Original Item: Similar in construction to the U.S. Type B8/M1944 goggle, these were made commercially under contract for the RAF during WW2. Bomber Command of the RAF was tasked with the night bombing of Germany, while the USAAF bombers worked in the daylight. Bomber crews wore red-lenses in goggles for about an hour before flying a mission to provide night adaptation of vision. Because white light degrades night vision, these goggles were designed to keep all light except that passed through the red lens out of the wearer’s eyes; wearing eyeglasses with red lenses would not have worked because too much white light could pass around the lenses.
These goggles have ventilation holes on the top and sides of the rubber face shield and are supplied with an adjustable ?-inch elastic headband. Like other British military goods of the era, each set of goggles is supplied in a reusable, heavy-duty cardboard case with stapled construction. They were manufactured in Great Britain under license from Polaroid Corporation, and the case has a Polaroid label on top. Inside is a label identifying the manufacturer in London. A fantastic original piece of WW2 history!