Antique and Collectible Firearms and Militaria
Some very cool WWII additions to our inventory: U-boat 7×50 binoculars. All U-boat 7×50 binoculars of this type, including the first two variations were made by Carl Zeiss (wartime code blc) beginning in 1941. These binoculars were only issued for use on U-boats.
Extremely sturdy and of weatherproof construction with heavy duty aluminum alloy construction combined with tough, high-quality paint; thick rubber armoring; and desiccation cartridges installed in each barrel. These binoculars were designed for the damp environment inside the U-boat as well as the wet conditions outside the conning tower. The focus is fixed and can only be adjusted with a special tool inserted into the nut under the rubber armor, near the ocular. As such, these binoculars were issued to individual sailors and commanders (focus being set in port at time of issue) for use during shifts at watch or surface attacks.
Known for very high-quality lenses and low-light abilities, they became essential for spotting threats and targets alike, no matter the weather conditions. Their quality and importance rated so high that they became a prized war trophy by allied naval forces and were still recognized after the war as some of the best optics produced at the time.
The U-boat 7×50 binoculars here have the later smooth green/yellow paint (instead of the earlier textured paint) with rubber armoring around ocular and objective lenses, and do not have a strichplatte (reticle). They are in as issued condition with some service wear; the rubber armor is still flexible with some very minor cracking along the edges. The view is excellent for their age with a clarity of 1 on a hazy scale of 1-10 (10 equaling pea soup fog). Some very minor fungal growth is present in barrels; view/use not affected. This pair would be an ideal addition to any WWII German naval/U-boot collection, boating hobbyist, optics enthusiast, or for use in the field (the 7×50 binoculars were prized by outdoor hobbyists like birders after the war and you’ll find ads in vintage British surplus catalogs).
