Cabinet of Curiosities: French M.G. Nº 51 Trench Periscope

This month’s item highlights a French M.G. Nº 51 Trench Periscope from the 1940s. It features a camouflage paint job and includes a robust leather case. It is housed in the Militaria and Armament Conservation Unit of the Museum Angra do Heroísmo. After the Great War (1914-1918) there was a development of prismatic periscopes for trenches.In France, the most common model was Ministry of War’s Modèle Nº 51. With the German occupation of France in June 1940, these periscopes, as well as being captured, continued to be produced, but for the occupying German forces. Curiously, they ended up being used more by the German army – the Wehrmacht – than by the French army itself.