I was lucky to score this pair (optically perfect) a while ago. I have just recieved their history. (well after purchase and receipt of binos) They have that been there look, anyhow see below for the history:
HI Mike, I did get both sets from the estate of a fellow who was US combat Engineer. He worked at removing booby traps in the harbor and on the ships at Brest. He said the fat boy pair came off a sub chaser type craft that was sunk in the harbor, water line just up the decks. He found these on the bridge, which was very shot up and it explains the condition of my binos. The pair you got came from the sub pens, I think those my have seen some wolf pack duty. He said he wanted to send his brother and his Dad pairs of bino's for hunting back home in Oregon, he said the rumor was that the censors and MP's were opening all the boxes sent home by the GI's and stealing the contents. So he being a Engineer and had access to material and tools, he made up sturdy boxes that were metal lined and could not be xrayed. Anyway, he said he "borrowed" 13 pairs of Nazi binos in the time he was in Europe (and one Zeiss binocular microscope) and mailed all of them home, one at a time, hoping he would end up with a pair each for himself and his Dad and brother. When he got home 12 of the 13 were here waiting for him!(along with one MP-44 assault rifle that was in a false bottom of one of the boxes!) He was a really character and I knew him for years as he was a antique toy collector and gun collector. He would never part with these last two sets of binos and I know he never used them in the field or hunting. He felt these two pair were too heavy and they were always on a shelf in his gun room. Any sand or oil is clearly from their time in Europe and not from his use or abuse. They are today, just as they left France 65 years ago. Anyway, He passed away last spring and his daughter called me and finally sold me the binos after all the years that I had tried to get them from her dad. I gave the family a thousand for each set and they threw in some other german souvenirs he had. No, I did not get the MP-44, it was gone long ago. Anyway, I thought you would like to know where your binos came from and that they very likely served on a U boat. All the best, PY
As stated above the 'history' was not in the original description, so they where not purchased on that basis. Just a super nice bonus.
Mike
HI Mike, I did get both sets from the estate of a fellow who was US combat Engineer. He worked at removing booby traps in the harbor and on the ships at Brest. He said the fat boy pair came off a sub chaser type craft that was sunk in the harbor, water line just up the decks. He found these on the bridge, which was very shot up and it explains the condition of my binos. The pair you got came from the sub pens, I think those my have seen some wolf pack duty. He said he wanted to send his brother and his Dad pairs of bino's for hunting back home in Oregon, he said the rumor was that the censors and MP's were opening all the boxes sent home by the GI's and stealing the contents. So he being a Engineer and had access to material and tools, he made up sturdy boxes that were metal lined and could not be xrayed. Anyway, he said he "borrowed" 13 pairs of Nazi binos in the time he was in Europe (and one Zeiss binocular microscope) and mailed all of them home, one at a time, hoping he would end up with a pair each for himself and his Dad and brother. When he got home 12 of the 13 were here waiting for him!(along with one MP-44 assault rifle that was in a false bottom of one of the boxes!) He was a really character and I knew him for years as he was a antique toy collector and gun collector. He would never part with these last two sets of binos and I know he never used them in the field or hunting. He felt these two pair were too heavy and they were always on a shelf in his gun room. Any sand or oil is clearly from their time in Europe and not from his use or abuse. They are today, just as they left France 65 years ago. Anyway, He passed away last spring and his daughter called me and finally sold me the binos after all the years that I had tried to get them from her dad. I gave the family a thousand for each set and they threw in some other german souvenirs he had. No, I did not get the MP-44, it was gone long ago. Anyway, I thought you would like to know where your binos came from and that they very likely served on a U boat. All the best, PY
As stated above the 'history' was not in the original description, so they where not purchased on that basis. Just a super nice bonus.
Mike
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