Binoculars 7x50 BEH (Ernst Leitz) Artl. "Artillery", Kriegsmarine, circa 1941

7x50 binoculars produced by "beh" code name of the company Ernst Leitz Wetzlar (at the disposal of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht), for the ARTILLERY departments "Artl." of the Kriegsmarine (or German navy) during the Second World War. On the part of the left eyepiece there is the manufacturer code "beh", the 7x50 magnifications and the serial number 379002. The letter (T), or "Transparenzbelag" indicates that the lenses are coated with an anti-reflective treatment which improved by 80 % the light transmission in the lenses.

This system was developed and patented on November 1, 1935 by Aleksander Smakula, a member of the Zeiss staff in Jena since 1934. K.F. Finally, "Kälte-Fett" indicates the type of lubrication used for the internal mechanisms (eyepieces), in this case, cold weather grease. This indication also makes us understand that binoculars with this acronym were used until around mid-1942.

On the right eyepiece there is the unmistakable "Reichsadler" or Imperial or National Eagle, with open wings and having a laurel wreath in its claws with the "Swastika" or Nazi swastika in the centre. The “M” placed under the Eagle indicated acceptance of the Kriegsmarine, while the word "Artl." (abbreviation of Artillery) indicated the assignment of binoculars to an Artillery department. The binoculars are in excellent condition, the view is good, the prisms (porro II) are perfectly collimated and the focus is soft and precise. This exact model of binoculars was assigned to Kriegsmarine artillery units.

The Leitz company is a company operating in the optics sector. It was founded in 1869 by Ernst Leitz, known as Ernst Leitz I (1843-1920), as an 1849 successor to Carl Kellner's company, the Optical Institute, in Wetzlar.