WW2 GERMAN LUFTWAFFE UNIFORM FLIGHT WRIST COMPASS Armbandkompaß 39

Offered is an original WW2 German Luftwaffe air crew flight wrist compass Armbandkompaß 39.

61mm wide thick, moulded, black, white and clear bakelite construction, clear, liquid filled, AK39 wrist compass with a blackened leather wrist strap and alloy fittings. The compass has a clear, bakelite, top panel, a half clear and half white bottom panel and a black bakelite body. The top panel has repeating, vertical grooves to the outside top and side edges, a single, central, black stripe, a central red circle and small, raised, black bakelite tabs to each side. One of the small, raised, black bakelite tabs has a raised centre point while the other has a central "V’ depression and they were utilized as target aiming, gun sight. The top panel rotates for aligning directional headings as required. When the top panel is rotated, half of the interior bottom panel also rotates moving the internal, bottom white plate designed to set a specific course as required. The clear, liquid filled, interior of the compass has a floating, white, bakelite panel with a black, directional arrow and three hundred sixty degree, black, directional markings in increments of thirty with black numerals at, "3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30," and "33", with a red "N" at the 360 degree point indicating, "Nord", (North).

The interior directional plate floats very freely in the liquid and the compass is quite accurate. Theoretically the directional arrow, the directional numeral markings numerals and the four, major, cardinal directional points, should be luminous but if they were they have now lost all their luminescence. The bottom plate is well marked with the black printed designation, "AK39" and the Luftwaffe Flight, requisition number, "Fl 23235-1". The lower body of the compass has small, extended panels to each side with a central drilled slot and an inserted, small, opened rectangular, alloy bar to secure the two piece, wrist strap to the compass. The compass comes complete with the two piece, blackened leather wrist strap with a pronged, opened rectangular, natural, alloy length adjustment buckle to one end and ten corresponding buckling eyelets to the other. The straps each have a small, cut-out, eyelet with an inserted, alloy retaining stud for securing it to the compass.

History: The AK39, Armbandkompaß 39, (Wrist Compass 39), was developed in 1939 for wear by pilots and aircrew personnel for calculating their position if forced to abandon their aircraft or in crash landing situations. As it’s name implies the AK39 was to be worn on the wrist, like a wristwatch, although it was commonly attached to various assorted pieces of equipment. Beginning in 1938 the "RLM", Reichs Luftfahrt Ministerium, (National Ministry of Aviation), established required specifications for all aircraft instruments and equipment items as well as flight accessory items and assigned a specific contract/requisition numeral to each specific instrument. Beginning in 1938 the "RLM", Reichs Luftfahrt Ministerium, (National Ministry of Aviation), established required specifications for all aircraft instruments and equipment items as well as flight accessory items and assigned a specific, "Fl", "Fliegend/Fliegen Anforderungszeichen", (Flying/Flight, contract/requisition numeral), to each specific item. The AK39 came in at least two, slightly different variations with a different contract/requisition number for each. The AK39 was also equipped with an additional, extended, wrist strap permitting it to be worn over the flight suits. This example is the second of the two AK39 models. The AK39 wrist compasses were most commonly manufactured by the Kadlec Instrumente-Fabrik Elektrische Instrumente of Prag Czechoslovakia, while under German occupation.