CMN Cadets. Training with Bofors 75mm and Cael Zeiss Telescopes. 2X 12º ?
|
Venturino Scope. Maximo Venturino was an Army Captain, who diseigned some optical elements such as measurement. Caras y Caretas 1913.
|
Soldados 1848-1927/Editorial Fundacion Soldados
Optical sight devices, equipments , gonometric, telemetro, ranger finder, periscope, range indicator. Measuring instruments for anti-aircraf and field artillery use.
Source: Generalidades sobre materiales y empleo de la artillería antiaérea".
Rev. del Suboficial. Nro 232. Junio 1938. Leutnant.
Rev. del Suboficial. Nro 232. Junio 1938. Leutnant.
OPL Rangefinder for artillery, 3mts base. The rangefinder (telemetro in Spanish) is a device that measures the distance to a target. They came into popular use in the 19th century when trigonometry was used to make the measurements. Nowadays laser and radar are the norm in rangefinders.
The OPL rangefinder for artillery with a 3-meter base is an optical measuring instrument produced by the French company Optique & Précision de Levallois (OPL), used by anti-aircraft and field artillery units. This type of large-base stereoscopic rangefinder was a common method for measuring distance in the 19th and early-to-mid 20th centuries before the advent of modern laser and radar systems.
Kommandogerät 4-meters base rangerfinder
The Kommandogerät 40 (Kdo. Gr. 40) was the primary German World War II anti-aircraft fire-control computer that integrated a 4-meter stereoscopic rangefinder. It was used to direct the fire of heavy anti-aircraft guns, such as the 8.8 cm Flak 36 and the 10.5 cm Flak 40.
The 4-meter base stereoscopic rangefinder (Entfernungsmesser 4m Raumbild 40, or Em 4m R40) measured the precise distance to the target. Other operators simultaneously used aiming telescopes to track the target's azimuth and elevation angles, which were all fed into the internal computer.
The device mechanically calculated the target's future position, taking into account changes in altitude and course, as well as shell flight time. The resulting firing data (angle of elevation, direction of fire, and time fuse settings) were transmitted electrically to the individual guns via cable, where crews aligned their weapons using "slave pointer devices".
The German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee, like other large warships of its era, was equipped with optical rangefinders, primarily a 10.5-meter model for its main battery fire control.
The Admiral Graf Spee utilized a massive 10.5-meter (34.4 ft) stereoscopic rangefinder (telemeter) as its primary gunnery control instrument. This device was significantly larger than the 4-meter army versions and provided the "pocket battleship" with exceptional fire-control accuracy for its 28 cm main battery guns.
The Kommandogerät 40 (Kdo. Gr. 40) was the primary German World War II anti-aircraft fire-control computer that integrated a 4-meter stereoscopic rangefinder. It was used to direct the fire of heavy anti-aircraft guns, such as the 8.8 cm Flak 36 and the 10.5 cm Flak 40.
The 4-meter base stereoscopic rangefinder (Entfernungsmesser 4m Raumbild 40, or Em 4m R40) measured the precise distance to the target. Other operators simultaneously used aiming telescopes to track the target's azimuth and elevation angles, which were all fed into the internal computer.
The device mechanically calculated the target's future position, taking into account changes in altitude and course, as well as shell flight time. The resulting firing data (angle of elevation, direction of fire, and time fuse settings) were transmitted electrically to the individual guns via cable, where crews aligned their weapons using "slave pointer devices".
The German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee, like other large warships of its era, was equipped with optical rangefinders, primarily a 10.5-meter model for its main battery fire control.
The Admiral Graf Spee utilized a massive 10.5-meter (34.4 ft) stereoscopic rangefinder (telemeter) as its primary gunnery control instrument. This device was significantly larger than the 4-meter army versions and provided the "pocket battleship" with exceptional fire-control accuracy for its 28 cm main battery guns.
Flak-Beobachtungsgerät 1 with an 8x60 Porro II binocular. The Flak-Beobachtungsgeräte must have been used in search light units, or at least that is what they were designed for. Many thanks to Peter De Laet for sharing his knowledge with us.
Flak-Beobachtungsgeräte" (Anti-Aircraft Observation Devices) were a series of German optical and acoustic instruments used during World War II for target acquisition and fire control of anti-aircraft guns (Flak). They were used to locate, identify, and determine the position and flight path of enemy aircraft to provide precise firing data to the guns.
There were various types of observation devices used depending on the requirements and available technology:
Flak Binoculars (e.g., 10x80): These were large-format binoculars, often with 80mm lenses and 45-degree eyepieces, used for general airspace observation and aircraft identification.
They were typically mounted on special tripods to provide a stable platform for observation and to measure azimuth and elevation angles.
The collected information served as input data for the fire control devices.
Rangefinders (Telemeter): Optical rangefinders, such as the 4-meter base model integrated into the Kommandogerät 40 (Kdo. Gr. 40), were crucial for accurately determining the distance to the target.
They used the principle of stereoscopy or coincidence to calculate the distance through triangulation.
The measurement results were then fed into the mechanical fire control system of the Kommandogerät.
Sound Locators (Acoustic Locating Devices): Before the widespread availability of radar, large acoustic devices with four or more horns were used to locate approaching aircraft by their engine noise.
Operators used stethoscope-like headphones to determine the direction and height of the target, which was particularly useful at night or in poor visibility.
Radar (FuMG Devices): Later in the war, the optical and acoustic devices were increasingly supplemented or replaced by radar systems like the Würzburg Radar, which provided more accurate and all-weather data for fire control.
These devices, often installed in Flak towers or well-positioned batteries, worked together to provide a comprehensive picture of the air situation and transmit the necessary target coordinates for predictive anti-aircraft fire to the guns.
Flak-Beobachtungsgeräte" (Anti-Aircraft Observation Devices) were a series of German optical and acoustic instruments used during World War II for target acquisition and fire control of anti-aircraft guns (Flak). They were used to locate, identify, and determine the position and flight path of enemy aircraft to provide precise firing data to the guns.
There were various types of observation devices used depending on the requirements and available technology:
Flak Binoculars (e.g., 10x80): These were large-format binoculars, often with 80mm lenses and 45-degree eyepieces, used for general airspace observation and aircraft identification.
They were typically mounted on special tripods to provide a stable platform for observation and to measure azimuth and elevation angles.
The collected information served as input data for the fire control devices.
Rangefinders (Telemeter): Optical rangefinders, such as the 4-meter base model integrated into the Kommandogerät 40 (Kdo. Gr. 40), were crucial for accurately determining the distance to the target.
They used the principle of stereoscopy or coincidence to calculate the distance through triangulation.
The measurement results were then fed into the mechanical fire control system of the Kommandogerät.
Sound Locators (Acoustic Locating Devices): Before the widespread availability of radar, large acoustic devices with four or more horns were used to locate approaching aircraft by their engine noise.
Operators used stethoscope-like headphones to determine the direction and height of the target, which was particularly useful at night or in poor visibility.
Radar (FuMG Devices): Later in the war, the optical and acoustic devices were increasingly supplemented or replaced by radar systems like the Würzburg Radar, which provided more accurate and all-weather data for fire control.
These devices, often installed in Flak towers or well-positioned batteries, worked together to provide a comprehensive picture of the air situation and transmit the necessary target coordinates for predictive anti-aircraft fire to the guns.
These are German 6x30 Carl Zeiss Jena binoculars "Jena", made in 1936. There are very few of these in the Argentine Army and they are a very rare model for having been signal corp and for being only Jena. The majority of the ones from the Argentine Army are Nedinsco, Carl Zeiss under license in Holland. They were made in the late 20s. In reality, the Nedinsco were the same quality and materials.
This binocular, of the prestigious Czech brand Meopta, was also provided to the EA. Its incorporation was before the year 1959. With the manual "Elementos de Observación" of that year, it figures as one of the most modern within the EA, along with the Swiss Goette 6x30. Its crystals were anti-reflection.
Many thanks to Gaston Garcia Loperena for sharing his expertise with us.
Original binoculars and case from the Argentine military in the 1940s. The photo in the middle is a recreation.
Argentine Infantry & Cavalry Invert-Telemeter, marked Carl Zeiss Jena
|
|
German Nedinsco-Carl Zeiss (jena) 4x31, French 3x30 SOM (1891 Mauser) and japanese 4x33 SUWA civilian scope, (Light Optical Works Ltd.) scopes.
Left: Nedinsco scope's leather case. Right: Argentine infantryman with a model 1909 fitted with a Nedinsco Carl Zeiss 4x31 sight. Source Argentine Mauser Rifles 1871-1959 by Colin Webster.
ZEISS JENA Scope 6 x 42.
Founding and Early Growth: Carl Zeiss established his workshop in 1846. The company's significant growth was fueled by the 1860s partnership with physicist Ernst Abbe and later glass chemist Otto Schott, which brought scientific principles to optical manufacturing.
World Wars and Division: During both World Wars, Zeiss produced military optics. After World War II, with Jena falling into the Soviet occupation zone (later East Germany), the company was effectively split. American troops relocated 77 key employees and documents to West Germany, where a new company, Carl Zeiss Oberkochen, was established.
Cold War Competition: The remaining factory in Jena was nationalized and became a state-owned enterprise called VEB Carl Zeiss Jena in East Germany. For decades, the two companies competed globally, with the East German products often branded as "aus Jena" or just "Jena" in Western markets to differentiate from the West German "Carl Zeiss" brand.
Reunification: Following German reunification, the East German company was reintegrated into the global Carl Zeiss AG group, which moved its microscopy and planetarium divisions back to its founding city of Jena.
World Wars and Division: During both World Wars, Zeiss produced military optics. After World War II, with Jena falling into the Soviet occupation zone (later East Germany), the company was effectively split. American troops relocated 77 key employees and documents to West Germany, where a new company, Carl Zeiss Oberkochen, was established.
Cold War Competition: The remaining factory in Jena was nationalized and became a state-owned enterprise called VEB Carl Zeiss Jena in East Germany. For decades, the two companies competed globally, with the East German products often branded as "aus Jena" or just "Jena" in Western markets to differentiate from the West German "Carl Zeiss" brand.
Reunification: Following German reunification, the East German company was reintegrated into the global Carl Zeiss AG group, which moved its microscopy and planetarium divisions back to its founding city of Jena.
To circumvent the strict military restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles (1919), which banned Germany from manufacturing military optics, Carl Zeiss Jena established a major subsidiary in the Netherlands called Nedinsco.
Nedinsco (Nederlandse Instrumenten Compagnie)
Founded in 1921 by Zeiss, Nedinsco was strategically located in Venlo, a Dutch city near the German border. This allowed Zeiss to maintain its military research and production expertise outside of German jurisdiction.
In 1919 and 1920, thousands of boxes containing equipment, documents, and stockpiled parts were (illegally) transported from Jena to the Netherlands and Sweden to preserve Zeiss's technological edge. While the German factories were restricted to civilian goods like microscopes and measuring tools, Nedinsco produced a wide array of military-grade equipment:
U-boat periscopes (the factory featured a specialized tower for adjusting them).
Artillery rangefinders (including large-base models).
Aerial cameras and signal lamps.
Rifle scopes and military binoculars.
Nedinsco (Nederlandse Instrumenten Compagnie)
Founded in 1921 by Zeiss, Nedinsco was strategically located in Venlo, a Dutch city near the German border. This allowed Zeiss to maintain its military research and production expertise outside of German jurisdiction.
In 1919 and 1920, thousands of boxes containing equipment, documents, and stockpiled parts were (illegally) transported from Jena to the Netherlands and Sweden to preserve Zeiss's technological edge. While the German factories were restricted to civilian goods like microscopes and measuring tools, Nedinsco produced a wide array of military-grade equipment:
U-boat periscopes (the factory featured a specialized tower for adjusting them).
Artillery rangefinders (including large-base models).
Aerial cameras and signal lamps.
Rifle scopes and military binoculars.
NVG Night Vision Goggles, (AN/PVS-2 ; AN/PVS-5)
"Starlight", AN/PVS-2 Generation 1.
The AN/PVS-2 and AN/PVS-5 were groundbreaking US military night vision devices from the Vietnam War era, representing the transition from Generation 1 weapon scopes to Generation 2 head-mounted goggles. It was one of the first modern, passive (no external IR light source needed) night vision devices used in combat. It was a Generation 1 device, introduced to US troops in Vietnam around 1967.
Image was grainy with some distortion. It required mechanical adjustment to zero the scope, and the internal electronics produced a noticeable noise that could give away the operator's position.
The AN/PVS-2 and AN/PVS-5 were groundbreaking US military night vision devices from the Vietnam War era, representing the transition from Generation 1 weapon scopes to Generation 2 head-mounted goggles. It was one of the first modern, passive (no external IR light source needed) night vision devices used in combat. It was a Generation 1 device, introduced to US troops in Vietnam around 1967.
Image was grainy with some distortion. It required mechanical adjustment to zero the scope, and the internal electronics produced a noticeable noise that could give away the operator's position.
Mounting piece designed for M14’s and M16’s
PVS-5A/B Generation 2 . Night Vision Goggles.
The AN/PVS-5A and AN/PVS-5B were incremental upgrades to the original AN/PVS-5 Generation 2 night vision goggles, primarily introducing design refinements and improved image intensifier tubes. They remained the standard issue for US ground troops and aviators until replaced by the AN/PVS-7 and ANVIS systems, respectively.
The AN/PVS-5A and AN/PVS-5B were incremental upgrades to the original AN/PVS-5 Generation 2 night vision goggles, primarily introducing design refinements and improved image intensifier tubes. They remained the standard issue for US ground troops and aviators until replaced by the AN/PVS-7 and ANVIS systems, respectively.
Flashlight
FULTON N47 right-angle flashlight.
Rangefinder Scope, 1m R-36. 6th Regiment Infantry of Mercedes (1939)
Telemeter German made, ex-Argentine) for target.
http://thedonovan.com/archives/cat_general_militaria.html
http://thedonovan.com/archives/cat_general_militaria.html
Rangefinders from 1st Infantry Regiment Patricios, (1944)
Wetzlar Carl Zeiss. Binocular trench telescope-periscope type ranging optics.
These devices were known by the German term Scherenfernrohr, which translates literally to "scissors telescope." They were high-magnification, high-clarity instruments, most famously manufactured by companies like Zeiss and Goerz.
They were not rangefinders themselves but rather powerful observation tools, often with 10x or 15x magnification. They were essential for field commanders and artillery observers.
Periscopic Function: The most significant advantage of the "scissors" design was the periscopic function. They were almost always mounted on a tall tripod, allowing the operator to observe enemy movements from the safety of a trench or behind cover while only the top part of the optics was exposed.
Stereoscopic Vision: The wide separation of the objective lenses (the "scissors" shape) enhanced the stereoscopic effect, providing the operator with exceptional depth perception, which aided in estimating distances and observing the battlefield in three dimensions.
Integrated Range Estimation: While not mechanical rangefinders like the 4-meter base units, some models had reticles marked with scales that, combined with the enhanced depth perception and a known object size, allowed experienced operators to estimate range.
Stereoscopic Vision: The wide separation of the objective lenses (the "scissors" shape) enhanced the stereoscopic effect, providing the operator with exceptional depth perception, which aided in estimating distances and observing the battlefield in three dimensions.
Integrated Range Estimation: While not mechanical rangefinders like the 4-meter base units, some models had reticles marked with scales that, combined with the enhanced depth perception and a known object size, allowed experienced operators to estimate range.
Sight carrier device (?)
5th Mountain Detachment, (Covunco Centro Neuquen) 1955.
Scherenfernrohr :Trench binoculars/periscope/stereoscopic; "Scissors telescopes; Rabbit Ears" Carl Zeiss.
ARTILLERY FIRE CONTROL
Surveying, optical-calibration, instruments. Fire directors, clinometer and oscillating sight and other optical artillery equipments sight carriers or mount on tripodes, etc.
Photos: Artillery School, May Field 1945/48
Azimuth Finder for surveillance thopographical work (?)
Optical director.
Telescope optical director. It was mounted on a tripod.
Artillery spotting telescope
Parallelescope (?)
6Th Infantry Regiment. Mercedes 1939.
Heliograph
6Th Infantry Regiment 1944. Gral Viamonte. Mance Mark V
British type Mance. Mark V model. It was reliable, portable, and relatively secure backup to early, unreliable radio communication. Its design remained largely unchanged from the late 19th century, focused on functionality and durability in the field.
British type Mance. Mark V model. It was reliable, portable, and relatively secure backup to early, unreliable radio communication. Its design remained largely unchanged from the late 19th century, focused on functionality and durability in the field.
Mountain Troops.
The heliograph is a wireless solar telegraph system that uses flashes of sunlight reflected by a mirror to signal messages, typically using Morse code. It was a simple, effective, and highly portable method for optical communication over long distances, primarily used by military, surveying, and forestry services in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The principle is straightforward: a mirror reflects sunlight toward a receiving station that must be in direct line of sight. The operator produces flashes by momentarily pivoting the mirror or using a shutter mechanism to interrupt the beam of light. The duration of these flashes corresponds to the dots and dashes of Morse code, allowing complex messages to be transmitted
The heliograph is a wireless solar telegraph system that uses flashes of sunlight reflected by a mirror to signal messages, typically using Morse code. It was a simple, effective, and highly portable method for optical communication over long distances, primarily used by military, surveying, and forestry services in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The principle is straightforward: a mirror reflects sunlight toward a receiving station that must be in direct line of sight. The operator produces flashes by momentarily pivoting the mirror or using a shutter mechanism to interrupt the beam of light. The duration of these flashes corresponds to the dots and dashes of Morse code, allowing complex messages to be transmitted
Orientation Equipment: Maps and Compass in Land Navigation.
Original Compass (Cruchon & Emons), from the Argentine Military, used until the 1980s.
 Infantry Soldiers of the Patricios Regiment checking their assigned compass. These brass mirror compasses may have been the Swiss type, which were acquired by the US Engineer Corps during WWI and the Argentine military. This one has the marking EA (Ejercito Argentino) or Argentine Army.
|
 |
No 3 MK 7 AA Radar. Photo: Wikipedia.
The Eye of the Flak - Das Auge der Flak
by Dr. Peter De Laet and Francis Vermeire
Volume I of "The Eye of the Flak - Das Auge der Flak" by Dr. Peter De Laet and Francis Vermeire.
The first part of a trilogy on German World War II Flak optics with emphasis on the 10 x 80 45° Flakfernrohr. In volume I the authors have approached the world's most produced high aperture military binocular from both its historical and functional perspective, in an attempt to give the 10 x 80 its rightful place in optical and military history. This work is the result of 10 years of research by the authors.
Click above to access the book's website.
The first part of a trilogy on German World War II Flak optics with emphasis on the 10 x 80 45° Flakfernrohr. In volume I the authors have approached the world's most produced high aperture military binocular from both its historical and functional perspective, in an attempt to give the 10 x 80 its rightful place in optical and military history. This work is the result of 10 years of research by the authors.
Click above to access the book's website.
