IZOS

Optical Glass Factory No. 353 NKV (IZOS)

(1940-1941 – Izyum, 1941-1943 – Tomsk).

The Optical Glass Factory No. 353 NKV (IZOS) was a Soviet binoculars manufacturing factory that started production of the standardized Model B-6 6×30 military binoculars in 1940.

Because of Operation Barbarossa, the June 22, 1941 German invasion of Russia, Factory No. 353 was evacuated east of the Ural Mountains to Tomsk in the autumn of 1941, where it continued production until 1943.

Tomsk (Томск) is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, on the Tom River. Founded in 1604 by Tsar Boris Godunov, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. It has six universities, with over 100,000 students, including Tomsk State University, the oldest university in Siberia.

In 1943, optics production was moved to Optical Glass Factory No. 355 NKV (Zagorsk optical-mechanical factory), which was also located in Tomsk because of the evacuation. In late 1943, Factory No.355 was returned to its original location in Zagorsk, and started binoculars production under with their own logo.

During 1940-1941 binoculars were marked with full production year, since late 1941 up to 1943 it was coded with two first letters of the serial number (41, 42, 43).

After evacuation factory introduced some simplifications to construction. They were not so serious like KOMZ factory simplifications, but some brass parts were replaced with aluminum parts (temporary), also in limited number were used steel plates (while the majority of the used plates were still made from brass). In 1942 pattern of the rubber finish was changed comparing to prewar patter, in 1943 it was changed again.

Also in 1941-1943 factory produced 4×45 Galilean binoculars. But so far none of the survived 4×45 binoculars are known with IZOS marking. However, some known 4×45 binoculars have unique style of marking that was not used at any other binoculars (triangular with model name 4×45 and serial number). Some of these binoculars have rubber finish with patter that was used by IZOS up to mid 1942, same have unique to late IZOS binoculars (later was used by ZOMZ) rubber finish pattern (big dots). With high possibility these binoculars were produced by IZOS.

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The Izos binocular factory (Factory of the optical glass No.353 NKV) was a Soviet binoculars manufacturing factory that started producing the standardized B-6 6×30 model in 1940.

During the German offensive in 1941, the Izos factory was evacuated to Tomsk, where it continued production until 1943. In 1943, the optics production capacities were moved to the factory No.355 NKV (Zagorsk optical-mechanical factory), which was also located in Tomsk due to evacuation. By late 1943, factory No.355 was returned to its original location in Zagorsk and started binoculars production under its own logo.

During 1940-1941, binoculars were marked with the full production year, and from late 1941 to 1943, the year was coded with the first two letters of the serial number (41, 42, 43).1

Additionally, in 1941-1943, the Izos factory produced 4×45 Galilean binoculars. Although no surviving 4×45 binoculars with Izos marking have been found, some known 4×45 binoculars have a unique style of marking not used on any other binoculars (triangular with model name 4×45 and serial number). Some of these binoculars have rubber finish patterns used by Izos up to mid-1942, and others have a unique finish pattern later used by ZOMZ (big dots).1

In 1943, the optics production capacities from the Izos factory were moved to the factory No.355 NKV (Zagorsk optical-mechanical factory), which was also located in Tomsk due to evacuation.

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The city of Sergiyev Posad (Сергиев Посад), located about 70 kilometers (43 mi) northeast of Moscow, is the administrative center of the Sergiyevo-Posadsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia.

The city is the home of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius (Троице-Сергиева лавра) Monastery, founded in 1337, and the Moscow Theological Academy, the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Bolshevik Revolution beginning in February 1917, one of the major events of the 20th century, led to the closure of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius Monastery in 1919, like all other places of worship in the Soviet Union.

The city’s name, Sergiyev Posad, associated with St. Sergius and Christian values, offended Communist (Bolshevik) authorities who changed the city’s name to Sergiyev in 1919, and then to Zagorsk in 1930, in memory of Vladimir Mikhailovich Zagorsky (real name Wolf Mikhelevich Lubotsky) a revolutionary, party activist, and Secretary of the Moscow Committee of the Russian Communist (Bolshevik) Party.

During Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of Russia, Zagorsk was threatened by German forces that reached to the outskirts of Moscow on December 5, 1941. The city was reopened later in 1941, and continued to serve as a religious and historical center of Russia. The city’s original name, Sergiyev Posad, was restored after the collapse of the Soviet Union on December 25, 1991.