculars serial # 4797 have rubber ocular and objective ring protection and rubber top body protection, as had been common on German WWII binoculars intended for naval use. Were repainted gray.

Ross 7x50 Naval Artillery Director Military Binoculars Pattern G-352

My British Royal Navy pattern G-352 7x50 Fire Director Binoculars were made by the British firm Ross London. They would originally have has a rubber brow pad and eyecup. Fire directors calculate the arc of fire (indirect fire) necessary to drop artillery rounds on targets over much longer distances than possible for direct fire (think mortar versus rifle sighting). This is the optical line of sight mechanism which would interact with the distance calculation and gun performance factors and wind factors when mounted to the DCT (Director Control Tower) fire director to give elevation and windage settings to the gun crew. This particular model of Ross binoculars was illuminated, and has filters of different colors on a rotating disc. And like many Naval optics, these binoculars have desiccant ports with caps. The distance between eyepieces can be adjusted.

A similar model of Ross Artillery Director Binoculars are shown below mounted to a Navy Director Control Tower for surface targets (there were also fire directors for anti aircraft  guns).

The “Broad Arrow” mark is a UK Ministry of Defense Property mark. The “ W ” usually means waterproofed on British Optics.

1944 blc Zeiss 7x50 German Gas Mask Military Binoculars

My uncommon version blc (German WWII mfgr code for Zeiss) binoculars were specifically designed to be able to be used when wearing a gas mask, having large ocular lenses & long eye relief. They are pictured at left with an early 1936 dated Wehrmacht short gas mask and short can, and a later WWII German military long gas mask and can. By the serial number and also by not having a range grid reticle, these binoculars are believed to have been made in 1944. All were probably WWII US soldier bring back “souvenirs”. The 1936 gas mask on the left and it’s can are both marked to Mr. Fleige, who was a WWII shunt manager at the Freiburg Hauptbahnhof railway station (Brg.Hbf), the main train station of Freiburg im Breisgau, in Baden-W ü rtenburg.

1939 Huet 7x50 French Armee de L’Air (Air Force) Military Binoculars

My 1939 dated French Huet Paris 7x50 binoculars are marked as being property of the Armee de L’Air , the French Air Force. Huet brand binoculars were made by the firm Soc ié t é G é n é rale d’Optique” (SGO), which made many of the French government and military binoculars, and also civilian  binoculars. When the German army occupied France, many French Huet military binoculars were seized and used, plus the Huet company continued to manufacture these type binoculars for Germany, but with the occupation produced  binoculars marked Huet “dienstglas” or Huet Kreigsmarine: see my three at OTHER BINOCULARS #12 .

1939 Huet 16x50 French Armee de L’Air (Air Force) Military Binoculars

My 1939 dated French Huet Paris 16x50 binoculars are marked as property of the Armee de L’Air , the French Air Force. This marking had been painted over. It is common when a soldier “liberated” government owned binoculars for the property mark to be defaced or covered up. But a certain amount of French military equipment including binoculars were reused by occupying German troops, so it is also  possible a Wehrmacht army user simply painted over the air force mark. Huet brand binoculars were made by the French company Soc ié t é G é n é rale d’Optique” (SGO) .

These 16x military binoculars are a unusually high magnification for hand held military (and civilian) binoculars

Huet 10x50 French Marine Nationale Navy Modele 1933 Type 1 Military Binoculars

My model 1933 type 1 French Huet Paris 10x50 binoculars and case are marked as property of the Marine Nationale (French Navy), and of being part of a Navy contract. These binoculars are believed dated between 1933 and 1940, and were made by the French co. Soc ié t é G é n é rale d’Optique” (SGO).

A certain amount of French military equipment including these type binoculars were reused by occupying German troops, and under occupation these were for the German military, but with occupation binoculars normally marked “dienstglas” for the German and Kreigsmarine for German navy use, as below

Filter

eye cups

ARGENTINA

AUSTRIA

AUSTRALIA

BELGIUM

BRAZIL

BULGARIA

CANADA

CHINA

CZECHOSLOVAKIA

DENMARK

EAST GERMANY

FINLAND

FRANCE

GERMANY

HUNGARY

INDIA

IRAQ

IRAN

ISRAEL

ITALY

JAPAN

LUXEMBOURG

NETHERLANDS

NORTH KOREA

NORTH VIETNAM

PERSIA

POLAND

ROMANIA

RUSSIA

SLOVAK REPUBLIC

SOUTH AFRICA

SPAIN

SWEDEN

SWITZERLAND

TURKEY

UNITED KINGDOM

USA

WEST GERMANY

YUGOSLAVIA

NON MINIATURE BINOCULARS & OPTICS: MOSTLY MILITARY

On-line sellers of 1933 and 1939 pattern Huet military often claimGerman use. Captured stock were used by the Germans but German use is pure speculation and when capture reused their was no correlation between French Navy, Air Force, or Army use models and German branch of service use.

Huet DF 12x50 A’m1d Artl. French occupation German Kriegsmarine marked binoculars #2509

WWII Made in Occupied France Huet 8x30 Krieigsmarine marked German Navy military binoculars