Entfernungsmesser EM34 DOW - Waffenwerke Brünn, Prerau plant, Czechoslovakia, circa 1942

Rangefinder model 34 (EM34) 0.7 m with 11x magnification, manufactured and marked DOW (Waffenwerke Brünn, Prerau plant, Czechoslovakia, renamed Opticotechna GmbH, Werk Prerau in 1943), circa 1942. It was intended for Wehrmacht reconnaissance troops, Scharfschütze firing positions on the front lines of the DAK (Deutsches Afrikakorps), machine gun units (MG34/MG42), mortars, light artillery, and forward observers.

This rangefinder, which retains all of its original color scheme, was designed for maximum portability. Its small size made it particularly suitable for scouts and lookouts operating alone or in small numbers, who could easily transport it between a few strategic points chosen for observing the territory and determining distances. Inside, it is equipped with a series of prisms, beam splitters, and mirrors that divide the displayed image into two halves. Once focused on a single image, the rangefinder provides a calculated distance or altitude to the target.

All mechanisms work properly and the vision is good.

History of Waffenwerke Brünn

The company began as Československá zbrojovka Brno, one of Czechoslovakia's leading arms manufacturers between the two world wars. After the German occupation in 1939, the plants were incorporated into the Reich's war industry and renamed Waffenwerke Brünn AG.

The company operated several factories, each identified by a different code:

dot: Brünn (Brno)

dou: Bystrica

dov: Vsetín

dow: Přerov (Prerau)

dox: Podbrezová

The Přerov factory (DOW) was not the main producer of Mauser rifles like the Brno site (DOT), but it was involved in the production of military components and optical equipment. In 1943 it was reorganized and renamed Opticotechna GmbH, Werk Prerau/Protektorat, while continuing to use the dow code on some military production.