Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 150:
Description
WWII German Braun ‘Manulux’ Hand-Squeeze Dynamo Flashlight, Max Braun AG, Frankfurt am Main, with Slotted Leather Uniform Buttoning Tab and Embossed Circular Inspector’s Stamp Offered here is a working example of the Braun ‘Manulux’ squeeze-dynamo flashlight, manufactured by Max Braun AG of Frankfurt am Main and issued in quantity to German military and civil defense personnel during the Second World War. The lot retains its original black Bakelite body, an operating internal dynamo, and – notably – its slotted leather buttoning tab, an accessory frequently lost or discarded that is essential to the light’s field-issued character. The tab bears a small embossed circular device near its attachment point; while consistent in placement with a wartime inspection or acceptance stamp, the design is not sufficiently distinct in the photographs to confirm a specific branch of service, and no individual recipient or documented unit history attaches to this example. Its significance rests in its intact issue configuration and its well-preserved wartime pattern rather than any named provenance. Introduced around 1938, the Manulux was engineered to answer a persistent wartime problem: the chronic shortage of dry-cell batteries across the German war economy. By linking a spring-loaded squeeze lever to a small internal generator, the light produced its own current on demand, requiring no batteries at all. This made it valuable to Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe personnel needing reliable illumination under blackout discipline, as well as to air-raid wardens and civil defense staff enforcing strict lighting restrictions in German cities under Allied bombing. The leather tab fitted to this example was designed to button directly onto a tunic or field blouse, allowing the light to be carried hands-free and retrieved instantly – a small but telling detail of how thoroughly wartime industrial design accommodated the practical needs of the man in the field. The black Bakelite casing is molded with the raised BRAUN / MANULUX trademark on the reverse panel and shows only minor handling marks and light surface scratching, with no cracks or chips noted. The four slotted case screws and the ribbed squeeze lever both show a light, even age patina consistent with the period, and the knurled bezel remains secure over the projecting bullseye lens. The lens and internal reflector exhibit mild fogging and light silvering wear under close inspection, though this does not impede function. The leather buttoning tab remains supple and correctly slotted, with the embossed circular stamp still legible in outline. A tidy, complete, and demonstrably functioning example of a scarce wartime utility item, made all the more desirable by the presence of its often-missing leather uniform tab.
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