{"product_id":"vintage-military-leopard-1-tank-searchlight-dutch-army-on-wooden-tripod-industrial-floor-lamp-spotlight-industrial-statement-lighting-kopie","title":"Leopard 1 Tank Signal Lamp Floor Lamp | Dutch Army JWO Morse Light on German Bundeswehr Military Tripod","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" data-sourcepos=\"18:1-18:747;394-1140\"\u003eWe bought this lamp from the Koninklijke Landmacht, the Royal Netherlands Army, who told us it was mounted aboard a Leopard 1 battle tank during his service. The tank itself would have carried a separate, larger searchlight for night driving and combat illumination, so this smaller unit served a different purpose: as a portable signal lamp, used to send Morse code by hand when radio contact was compromised, jammed, or deliberately kept silent. Switched to infrared, the beam was invisible to the naked eye but readable through issued night optics, a way of sending a message across open ground without giving away a position. Switched to visible light, the same lamp could send a standard SOS or Morse signal in the open.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" data-sourcepos=\"28:1-28:19;3585-3603\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-Original Bundeswehr signal \/ infrared Morse lamp, type PSW-23-150, 24V, 150W\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Manufactured by JWO, Willy Ostermann Elektrotechnik, Hamburg\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- According to its former owner, served aboard a Leopard 1 battle tank of the Koninklijke Landmacht (Royal Netherlands Army)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Mounted on a vintage wooden military field tripod by Ertel-Werk, Munich\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Rewired for home or studio use, E14 fitting, EU plug included (adapter required for US\/UK)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Original SOS and Morse signalling function preserved and functional\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Original green glass lens cover included\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Original military patina, cleaned and sealed\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Maker's plate intact and legible\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Custom bracket for secure mounting\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Lamp head: 34 x 19 x 32 cm (13.4\" x 7.5\" x 12.6\")\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Total height, lamp and tripod, adjustable: 110–155 cm (43.3\"–61\")\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- One of one. Once sold, this exact piece will not be available again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" data-sourcepos=\"20:1-20:529;1142-1670\"\u003eThe maker's plate is still legible on the housing: Ostermann KG Elektrotechnik, Hamburg 11, carrying the JWO trademark, the mark of Willy Ostermann Elektrotechnik, type PSW-23-150, wired for 24 volts, the standard electrical system of West German military vehicles during the Cold War. Signal lamps of this kind were standard Bundeswehr equipment, carried across armoured and signals units wherever a backup to radio communication was needed, whether between vehicles in the field or coordinating with liaison and support teams.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" data-sourcepos=\"22:1-22:571;1672-2242\"\u003eThe Leopard 1 itself was developed in West Germany through the late 1950s and 1960s as the Bundeswehr's answer to the ageing American Patton tanks left over from the early Cold War years, and it went on to become one of NATO's most widely adopted main battle tanks. The Netherlands was among its earliest export customers, taking delivery of the first of 468 Leopard 1s from Krauss-Maffei in late 1969 as a partial replacement for the Centurion. These tanks stood ready across Dutch armoured brigades throughout the Cold War, until the last were phased out in the 1990s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" data-sourcepos=\"24:1-24:665;2244-2908\"\u003eWe mounted this original lamp head on a vintage wooden military field tripod from Ertel-Werk, the Munich precision instrument maker with roots stretching back to the early nineteenth century, long known for optical and fine mechanical work including surveying and instrument stands, before it turned to wartime production during the 1940s. The tripod is the kind of folding, adjustable-height stand once used to bring optical and signalling equipment up to working height in the open field, and the proportions work surprisingly well as a floor lamp: substantial enough to anchor a room, yet still height-adjustable, just as it was designed to be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" data-sourcepos=\"26:1-26:674;2910-3583\"\u003eThe lamp has been fully rewired for safe home or studio use, fitted with an E14 socket and EU plug. The original SOS and Morse signalling function has been preserved and remains operational, which makes sense once you know that signalling was not a secondary feature here, it was the entire point of the object. The green lens cover is original and is included in the purchase. The rugged surface, with its original military patina, has been carefully cleaned and sealed rather than repainted or polished away, so the marks of its working life remain visible. A custom bracket was made to ensure the lamp sits securely on its tripod, so the piece is fully stable and ready to use.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" data-sourcepos=\"44:1-44:254;4563-4816\"\u003eSuited to collectors of military and communications history, interior designers looking for a genuine statement piece with a documented past, and anyone furnishing a loft, studio or study who wants an object with a story that holds up under questioning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePLEASE NOTE: ANY CUSTOM DUTY WILL BE PAID BY THE BUYER IN THEIR COUNTRY.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blitzcraft Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53273850380624,"sku":null,"price":639.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0847\/7029\/2048\/files\/BlitzcraftVintage_Antiques_specialLightinganddecorJuly16_130van341.jpg?v=1784190633","url":"https:\/\/blitzcraftvintage.com\/products\/vintage-military-leopard-1-tank-searchlight-dutch-army-on-wooden-tripod-industrial-floor-lamp-spotlight-industrial-statement-lighting-kopie","provider":"Blitzcraft Vintage","version":"1.0","type":"link"}