T blc 7x50 H, Nr 660

[Sgt Bilko]

rare model without lettering on the right side, - presumably made for export to sweden or italy.

Another option - this one's identical to mine...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zeiss-7x5...dRY4:rk:4:pf:0

[dragnet]

Does it have a reticle?

Nick, just had a look out the window, no reticle

[richthofen_117]

Nick, just had a look out the window, no reticle

If there's no reticle in the right view, these binos were probably used by Kriegsmarine ship units or U-boot units.

[Mikedenmark]

I keep my notion intact that N means: Nachrichten, aka Signals.
I do not believe it means: Nordsee (Station der)
I hope someone some fine day will set the issue right.

[Sgt Bilko]

If that's the case - they had a lot of signals binoculars. Weren't they marked MSS?


It seems fairly pointless giving similar binoculars different markings (unless there's differences such as reticles or construction details) but it must have kept someone happy.

[Mikedenmark]

MSS are only the main signal stations. Any navy personnel involved with sailing vessels would have a need for signals. They didn´t have many radio´s in 1940. ( They got them, at an incredible speed, during the war. But in 1940, shouters and flags/bino´s were the backbone of signals)

Even the local Kriegsmarine Harbour Captain would have a 7x50 at his disposal. And even fairly small harbours had a harbour captain.
Add to that any coastal installation, and any sailing vessel.

The markings are needed to keep the books on them. They were very expensive at the time. So they needed to be marked individually for logistic reasons.

In my view, the "fun" bino´s are those who do have some kind of reticle.

I would like to see the Kriegsmarine regulation for artillery observation, outlooks, signalmen, etc etc... If a bino has a reticle, then there must have been a regulation describing how to use it.

Presently, I have found that the danish navy did have a 1932 regulation for artillery observation. I intend to see if I can get a copy, as I expect it may say how to use the grid in the bino, I showed in a different thread here.

Likewise, the german navy must have had similar regulations.

[Sgt Bilko]

The markings are needed to keep the books on them.

They could be recorded by serial number which, in most cases, is on the binocular itself. If, as you say, the "extra" markings are required to keep books on them - what about the binoculars with no "extra" markings ie the majority?

[Mikedenmark]

I believe it has to do with how they are issued.

A local harbour captain may get a plain Leitz 7x50 porro II.

But for the more special functions, like MSS, Flu.Wa. and the N marked binoculars, then there is likely to have been some agency within the german navy, responsible for their procurement, and issue.
Such an agency would issue their own numbers and keep their own seperate books on their inventory.

If the inventory states they had a complement of 4000 Bino´s. Then their books would have 4000 numbers, each with specifics on what kind of binocular that carried a specific number at any given time.

( The danish navy lost a ship of the line in 1849, fighting the insurrection in northern Germany, then a danish province.
http://milhist.dk/wp-content/uploads...forde_post.jpg
Point here is, the telescopes onboard had issue numbers. And the numbers in the inventory books were, against normal practice, held vacant forever after, as a memorial.
Usually, if lost, broken, or sold off, a new instrument was engraved with the original number. To keep the books "full".
I have seen up to 3 different telescopes, or binoculars, issued at different times, entered with the very same issue number. The time span may be over 100 years. But the numbers in the books doesn´t change.)

I can figure out that the N-markings may have been stopped during the war. The expansion of the german navy must have been a logistic nightmare.

[Binoswede]

Thank you Michael.
I learn more and more about Danish history reading your contributions.
I had never heard about that 1849 conflict, although I live in Schleswig- Holstein.
It is amazing how integrated S-H is in Germany, taken the fact that it was Dänish only about 150 years ago.
About numbers. Also in the Swedish navy issue numbers of binoculars were "reused". In my book is an extract from the Swedish navy arcive where you can see the same number used up to 4 times.
Binoculars with a reticule for artillery use had their own number system and an A engraved.
On early binoculars the reticule sometimes was engraved in degrees not in mille.

[Sgt Bilko]

I believe it has to do with how they are issued.

I think you're right - it's sensible to mark specialist binoculars as such

Usually, if lost, broken, or sold off, a new instrument was engraved with the original number. To keep the books "full".

This appears to have been the case in WW1 too as I have a later war Voigtlander with an earlier (ie low) "N" number.

[Eighty Eight]

Another one

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-G...edirect=mobile

[richthofen_117]

Another "blc" marked 7X50H model on ebay:

https://www.ebay.de/itm/Zeiss-7x50-H...dRY4:rk:1:pf:1

[Mikedenmark]

One more. Got this one around new year. Condition not so good. The eagle is intact, though.