ORIGINS OF THE MILITARY LENSATIC COMPASS

[wolfy]

I know many of us own, or have considered owning, one of the new Cammenga versions or one of the older induction-dampened lensatic compasses available on eBay.  This piece gives its history and how and why it was chosen over the liquid-dampened trial versions.....

http://oldtopographer.net/2012/05/05/history-revealed-origins-of-the-army-lensatic-compass/?


http://northingeasting.blogspot.com/2011/07/which-way-north-part-iv-military.html

I HATE BUBBLES!

[lgm]

I haven't went through both links yet but what I saw is interesting, thanks.
As always good stuff.

[Pennsylvania Mike]

Thanks for the post and the links Wolfy, it not only brings back memories of when I was trained to use this compass when I was in the Infantry at Fort Dix, but I happen to own one just like on the picture, manufactured by Marine Compass dated 2-53 same as the one on the picture and still works as good as new.   

[buzzacott]

Great link and article. Cheers. I'm a fan of the M1950 compass. I own and use a Cammenga H3 model balanced for use down here in the Southern Hemisphere. It's a shame the report didn't go any further back than the M1938 model of the WWII years. The daddy of the M1938 was a British patent liquid-filled marching compass circa 1910s.



It's a shame the US Army didn't stick with the WWI-era prismatic compasses they issued near the end of the First World War. They were, and still are, some of the best compasses around. I own a British-issue one and use it out bush any chance I get. It turns 100 years old next year. One of the WWI-style Prismatic compasses, evolved with an induction dampened card like the later model M1938s and the M1950/current-issue Cammengas would have been the perfect marching compass.


This was my  1918-manufactured, Swiss made, WWI US Army Engineers Corps Verner's Pattern MkVIII prismatic marching compass before I sold it for an Aussie one. One of these with induction-dampened dial would have been the perfect military compass.  Hmmm... I wonder how hard it'd be to ... never mind :-D