Navy Training Reels for Anti-Aircraft Range Estimation

[uscollector]

At a gun show this weekend, I acquired a group of view-master type reels for training anti-aircraft gunners aboard ship in aircraft identification and range estimation during WWII. There are two types of reels - one for study and one for testing. There are 23 different reels and 16 envelopes. Half of the envelopes contain descriptive information as shown and half are plain with no information. The gentleman that I bought them from said he personally got them off the Battleship Missouri but I have no way to verify that. I had never seen anything like this before so I took a chance and bought them.

 

[uscollector]

[uscollector]

[uscollector]

[kphfun]

That would be really cool if you can find the projector for them.

[uscollector]

The reels are in the standard View-Master format. The company made a number of the viewers for the Navy for use during WWII. I have a viewer somewhere but I haven't located it yet. I am looking forward to looking at the reels when I find it.

[uscollector]

I finally located my old View-Master viewer. I tried the navy training reels in the viewer and they work just fine. The pictures of the various aircraft are three-dimensional and the information about the picture being viewed can be read in the little window between the two eyepieces. The manufacturer's name on the training reels, Sawyer's Portland Oregon, is the same as the name on the View-Master viewer.

[The Meatcan]

that is very cool! too bad there isn't an easy way to get a picture of what you are seeing through the View Master. Those things were magic :thumbsup:

Terry

[Bob Hudson]

For those who just don't know, a View Master is a stereoscope picture viewer: traditional stereoscopes hold one image card at a time: each image card holds two images which are the same except for being photographed at slightly different angles, which gives a 3-D effect when they are viewed at the same time through stereoscope. The View Master holds several images on one card so you just push the lever on the side to go from one to the other. The 3-D effect is very good.

 

 

In WWII they produced training reels for all services. I have seen single reels selling for $10-15, and a set with 91 reels recently sold for over $500. A set with 24 reels, original box and two USN View Masters recently was auctioned with an estimate of $500-1,500.

 

[uscollector]

Forum Support:

 

Thanks for the additional information. Until I purchased these reels at a local gun show a few weeks ago, I had never heard anything about this technology being used by the military. I had a View-master as a child and you could buy reels covering many different subjects.