Japanese External Reverse Porro Prism Binoculars. WEBSITE MUSEUM

OTHER BINOCULARS #3 & OPTICAL SIGHTS (MOSTLY MILITARY)

WWII German dkl (Joseph Schneider Optische Werke Kreuznach code) D.F. 10x80 Antiaircraft Artillery (Flakglas) Binoculars

My German dkl WWII Flakglas binoculars and it’s cradle and tripod photographed on a snowy day were primarily designed for directing the aiming of antiaircraft searchlights associated with the 88mm antiaircraft artillery, and the elevation and horizontal scales are for that purpose, and the accessory lighting harness was for that night time purpose. But these were also used for general aircraft spotting, and for general observation. They were produced in large numbers by six different manufacturers from 1939-1945, and because they came in a wood case and U.S. military shipping was cheap for the troops to send war souvenirs home for morale, a lot were shipped back to the USA as souvenirs by soldiers who captured/ liberated or looted them. This particular unit is dkl marked, which is the WWII manufacturer code for Joseph Schneider Optische Werke Kreuznach, located in Bad Kreuznach Germany, and who was the second largest producer of these after Emil Busch (cxn), see example above. The “ D.F . ” marking is for Doppelfernrohr (Double telescope). The blue X marking indicates use of cold weather grease #1442, introduces Nov 1 1942, and the red X indicates use of another cold weather grease. The cradle and circle mount on this unit is correct and functional, though the cradle is missing the right side handle, but although my tripod is quite similar in design to original with sliding tubular legs, it is not original, or of the period.

1928 Swiss made Kern Swiss Army 6x24 Armee-Modell Military Binoculars

My 1928 Swiss Kern Aarau 6x24 military Armee-Modell binoculars were manufactured by the optical firm of Kern & Co (which was also a maker of geodetic instruments), and was located in the northern Switzerland municipality of Aarau. The Swiss Cross + on these binoculars is a government property mark, and this property mark appears in four places on these binoculars. These binoculars do not have a ranging grid or graticule. Kern apparently commenced binocular production in 1925, and these were produced 3 years later. A 1926 dated version of these exists in another collection with serial # 95, so the serial number 2,836 on this suggests Kern produced at least that many binoculars in their first 3 years.

1945 Barr and Stroud CF41 7x49 WWII British Admiralty (Navy) Binoculars (Scottish manufactured)

My Barr and Stroud CF41 military binoculars are one of the 70,000 produced in a very long production run starting 1935, and with the model military stocked until around 1973/74. The AP1900a marking designates these as having colored filters controlled by dual levers for challenging weather conditions, and this model does not have a ranging gratucule. (the model CF42 had a gratucule for ranging drop of shot). These binoculars have the yellow broad arrow UK Admiralty (Navy) property mark plus the standard broad arrow Ministry of Defense property mark, and have 4 desiccating/ drying ports. So these binoculars are essentially a military naval design specific model. According to the University of Glasgow (Scotland) Barr & Stroud archives, by their serial number these binoculars date to the middle of 1945 WWII production.

1934/1935 Barr and Stroud C.F.31 7x49 Scottish Manufactured Civilian Binoculars

My Barr and Stroud C.F.31 7x49 binoculars with serial number 10,575, according to the University of Glasgow Barr & Stroud archives, were produced in either 1934 or 1935, around two years after the start of Barr and Stroud binoculars production. These binoculars are marked as distributed in the UK by the firearms and sporting goods manufacturer Cogswell & Harrison Ltd. in London, and that company has origins that date to 1770, and it still exists today). These binoculars were probably sold at retail through Cogswell & Harrison’s large network of UK retail gun and sporting goods dealers.

1947-1951 Barr and Stroud 7x24 CF29 Scottish Manufactured Civilian Binoculars

My Barr and Stroud CF29 7x24 binoculars with serial number 96,151 were, according to University of Glasgow Barr & Stroud archives produced between 1947 and 1951, and reflect Barr and Stroud’s quick post WWII move back to supply the civilian market with products after military contracts disappeared. Like the wartime and prewar binoculars of this general pattern, the prism housings and objective caps and some other parts of the CF29 model are made from the early bakelite form of plastic, used in 1920’s jewelry, WWII German binocular cases, but now mostly known for auto distributor caps. It is somewhat brittle.

Ca 1917-1921 Ross 10x Stereo Prism Binoculars With an Interesting Past

I tend to like the (many) things which I collect to include a human provenance whenever possible: a documented history beyond the bare physical object. The vast majority of objects that survive their original ownership quickly shed their human past. So for me it is a pleasure when an item defies that norm, and it is often merely because somebody wrote something on the object and the web now allows researching that significance. This is the case with these binoculars. The carry case for my Ross,London 10x binoculars is marked as having belonged to Leighton Hope, American Consul at the US Ensenada Consulate in Mexico (by records 1922-1926). The binoculars are marked as having been sold through the firm of G. Falconer & Co. Ltd. Hong Kong, which fits perfectly as Leighton Hope was U.S. Vice consul to Hong Kong in 1917, and U.S. consul to Hong Kong in 1921. He obviously purchased these British Ross binoculars in Hong Kong during his time there. As can be seen in the period (1928) G. Falconer & Co. (Hong Kong) Ltd. advertisement shown at left, Falconer were agents for and sold Ross binoculars and telescopes from their shop opposite Hong Kong’s main Post Office.

Inscription says: “ Leighton Hope, American Consul, Ensenada SA Mexico ”

Royal Navy antiaircraft watch in 1942 with CF41

The desiccating ports are marked “ C ” and “ B ” and “ British Patent No 435220/1934 ”

Pre WWI era WWII used Australian Military MKV Spl 4 1/2 x Le Petit Binoculars (French Manufacture)

My Australian Military marked         4 1/2x MkV Spl. binoculars are Australian military property marked D   D (mark used after 1926) and represent what was probably a WWII expedient issue (the Spl / Special? marking) of a civilian donated French made non prismatic binoculars. In both WWI and WWII the massive mobilization and need for coast watching, artillery, and air defense observation far outstripped any domestic abilities to supply military binoculars, so that the UK, US, and Australia grabbed all usable civilian stocks and advertised for civilians to donate their (better quality) binoculars. What makes this more interesting is that they have a tag of having been serviced by the AEME V shops Instrument Section at the Cliff Port Phillip area VIC (Victoria) in 1944 . AEME is the Australian (military) Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (established in 1942). These are a pattern of binoculars that would have been familiar to US Civil War officers in the 1860s, and they were fairly obsolescent in WWI; and absolute dinosaurs in every way by WWII. (like handing a WWII soldier a bag of black powder and a civil war muzzle loading percussion musket) !

UK and Commonwealth Military Property mark of pattern I associate to WWI.

DD with broad arrow  Australian Military Property mark post 1926

“L. PETIT FABT. PARIS” L. PETIT (maker) PARIS

1941 WWII British Taylor-Hobson No.2 MK. II 6x30 Army Binoculars

My British Army Binoculars Prism No.2 Mk. II were made in 1941 by the British camera lens manufacturer Taylor-Hobson, who by 1939 were providing 80% of the world’s film studio camera lenses under the Cooke brand. In 1939 Taylor Hobson was given government funding to set up a factory in Leicester which went on to produce 2,000 No. 2 6x30 military binoculars a month for the war effort. It is interesting to note that The No.2 Mk.II pattern of binoculars was adopted in 1909 and was previously produced for WWI (see my 1916 No 2 MKII binoculars produced by Sherwood & Co on the previous page). The Taylor Hobson company still exists and today and produces profilometer metrology instruments.

British workers making Taylor Hobson No.2 military binoculars including these in WWII in their Leicester factory

1940 WWII Russian 6x30 Novosibirsk Instrument Making Plant (NPZ) Military binoculars

French Huet Early and Late 20th Century Civilian Binoculars

In addition to a bunch of French Huet military binoculars, the collection has accumulated some French Huet civilian binoculars