Military Compas - Little is known about the history of the US Army Lens Compass. But the origin of the compass is very interesting.

The US Army Lenticular Compass is a popular land navigation tool. The US Army, Air Force, Marines and SOF have used it for decades making this guide one of the best ever made. In addition, the history of this military equipment is not well known. Like the history of the Air Force Survival Knife, there is little basic information about the military lens compass. The compass was certainly not the first to use a lenticular viewing system. However, the use of the visual system has been standardized. But the origin of the compass is very interesting.

Military Compas

Military Compas

The current version of the US Army Lens Compass is derived from the same style of compass used before World War II. Today's lenticular compass is a development from the old surveyor's and surveyor's compass used in the 19th and early 20th centuries. For example, on March 5, 1812, Charles Augustus Schmacalder, an optician and instrument maker, received a patent for his invention of a prismatic observation compass from the Royal Patent Office in London. His design was the first to feature a folding prismatic sighting system similar to that of today's military lenticular compasses. The Schmacalder compass was the standard prismatic compass used by the British Army during the late 1800s and early 1900s before World War I.

Phosphorescent Lensatic Compass 27

Later, Colonel William Willoughby Cole Verner of the British Army improved Schmacalder's design for a pocket compass. Verner's compass is sometimes called a marching compass. These marching stations were used to move mounted and dismounted infantry across the battlefield in the late 19th century. Verner's compass was the first equivalent of a military compass. It has a folding lid, a folding cable, and a folding prism. They were placed in a leather bag attached to the belt of a British officer. Verner's compass became the standard compass for the British Army during World War I.

In contrast, the pocket or hand compass used by the US Army during World War I resembled a modified pocket watch. The reason for this phenomenon is that most of the compasses used by the US military during this period were produced by watch companies. An example of such a compass is the Waltham Watch Company's Pocket Compass. Cruchon & Emons of London and Plan, Ltd of Neuchatel Switzerland also made pocket compasses for the US Army during World War I. The C&E and Plan Company pocket watches were the first attempts at pocket compasses. mirror.

Undoubtedly, service personnel in the U.S. Army became familiar with the Verner prismatic compass while serving with their British counterparts during World War I. The Army commissioned a research and development project to develop a new compass that required The US Army School of Infantry at Ft. Benning. The first of these new R&D projects was released on March 21, 1928. Additional research projects were issued through 1938. Special Project 280 (SP-280) was authorized on October 21, 1938, to search for potential commercial leads for the Department. The Bureau of Engineers could not find a single commercial compass that met the standards issued by the Infantry School. However, two companies The W. & L. E. Gurley Company and Taylor Instrument Company offered to build new compass prototypes based on the requirements of the Infantry School. After testing and modifying their compasses, they were ordered to be purchased in 1940. Both manufacturers provided compasses to the US Army during World War II. Their compass is called the Lens Compass M-1938.

The US Army continued to offer improvements to the M-1938 lenticular compass during World War II. For example, there have been several attempts to solve the mechanical damping problem of lenticular compasses. In short, we are trying to find a way to keep the compass needle from moving when changing direction. Reducing needle oscillation helps to get more accurate results when taking azimuth and azimuth for navigation. A liquid commonly used to lubricate compass lenses during most of World War II. A better choice for the technology at that time was to use a damper fluid. However, attempts at mitigation continued throughout the war.

Metal Lensatic Compass

According to Pennington, Superior Magnetic Corporation has found a way to cool the lens compass without using liquid by using the principle of inductive humidification. An inductive damper uses an electromagnetic field to control needle oscillations instead of water. The compass well is made of brass which allows the magnetic field to act as a damper as the needle moves. The company's efforts resulted in a combined hand-held compass and camera in mid-1945.

In 1947, there was a new emphasis on the design of a more conventional lenticular compass. The push to improve and standardize compasses was part of a broader program to standardize equipment across all occupations after World War II (see my article on the Survival Knife of the United States). Air Force). Taylor Instrument Company and Brunson Instrument Company presented prototype compasses that conformed to specifications and standards issued by the US Army. The Brunson compass was accepted and in 1952 the project to create a standard lenticular compass was completed. The new lenticular compass was named Compass, Magnetic, M-1950.

The M-1950 lenticular compass is a design still in use by various military branches of the United States Department of Defense. Improvements and changes continued with the compass. However, the basic design, construction and use of the compass has remained largely unchanged throughout its nearly 70-year history. A government contract to supply lens compasses to the military has changed hands over the life of the compass. The current manufacturer and supplier of the M-1950 compass is Cammenga, LLC of Dearborn, Michigan.

Military Compas

Cammenga produces two versions of the M-1950 compass for the US Department of Defense: the Tritium 3H compass and the 27 Phosphor compass. The only real difference between these two compasses is the material used for the actual brightness required by military standards. Cammenga also provides two magnetic directions: the northern hemisphere (the needle points to the north pole) and the southern hemisphere (the needle points to the south pole).

Lensatic Military Compass

The US Army Lens Compass has proven its worth over the past sixty years. Its development can be traced back to the first prismatic and pocket-sized compasses of the 19th century. The longevity of today's lenticular compass design and manufacture is a testament to the innovation of the engineers at the Brunson Instrument Company. Cammenga has high standards in the manufacture of the M-1950 compass. The Lensatic Compass M-1950 is a must-have for outdoor travelers. It takes practice to use it, especially for land navigation. However, one cannot go wrong with the US Army Lens Compass.

Major Hykr is my blog to document my hiking and backpacking experiences. Here you will find information and advice on outdoor activities, wilderness safety and survival, equipment, first aid, health and other related things that can be used by hikers, hikers , backpackers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Enjoy and see you on the road! See the article by Major HykG.I. Military compass with luminescent lens OD Glow in the dark American compass G.I. Military compass with luminescent lens OD Glow in the dark American made compass

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Cammenga 3h G.i. Military Tritium Lensatic Compass

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