Re: optics/Japan

["Daniel L. MacIsaac" <Dan.MacIsaac@nau.edu>]

FYI,

U505 is at the Museum of Science and Technology in Chicago, except for its
periscope & optics, which were taken for study by the US Navy during WW2 and
never returned.  Interesting, no?

Dan M

PS  -- too bad the cold war end didn't make high quality german optics more
affordable.

> It is my recollection that the German optical range finders were considered 
> to be even better than the Japanese.  One of the standard explanations of 
> the Japanese success in the night engagements off of Guadalcanal, in 
> addition to superior optics, and probably more importantly, was paying lots 
> of attention to training for night fighting.
>
> > The Japanese "leap" into optical device excellence did not occur suddenly
> > after World War II. In 1942 the Japanese navy had, by far, the finest 
> optical
> > range-finders in the world. This was discovered unhappily by the U.S. Navy
> > during the early night naval engagements off Guadalcanal. It was after 
> world
> > war II that this optical expertise was applied to consumer products..
>
> Joel