Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent set of German WWII binoculars known by the German Kriegsmarine as Doppelfernrohr 7×50 (Double Telescope 7×50), with the original neck strap. They are very similar to the Dienstglas 7x50 (service glass 7x50) usually seen, and as far as we can tell they are more or less identical. This example is stamped on the right barrel Flak. (Küste), denoting that this set was made to be issued to a coastal artillery anti-aircraft unit.

This pair of binoculars marked with the specifications information on the rear of the right barrel:

Flak. (Küste)
Nr. 10113

And on the left barrel:

T
CARL ZEISS
JENA
D.F. 7X50
2073369

2073369 is the serial number of the binoculars themselves, while Nr. 10113 is the number of these issued to Coastal Artillery Anti-Aircraft units. These were manufactured by Carl Zeiss, Jena, Militärabteilung, a well known maker of optics during both World War I and World War II. These were only issued for Kriegsmarine use and have the Marinewaffenamt Eagle / M IV/1 proof mark on the rear of the left barrel, the correct code for Zeiss telescopes and binoculars.

The T over the maker mark indicates Zeiss Transparenzbelag anti-reflective lens coating. Carl Zeiss developed this advanced coating technology during the mid-1930s to improve light transmission and reduce internal reflections, making it especially useful on military optics intended for operation in poor light conditions. Surviving Kriegsmarine Zeiss binoculars of the same period commonly carry the same T marking.

The binoculars are in great overall shape, with the optics showing just a bit of haze, and both focus diopters functioning correctly. There looks to have been leather eyepieces that are now gone. These have a range reticle / graticule on each eyepiece. This set does not have the bakelite eyecups. As with most WWII German binoculars they are non-magnetic, and the body is in great shape, with the textured coating mostly retained, showing just a few areas where it flaked off.

The Flak. (Küste) marking gives this pair a more specialized role than the ordinary D.F. 7x50. German coastal artillery units were responsible not only for engaging naval targets but also for defending harbors, batteries, and coastal installations against air attack. Binoculars such as these would have been employed by observers and fire-control personnel to locate, track, and report hostile aircraft operating near naval defenses.

This set is particularly desirable for the combination of its Carl Zeiss Jena manufacture, D.F. 7x50 designation, T-coated optics, Eagle / M IV/1 Kriegsmarine acceptance marking, Flak. (Küste) coastal anti-aircraft designation, issue number 10113, serial number 2073369, surviving dual graticules, and original neck strap. The missing eyecups and carrying case are the principal losses, while the surviving markings make this a particularly well-documented example of specialized Kriegsmarine coastal-defense optics from World War II.