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Thanks Bill,

There is of course another possibility. That the German navigator
in the photo holds a genuine Russian SNO-M, with "Kriegsmarine"
stamped on it. The arguments for this are:

1. In 1941 they very quickly occupied a lot of Soviet territory,
and took all military and other stores.

2. It is well documented that the Germans used all sorts of weapons
and military equipment taken in the countries they invaded.
Especially later in the war when they experienced shortages of almost
everything. For example, in 1944-1945 they not only used but even produced
Soviet machine guns PPS. They used pistols of all nations since the
beginning of the war.
I will not be surprised if they used Soviet sextant frames...

Additional arguments in favor of this theory are:

3. I've heard a lot of opinions about inferior quality of SNO-M,
namely the poor workmanship, both on this list, and in Soviet literature.
(Unlike the later SNO-T which is almost universaly praised).

4. I have never seen a C-Plath of another time, before or after WWII,
with such frame.

Finally my advise: don't scratch the paint on your SNO-M.
Those guys who sell them know: for a Kriegsmarine C.Plath people pay
on e-Bay about 3 times more than for a SNO-M. So it is unlikely that
they would sell you a C.Plath painted as SNO:-)

Alex.

   

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