MiniatureBinoculars.com

My WWII Russian KOMZ ( Казанский оптико-механический завод / Kazan Optical Mechanical Factory) binoculars were produced in early in 1944 (serial number 44077210, with the first two prefix numbers of KOMZ binocular serial numbers being the year of manufacture), and these binoculars were rather quickly captured by German forces, possibly by the 11th Panzer division at Cherkassy in Feb 1944. The case of these binoculars is marked to German Oblt. (Oberleutenent) G. von Shealey of Aufkln (Aufkl ä rungsabteilung/Reconnaissance detachment) kompanie 3 of the 11P (the 11 Aufklarungs–Abteilung with it’s 3rd company being the reconnaissance detachment of the 11 th P anzer division). After Cherkassy, the damaged 11th Panzer division was withdrawn to southern France near Libourne/ Bordeau for rebuilding and was reorganized with integration of the 416 Grenadier Regiment and 273 Reserve Panzer division. Perhaps relevant to the B44 / 1944 Oberkommando der Wehrmacht stamp, the 11th Reconnaissance Abteilung was further reorganized in May 1944 by absorbing the Reserve Reconnaissance Abteilung 7, and perhaps relevant to the P44 /1944 Untech und Ausrustungsfeldlayer stamp (Technical and Equipments Field Warehouse Paris) on July 11 1944 the 11 Aufklarungs–Abteilung was converted into a Versorgunangs-Kompanie (Supply Company) with feldpost number 09426. I know from direct contact with veterans that by mid 1944 German reorganization and refitting made the best of shortages by using substitute standard items (like equipping refitted soldiers with French military compasses, and newly issued AC44 P38 pistols going into P08 luger holsters). A fairly new and serviceable pair of binoculars and case were probably judged to be a perfectly acceptable substitute when standard issue binoculars were unavailable. In cases where large quantities of substitute standard items were available and issued, they were given their own German model designation.

1944 WWII NIL No 5 Mk 5 Mk 5 Canadian Issue Binoculars

1944 NIL No5 Mk5 military binoculars.
1944 NIL No 5 Mk5 jumelles militaires.
1944 NIL No 5 Mk 5 militarisches fernglas.
1944 NIL No 5 Mk 5 militar kikare.
1944 NIL No 5 Mk 5 militaire verrekijker.
1944 NIL No 5 Mk 5 binocolo militare.
1944 NIL No5 Mk 5 binoculares militares.

My 1944 dated Canadian issued British manufactured No 5 Mk 5 7x50 binoculars were made by NIL / Nottingham Industries Limited. NIL appears to have been a UK Ministry of Supply created wartime company (1941-1946) which was set up in what had previously been a cigarette factory, but with optics and binocular manufacturer Ross managing it. These binoculars carry the WWII era UK and commonwealth military property broad arrow mark, and red W waterproofed mark, and have desiccant ports with the red paint indicating only authorized removal/and sealed designation, and the case has the C and broad arrow Canadian military property mark. As sold as surplus, these binoculars have no ranging graticule, which may be one of the two “ MA ” change markings.

U.S. Navy Mk 89 Model 0 Wollensak Optical Gun Sight, Part of Mk 15 Naval Antiaircraft Gunsight

My U.S. Navy Mk 89 Model 0 telescope is an initial target acquisition auxiliary scope made by Wollensak Optical Co. and used with the MK15 anti aircraft gun sight in U.S. Naval gun fire directors, such as the Mk52 fire director below.

Zrak ON-M59 Yugoslavain-Serbian RPG Rocket Propelled Grenade Launcher Optical Sight

When an optical sight like this shows up at my local flea market for $30 or so, I tend to buy them, partly for the fun of figuring out what they are, and how they fit into military history.

Zrak ON-M59 Yugoslavian Serbian Optical sight for RPG.

My Zrak ON-M59 Optical Gun Sight was used on the Yugoslavian-Serbian M57A2 RPG rocket propelled grenade launcher, of which around 12,000-16.000 were made at the Kragujevac weapons factory Crvena Zastavia from around 1967-1975, and used in the 1992-1999 Yugoslav wars. The Zrak Optical Works factory that manufactured this sight is located in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.

1938 Wild Heerbrugg TM-2 Swiss Military WWII Land Artillery Optical Coincidence Range Finder

1938 Wild Heerbrugg TM-2 Swiss military atrillery coincidence range finder.

The clever design and detail and fit and finish of Swiss precision equipment is usually fairly impressive, and my 1938 Wild Heerbrugg military range finder (made 23 years after Wild was founded) is no exception. For example the multi part tripod consists of a Kern made table top tripod that fits into the full height tripod base, with a ball tripod head/ mount of some complexity, and elaborate cases for everything.

Iraq War PSO-1 Russian Прицел Снайперский Оптический, Pritsel Snaipersky Optichesky / “Optical Sight Sniper”, and my Iraq War Land Rover Collection

Russian PS01 sniper scope captured in Abu Ghraib in the Iraq war.
Lunette de visse Russe PS01 capturee a Abu Ghraib pendant la guerre en Iraq.
Russisches PS01-Scharfschutzenzielfernrohr das im Irakkrieg in Abu Ghrab erbeutet
wurde.
Mirino de cecchino Russo PS01 catturando as Abu Ghraib durante la guerra in Iraq.
Visor de francotirador Ruso PS01 capturandoer Abu Ghraib en la guerra de Irak.
Rus PS01 keskin nisanci kapsam i Irak savasinda Abu Ghraib de ele gecirildi.
Fusheveprimi snajper Rus PS01 kapet ne Abu Ghraib ne lufen ne Irak.
Ruski snajperski nisan PS01 zarobljen u Abu Ghraib u Iraku.
Catturato in Iraq il mirino da cecchino Russo PS01.
Capturado en Iraq PS01 alcance francotirador Ruso/

Text Box: My Russian made PSO-1 Прицел Снайперский Оптический, Pritsel Snaipersky Optichesky, or “Optical Sight Sniper” has an unusual history in that it was removed in July 2003 from a Russian Dragunov SVD-63 Sniper rifle that had been stored in a Hamarabi Republican Guard facility in the Iraqi town of Abu Ghrab (the town later famous for it’s prison) by a US Military Police soldier in that war, who was later a co worker of mine, and who brought the scope home to the US as a war trophy or souvenir, before selling it to me along with an Iraqi Republican Guard uniform that fit me and some Republican Guard berets. This illuminated rifle scope was made in the Russian Novosibirsk instrument-making factory (NPZ Optics State Plant). It incorporates an IR/ Infra Red detector to warn against infrared illuminators. I use it on an accurized Romanian PSL/ Puşcă Semiautomată 7,62 mm cu Lunetă sniper rifle made by Urzina Mechanicã Cugir, which it is externally similar to the Soviet Dragunov SVD rifle. But internally it uses a receiver of the RPK light machine gun family, and it used a long stroke rather than short stroke action. Like the SVD it has a squad marksman/ sniper designated role. Mine works well with the Soviet 7N1 sniper designated 7x54 ammunition. I also have larger “souvenirs” from that war, including the Soviet Iraq war damaged T3k 10x80 flak binoculars 3 pages along, and the Iranian/Iraq war damaged and captured/ and then U.S. captured Japanese made border binoculars in Other Binoculars #13. Plus I have three British Land Rover military vehicles. My 9,000 pound 1992 British Land Rover Snatch 1.5 CAV-100 (Composite Armored Vehicle) served 8 years patrolling with the 7th battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment in Belfast Northern Ireland (Snatch squads used these armored vehicles to apprehended IRA opponents), and was then rebuilt under a Courtaulds Aerospace (NP Aerospace) contact specifically for the Iraq War and served 3 years patrolling with the Basra South Battle Group in Iraq (shown with an operational 1//10 scale radio control replica that I fabricated to keep it company). I have heard that these Northern Ireland/Iraq armored vehicles cost the British govt 1/4 million dollars each, but have not found contract document confirmation. I also have a (LHD) 1966 British 109 Military Ambulance with body made by Marshalls Cambridge that served with BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), but which was then mobilized for the Iraq war and sent out to Kuwait for Operation Granby. It still has all it’s internal stretchers racks and fittings, and I filled it with stretchers and wounded mannequins. (have to have fun). It is shown with an operational 1//10 scale radio control replica that I fabricated to keep it company). I also have a 1976 (LHD) Land Rover 101 Forward Control Military Artillery tractor, converted around 1980 by Marshalls of Cambridge under contract to mount an ambulance body (one of around 450), and being LHD presumably then served with BAOR. It was then sent to Kuwait in for Operation Granby in Iraq, where a German made gasoline heater for the ambulance body caught fire with around 4,000 miles on the truck, and upon being returned to the UK the truck was then converted back to the original artillery tractor configuration before being demobbed (shown with an operational 1//10 scale radio control replica that I fabricated to keep it company).

1992 Snatch Land Rover CAV-100 armored military truck from the Iraq war.
1992 Snatch Land Rover CAV-100 camion blinde militaire Brittannique de la guerre en Iraq.
1992 Snatch Land Rover CAV-100 Britischer Militar-Panzerwagen aus dem Iraq-Kreig.
1992 Snatch Land Rover CAV-100 camion blindado militar Britanico de la guerra de
Iraq.
1992 Snatch Land Rover CAV-100 camion blindado militare Britannico dalla guerra
in Iraq.
1992 Snatch Land Rover CAV-100 Brittisk militar pansarlastbil fran Oraqkriget.
1992 Snatch Land Rover CAV-100 Iraq savasindan Ingiliz askeri zirhlt kamyonu.
Snatch armored military Land Rover wth RC Radio control replica truck.
RC Snatch Land Rover.
Radio control snatch land rover
Land Rover Snatch military Armored Remote Control RC truck 1/10 scale.
Land Rover Snatch 1/10 telecomande RC camion militaire blinde.
Land Rover Snatch 1/10 control remoto RC camion militar blindado.
Land Rover Snatch 1/10 telecomando RC camion militare blindato.
RCLand Rover.

1966 Land Rover 109 British military ambulance from the Iraq war.
1966 Land Rover 109 ambulance militaire Britannique de la guerre en Iraq.
1966 Land Rover 109 ambulancia militar Britanica de la guerra de Iraq
1966 Land Rover 109 Britischer militarkrankenwagen aus dem Irakkreig.
1966 Land Rover 109 Brittisk militarambulans fron kriget i Irak.
1966 Land Rover 109 Iraq savasindan Inglitz askeri ambulansi.
1966 Land Rover 109 Brittisk militarambulans fran Irakkriget.
Land Rover Series 2a IIa RC Radio Control model truck
Land Rover 109 Military Ambulance remote control Radi Control RC military truck.
Land Rover 109 telecommande RC camion 1/10 modele reduit ambulance militare.
Land Rover 109 fernbedienung RC LKW 1:10 modell militarkrankenwagen.
Land Rover 109 Control remoto RC caion 1/10 modrlo ambulancia military.
Land Rover 109 telecomando RC camion modello scala 1/10 ambulanza militare.i

Ca 1908-1913 French Jules Huet & Cie Military 8 x Binoculars

In 1908 the limited partnership “Huet & Cie, Constructeurs ”was formed, and in 1912 reformed into “Anciens Establessment Huet et Cie”, and in 1913 reformed again into “Soc ié t é G é n é rale d’Optique” (SGO) plus “Ste Anoyme de Anciens Establessment Huet et Cie et Jumelles Flammaron”. Since my binoculars are marked “ Jules Huet & Cie, Paris, constructours” they date between 1908 and 1913. They are also marked “ Fournisseurs du Ministere de la Guerre ” (Suppliers of the Ministry of War), and they have a “ M.G. ” mark, which is the government property mark of the French “Minist è re de la Guerre” (Ministry of War).

Two Model 1930 Huet French 8x30 Trinotix Military Binoculars

I have two different French model 1930 Huet 8x30 Trinotix military binoculars. Both have a right ocular military ranging grid or graticule, of an unusual design which can be rotated for correct orientation by an external ring. My early Huet binoculars, above, are #5129, and carry a “ M.G. ” mark, for “Minist è re de la Guerre” (Ministry of War). They are also marked MLE1930 (Model of 1930). My late French Huet military binoculars, below, #92012 have omitted the MG and MLE 1930 markings, and are probably mid/late 1950’s? (speculative).

Jules Huet 8x French Military Binoculars.
Jules Huet 8x jumelles militaires de l'armee francaise.
Jules Huet 8x franska militarkikare der franzosischen armee..
Jules Huet 8x prismaticos militares de la fuerza francesa.
Jules Huet 8x binoculares militares de la fuerza francesa.
Jules Huet 8x franska armens bkikare.
Jules Huet 8x franse leger verrekijker.
Jules Huet binocolo dell'esercito francaise.

Huet mle 1930 Trinotix French military binoculars.
Huet mle 1930 Trinotix jumelles mitaires de l'armee francaise.
Huet mle 1930 Trinotix fernglas de franzosischen armee.
Huet mle 1930 Trinotix franska armens kikare.
Huet mle 1930 Trinotix prismaticos de erercito frances.
Huet mle 1930 Trinotix franse leger verrekijker.
Huet mle 1930 Trinotixbinocolo dell'esercito francese.

My Russian PSO-1 Scope captured in Iraq mounted on my PSL rifle

Iraqi sniper with Australian spotter firing PSO-1 scope on a PSL rifle