Panzer Commanders Binoculars

Its been a while since I showcased something from the Newlyn Collection but this item has particular relevance especially as I am getting started on my North Africa project. When the first elements of what would become the Deutsches Afrikakorps were moved to Libya in 1941 the Germans under Rommel quickly took the offensive. But their aggressive and successful assault on the British masked the fact that the DAK were outnumbered and were equipped with largely inferior tanks than their opponents. 

One area however where the Germans had an advantage - one that lasted throughout the war in all theatres - was the quality of the optics installed in their armoured vehicles. This even extended to the field glasses supplied to officers such as this pair of Zeiss binoculars. 

7X50 Zeiss Binoculars similar to those used by Rommel (pictured)

Although the exterior of the glasses is a bit battered and worn the optics are still in perfect order. This pair was 'recovered' from the battlefield somewhere in North Africa by my Sister-in-Laws Grandfather who served with the Desert Rats. The newspaper clipping showing Rommel wearing a pair of these is just for illustration (I'm not for a minute suggesting these belonged to him!).

These come complete with the eyepiece cap.

My German is a little rusty (ie non existent) but from what I can tell the words on the Eyepiece cap "Benutzer" mean "Owner/User" with space below for the user to scratch his name. On the other side the words "Okulare festgestellt, Nicht Verdrehen" mean something like "Do not rotate eyepieces". 

Makers Stamp

The Binoculars themselves are stamped with the Carl Zeiss makers mark and the Nazi eagle and Swastika which I think shows they were made specifically for the armed forces. No doubt there were many thousands of these issued and a quick search of the internet shows a few up for sale, but this is still a remarkable survival story for an artefact that brought the Desert War literally into my hands. 

Big Picture - Back from France

This weeks Big Picture is another one from the archive of the Newlyn Collection. There is little by way of identifying markings on this print other than a typed note on the back that says "Back From France - 19.6.40 - Members of the B.E.F.still smiling on their return to London from France".

Back From France 

Following their encirclement and defeat by the Germans what was left of the BEF and other Allied troops were trapped at the port of Dunkirk. The War Office decided to evacuate British forces on 25 May and over nine days from 27 May-4 June, 338,226 men escaped.

Big Picture - Scramble

This weeks Big Picture is a double bill. Both photos are from the Newlyn Collection and appear to show RAF crew scrambling for their aircraft. However I don't believe the first picture is authentic. Ray owns several publicity photo's from the making of the film The Battle of Britain showing the lead actors in costume on set and in character. Although this picture isn't labelled as such I think it is also a still from the making of the film. Having said that its still a very nice 'character' shot.

This picture on the other hand is the real thing. It was taken at North Weald Airfield (about 40 minutes drive from my home) and clearly shows aircraft in the distinctive E Pens. These defensive earthworks provided protection to aircraft and crew and some examples still remain at this airfield.

Unfortunately this second picture had little other by way of identification on the reverse so I am unable to put a specific date on it.

Big Picture - Gunnery School

This weeks Big Picture is another photo from the Newlyn Collection. Ray bought this at one of the many Militaria fairs he visits and its an interesting photo because it shows some of the gunnery training given to aircrew.

Gunnery Training

There is a typed caption on the back which reads: "Training Air Gunners for the R.A.F. - The panoramic trainer in action. The gunner under instruction is in the enclosed gun turret with his instructor seated in the open alongside. A model enemy plane moves in front of a panorama background. The Gunner is instructed to fire a burst when the plane is at a certain distance as judged by the size of the plane in his gun sight. As soon as he presses the trigger and [sic] mechanism stops a light shows in front of instructor. The gunner is then told the amount of his error if any."

Big Picture - 48 Stars

This is the latest addition to the Newlyn Collection. Ray bought this U.S. flag at a collectors fair recently and I have to say its a lovely find. The 48 Star Flag came into being in 1912, with the addition of New Mexico and Arizona to the Union. It was official for 47 years, longer than any other U.S. flag, and was used during both World Wars. Eight Presidents served under this flag, the last being Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Ray in his Man Cave with his new flag

Ray's collection is growing all the time yet somehow he still fits it inside one tiny room. Either he has a secret stash somewhere else or he's started tunneling!

Big Picture : Typhoon

Here's another picture from the Newlyn Collection, this time of a Hawker Typhoon Fighter Bomber being rearmed prior to a mission. This looks like an 'official' photo but there is no indication of which body or agency was responsible for taking the picture.

There is a Censors note glued to the back of this image and it reads as follows:

Passed by the Censor - No. 271943

"The Hawker Typhoon - Britain's Latest Fighter-Bomber"
Latest and most deadly fighter-bomber in the armoury of the R.A.F., the Hawker Typhoon is now on full operational duties. Fitted with a Napier Saber engine and armed with four 20mm cannon - two in each wing - it carries two 500lb bombs. Its high speed and great range enable it to penetrate deep into enemy territory on its missions of destruction, while its armament is a match for any Nazi fighters it may meet.

The Typhoon was an invaluable part of Allied air supremacy over Normandy both during and after the landings. The Typhoon was originally intended as the replacement for the Spitfire but eventually settled into the Fighter Bomber role. By October 1943 the Typhoon was being fitted with rockets for its new ground attack role against enemy vehicles of all types.

The Newlyn Collection : Lancaster Crew

My Brother-in-Law is a bit of a collector. Some time ago I posted a few pictures from his man-cave showing just a small part of the huge collection of WWII memorabilia he has amassed. Part of his collection includes old photographs he has picked up at various trade shows and through his many contacts at Veteran associations. I've persuaded Ray to release some of his more interesting images via this blog. Many of them are unique and have been in private hands for many years and consequently have not been available in the public domain until now. 

The first picture from the collection is a bit of a mystery. The Image appears to show the crew of an Avro Lancaster Bomber but beyond that we have very little information. There is no date on the reverse of the image and no mention of where it was taken. There are also no distinctive marking on the aircraft which might help identify the subject. All I can say is that this picture was taken sometime after 1942 when the Lanc was introduced. I'm sure an aircraft enthusiast might be able to tell more from the scant information in this image but I've not been able to deduce any more. All the more reason to put the image out on the Web. 

Used with permission of the Newlyn Collection

If anyone can enlighten me more about this picture then please leave a comment below and maybe together we can rebuild the story of this photo and its crew.