Binoculars 7x50 BEH (Ernst Leitz), II° Type, Kriegsmarine, 1942

7x50 binoculars produced by "beh" code name of the company Ernst Leitz Wetzlar, for 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 346571.

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. "Kälte-Fett" instead indicates the type of lubrication used for the internal mechanisms (eyepieces), in this case, cold grease.

This indication also makes us understand that the binoculars with this acronym were used until around mid-1942. On the part of the right eyepiece there is the unmistakable "Reichsadler" or Imperial or National Eagle, with open wings and having a crown between its claws. laurel with the “Swastika” or Nazi swastika in the centre.

The “M” placed under the Eagle indicates acceptance into the German Navy, while the “N” Nordsee indicated the assignment of the binoculars to a ship or submarine operating at a North Sea base. The number 25366 was the assignment number.

The binoculars are in excellent condition, the view is clear, the prisms (porro II) are perfectly collimated and the focus is soft and precise; there is the "Bakelit Benutzer" or Bakelite eyepiece cover with the "Waffenamt" imprinted on the inside with its relative number (manufacturer's code). There is also its original case also marked "beh" "1942" with Eagle, Swastika and "M" underneath.

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 Carl Kellner's 1849 successor company, the Optical Institute, in Wetzlar.