Original German WWII Kriegsmarine Navy U-Boat 7x50 Binoculars by Ernst Leitz with Original Straps & Rubber Fittings in KM-Embossed Case

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good pair of extremely rare German WWII Kriegsmarine U-boat 7x50 binoculars, made by Ernst Leitz GmbH of Wetzlar, a specialist lens maker, and one of the finest makers of the time. They are equipped with rubber fittings around the eyepieces which have broken off, the objectives, and even around the drum shaped mirror housing. This made them virtually impervious to moisture, possibly even if immersed in water for a short time, definitely a plus on a U-boat! As they have the rubber fittings, the eyepieces do not have bakelite cups, as they are part of the rubber molding. Unlike most examples, this set includes the very scarce original leather straps on the binoculars.

Gently pulling up the housing on the back of the left barrel shows the Leitz 3-letter code beh under the 7 X 50 magnification settings. The other side of the barrel shows serial number 474223. We were unfortunately not able to get pictures of these, as we feared tearing the rare rubber fittings. The optics are very spotty from residue inside coming off, but they are still functional and come complete with original leather neck strap. Really a great set of binoculars here. They measure approximately 9" x 7 1/2" x 3". As previously stated, the rubber eye covers are both retained but one of the two has broken off of the binoculars themselves.

The binoculars come in their original black issue case, which has the Kriegsmarine Eagle / M proof on the lid. There is no maker mark or date we could find on the case, but it is likely also made by Leitz. The case retains a small portion of the strap but even that is heavily crazed, and the closing mechanism on the case is broken off at the end.

There are filter slots on the inside of the lid, but they are empty. One of the belt loops on the back is retained, but the other is broken.

A great set of rare binoculars ready for further research and display!