WWII Air Force A-N6530 Aviator's Goggles

WWII Air Force A-N6530 Aviator's Goggles - Aluminum framed lenses, hinged and marked "A-N" over "6530" on the nose bridge, green tinted glass lenses, gray rubber face cushions, with a 27 mm wide adjustable, elasticized strap, attached via clips on either end of the band, to hold the goggles firmly in place, 68 mm x 195 mm. The goggles have seen extensive wear as evidenced by the fraying in the strap and they exhibit a crack in the right lense on the far right side. However, the rubber face cushions and aluminum frame remain intact. A terrific, desirable collectible from WWII. Very fine. Footnote: AN-6530 goggles were produced during WWII, as eye protection for United States Army and Navy flight crews. In 1943, the AN-6530 design was replaced as standard issue to replace the nearly identical USAAF B-7 goggle, which was produced by Chas Fischer Spring Company of Brooklyn, New York. Contracts for AN-6530 goggles were awarded to Chas Fischer Spring Company and American Optical. These glasses saw use in nearly every United States flight crew position during World War II, particularly with pilots, gunners and observers who needed protection from glare, wind and debris. Expense in production technique, time and materials and issues with lenses shattering and contributing to eye injury led to development of the rubber-framed. plastic lensed B-8 goggles. The B-8 goggles were standardized in 1944, making the AN-6530 obsolete. Despite their one year run as standard issue, the AN-6530 goggles became an icon of their era.