Binoculars 7x50 BEH (Ernst Leitz) Flak Küste, Coastal Artillery Kriegsmarine, circa 1943

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 a successor in 1849 to Carl Kellner's company, the Optical Institute, in Wetzlar.7x50 binoculars produced by “beh”, code name of the company Ernst Leitz Wetzlar (at the disposal of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht), intended for the Flak Küste, or coastal anti-aircraft defense units, during the Second World War.

The Flak designation was reserved for anti-aircraft weapons with a caliber equal to or greater than 20 mm used for coastal and anti-aircraft defense, while smaller caliber weapons were classified as MG (Maschinengewehr - Automatic weapon). The Flak guns were organic to the Wehrmacht in the Heer (army) and to the Luftwaffe (air force) for calibers up to 90 mm, while they were organic only to the Luftwaffe for higher calibers. These positions were operated by Kriegsmarine personnel.

On the part of the left eyepiece there is the manufacturer code "beh", the 7x50 magnifications and the serial number. The letter (T), or “Transparenzbelag” indicates that the lenses are coated with an anti-reflective treatment which improved the light transmission in the lenses by 80%. 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 "Svastika" or Nazi swastika in the centre. The "M" placed under the Eagle indicated the acceptance of the Kriegsmarine, while the word "Flak Küste" (abbreviation of FlugabwehrKanone), indicated the assignment of the binoculars to a department suitable for Coastal Anti-Aircraft Defence.

The binoculars are in excellent condition, the view is exceptional, bright and defined and the prisms (Porro II) are perfectly collimated; the focus is soft and precise. This exact model of binoculars was assigned to the Flak Küste departments.

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.