Optics

[Laurent]

Please

Gentlemen,
Last friday on a flea market I have found a pair of beh 7x50, this pair seems to be in its original condition but the mark is on the right plate and there is only beh 7x50 and the serial number. No Diensglas and nothing on the left plate!
All the KM I have seen on this thread had the beh code of E Leitz on the left side and in the big book about German optic this model is indicated as a Navy one. Always in the book nothing is say about an Army 7x50 model or contract !
So what can you say about my pair ? Could it be an Army contract ? Have you ever see an Army member with this model on a period photo ?
I can't post photo here but if some of you are interested by this mystery (for me) just give me an email adress on my MP and will be happy to send you a photo!
Last thing, unfortunatly the rain guard and one of the eye cup are missing, I have read somewhere on the site that there is one member that made reproduction of eye cup, is this model available ?

Thank you for your help

Amitiés de Laurent

[Sonderkommando]

Hello Laurent,
If they have never had the word "Dienstglas" on them then they are more than likely KM issue.
I will PM my email address to you so you can send me the pics and I will post them for you.



Cheers,
Brett

[Windhund Nick]

Hello, here is my KM marked 7x50 ARTL. Some say the swastika marking should be on the right not the left as mine are, but these are a vet pickup ! So comments welcome.

[Windhund Nick]

Pic 2

[Windhund Nick]

Pic 3

[Windhund Nick]

Pic 4

[Sonderkommando]

Nick,
The binoculars are good but by this serial number they should not have the eagle marking on them.

I believe the eagle on your pair has been added post war as it doesn't match any known eagle style that I know of.

A good pair ruined by the adition of a fake eagle?

Below is a genuine Zeiss (blc) eagle....


Brett

[Sonderkommando]

And this is the Leitz (beh) style eagle.....

Yours matches neither of them.

Anyone else seen the style of eagle as on Nicks binoculars?

[Windhund Nick]

More pics....

Hi Brett, thanks for the info, it seems strange seeing as these have been in the family at least 35 years or more, but its a strange world . I have made a few more pics for you to look at....especially over the eagle.

They must have been faking these back in the fifties an sixties

Nick.

[Windhund Nick]

Pic 2

[Sonderkommando]

Posting the following two pics on behalf of Laurent..

[Sonderkommando]

Pic 2

[Sonderkommando]

Hi Laurent,
Nice pair of original binoculars, however........if they were an Army contract pair then they would have "Dienstglas" on them.

I believe they are KM and have been re-worked post war as the plates have been removed from the binoculars and the military markings removed (eagle, M, N, etc) and then the plates have been put back on the wrong sides.
The plate with the markings is always on the left hand side and not the right as yours is.

This was very common for military binoculars to be used post war by civillians, and this is one of the main reasons you find Dienstglas binoculars missing the ranging grid in the eyepiece.

The serial number on these is the highest I have seen for this style of binoculars and at first I thought that maybe they were issued without an eagle, however as the plate with the markings is on the wrong side then that is what makes me think reworked postwar.

Cheers,
Brett

[Sonderkommando]

Hi Nick,
As seen above, sometimes after the war the military markings were removed for civillian use which would leave the plate blank.
Sometimes to add value, another eagle would be re-engraved and the binoculars sold at a profit. In your case with the addition of an eagle and the ARTL. marking, a standard pair of gas mask binoculars all of a sudden become a pair of Coastal Artillery binoculars.

Cheers,
Brett

[behblc]

Forged eagles

A friend of mine introduced me to the work of a low countries "forger".
The beak on his eagles - looking very pidgeon like - the head of the eagle is not quite right.
A pity but like awards optics are being "invaded" by a group of "w**kers" out to screw people.