Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 156:
Description
World War II U.S. Army Air Forces Type N-6A Illuminated Reflector Gun Sight, Designation 24704A, Manufactured by E.A. Laboratories, Inc., Brooklyn, New York, Under Spec. No. W11-107 ac-143 (52) Offered here is an original WWII-period USAAF Type N-6A illuminated reflector gun sight, a non-computing optical sight built for defensive gun positions aboard American combat aircraft. The riveted data plate identifies the type as "N-6A" with the accompanying designation "24704A, " the specification number "W11-107 ac-143 (52), " and the manufacturer as E.A. Laboratories, Inc. of Brooklyn, New York. No separate published unit history or provenance accompanies this example; its story rests in the physical piece and its manufacturer’s markings alone. The N-6 series reflector sight was a mainstay of American aerial gunnery in both the European and Pacific Theaters, fitted into powered dorsal, ball, and tail turrets on heavy bombers such as the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, and B-25 Mitchell, as well as flexible waist gun mounts and the radar-directed turret systems of night fighters like the P-61 Black Widow. By projecting an illuminated reticle onto an angled combiner glass, it allowed a gunner to track a fast-moving attacker without the parallax error of a fixed iron sight – a real advantage in the high-altitude engagements that defined the bomber offensive against the Luftwaffe and the long island-hopping air war in the Pacific. Sights of this type were produced in quantity under War Department contract as American industry raced to arm the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces’ bomber streams and the Pacific bomber and night-fighter squadrons alike. The sight is housed in its original cast-metal body with black crackle finish, its form angled to fit a turret or flexible mount. The folding combiner glass remains hinged within its metal frame, and the toggle switch, electrical connector plug, and mounting tabs are all present. Faint circular inspection stamps are visible on the upper housing, along with a small red rubber inspector’s seal near the switch. The data plate is clean, legible, and fully intact, reading "U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES / GUN SIGHT / NAME OF ARTICLE / N-6A 24704A / TYPE SPEC. NO. / W11-107 ac-143 (52) / ORDER NO. / E. A. LABORATORIES, INC., BROOKLYN, N.Y. / M’F’R’D. BY." No mounting bracket, transit case, or paperwork accompanies this lot; the sight is offered as the standalone instrument. Cosmetic condition is very good for a wartime optical instrument: the crackle finish is largely intact with only minor edge scuffs and small paint chips, and the reflector glass remains intact but shows some expected edge delamination and silvering degradation consistent with eight decades of age. The switch, connector pins, and mounting tabs appear undamaged; internal electrical function and reticle illumination have not been tested. A well-marked and display-ready USAAF turret gunsight, the very type of instrument through which a bomber gunner tracked an attacking fighter across the skies of Europe and the Pacific.
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