Fernglas 08 leather tab (purpose? use? scarcity?)

[4thGordons]

I have recently been sorting our my Great War period binoculars (spurred on by some recent threads on here).  Binoculars seem to have been common souvenirs and to have generally survived well although often with hard use. This means over the years I have acquired a number of pairs of various designs and nationalities. I also have several variants and different manufacturers of the same type like the common Fernglas 08.

Two of my examples have leather tab around the lower hinge and I have not been able to figure out what its purpose was? How common are they?  were all 08s originally issued with them and most are missing? or were they an optional extra infrequently adopted? 

An image search for Fernglas 08 them shows up very few examples among hundreds of images.

I have always had binoculars of various types for bird-watching etc and I can't think of a modern accessory that is similar. I have a guess or two at what they might be used for but I would love to know that they were officially used for if anyone knows.

Here are two examples:

on an Emil-Busch manufactured pair

 

and on a pair of Leitz-Wetzlar  manufactured glasses 

 

 

Chris

Edited 17 April by 4thGordons

[Andrew Upton]

By no means a definite answer, but to me the tab look like the sort of thing you would hook around a tunic button to prevent the binoculars swinging about when worn around the neck on the strap, thus reducing the risk of them being damaged but still allowing them to be fairly quickly accessed as required.

[4thGordons]

1 hour ago, Andrew Upton said:

By no means a definite answer, but to me the tab look like the sort of thing you would hook around a tunic button to prevent the binoculars swinging about when worn around the neck on the strap, thus reducing the risk of them being damaged but still allowing them to be fairly quickly accessed as required.

That was precisely the guess I and @MikB had, that it would clip over a tunic button or cross strap but I can't find anything definitive.

Thanks,

Chris

[Andrew Upton]

If it's any further convincer they seem to turn up attached to the back of binocular cases as well, a position I can only see as doing the same thing:

https://stewartsmilitaryantiques.com/german-wwi-fernglas-08-binoculars-ersatz-case-emil-busch-mfg.28785.archive.htm

https://www.whartonmilitaria.co.uk/details.php?section=3rdreichequipment&item=GE0060

[4thGordons]

Ahahha - I hadn't thought to look at the cases! excellent. 

Thanks - I am convinced! Now to try and find a pic of them in use.

Chris

[GreyC]

Not very common. Of about two dozen photos  in my collection of binoculars/Ferngläser 08 the only one with this gadget/leather tab.

 

Edited 17 April by GreyC

[4thGordons]

Brilliant! Thanks

Chris