U.S. NAVY-BU. of ORD A.A. RANGE INDICATOR

[hirsca]

Mark 1, Mod 1, of course. 1944 version of a high tech hand held range finding device for anti-aircraft batteries. Another part of my aforementioned CBI group. Look at the box lid. It has a plane in the sighting grid---but from a cake mix company? Go figure.

 

Thanks, Al

 

Still don't know why my pictures get rotated incorrectly.

[hirsca]

x

[Third Herd]

I picked one of these up years ago, in the box. The A.C. Gilbert Company made the famed Erector Sets, American Flyer Electric Trains, and Science sets back in the 1950's.

[hirsca]

I picked one of these up years ago, in the box. The A.C. Gilbert Company made the famed Erector Sets, American Flyer Electric Trains, and Science sets back in the 1950's.

 

Third Herd, was yours in the same type of box? Even though the box perfectly fits the folded instruction sheet and the range indicator, it shows a jet aircraft in the sighting grid, but the indicator was made in 1944. And why the cake mix company? Buy three boxes of cake mix and get a free WW2 range indicator? Anyone have the original issue box?

 

Thanks, Al.

[Brian Keith]

It probably was a war surplus give a way for box tops, since the aircraft on the box is a 1950's craft, that fits for obsolete AA spotter, that cost more to move out of the Government warehouse than they were worth then.

Pretty cool!

BKW

[RustyCanteen]

That is pretty neat. As Third herd mentioned, the A.C. Gilbert Company was best known for it's postwar American Flyer brand toy trains (the 'main' competitor to Lionel). Prior to WWII Alfred C. Gilbert senior had started production of the Erector construction set toys, and acquired the American Flyer train brand and tooling in the late 1930s. At that time (circa 1938) American Flyer was manufactured in Chicago Illinois, while Gilbert's factories were located in New Haven Connecticut. Gilbert set about retooling and redesigning the train division of the company and moved it's production to Connecticut prior to WWII. In mid 1942 the war rationing was imposed and the manufacture of the toy lines ceased, and Gilbert made various items under contract for the duration of WWII, not resuming toy sales until the restrictions were partially lifted in late 1945. Most people remember the company's postwar years as their glory years, but Gilbert's history dated back to the pre-WWI days. A made for-tv-movie starring Jason Alexander as Alfred C. Gilbert senior was aired on US CBS stations in circa 2004, focusing on his attempts to win permission to manufacture toys during the Christmas of 1917 in WWI.

 

I concur that the box seems to bear no connection to the original manufacture or issuance of the piece.

[hirsca]

Thank you BK and RC. Funny, I found it today in my Man Cave--no, Man Room--no, Man Closet (I hate downsizing) and took a good look at it. RC--great historical info on A. C. Gilbert Co. BK--I'm thinking at least 4 box tops for this rare piece of militaria--how many do you think?

 

Thanks again, Al

[rangerstack]

I have a different kind in the museum.