Poland became a sovereign country (II Rzeczpospolita Polska, Second Polish Republic) November 11, 1918.  Poland solidified its independence in a series of border wars fought by the newly formed Polish Army from 1918 to 1921, the most significant being the Polish–Soviet War (1919–1921) in which Poland inflicted a crushing defeat on the Red Army at the Battle of Warsaw, an event which is considered to have halted the advance of Communism into Europe and forced Vladimir Lenin to rethink his objective of achieving global socialism. The event is often referred to as the “Miracle at the Vistula”.

Beginning in 1924, binoculars manufactured for the Polish armed forces were produced by two companies in Poland.

• Fabryka Aparatur Optycznych i Precyzyjnych, H. Kolberg i Ska (Factory of Optical and Precise Instruments, H. Kolberg & Co. Ltd.), established in Warsaw, Poland, October 1921. The Polish language term “i Ska” is a contemporary abbreviation of the words i Spółka (& Co. Ltd. in English; et Cie. in French).

The company (H. Kolberg & Co. Ltd.) was later renamed Polskie Zaklady Optycznych S.A. (Polish Optical Factory, Inc. (Corporation, Joint Stock Company) – PZO. The Polish language term “S.A.” is a contemporary abbreviation of the words Spółka Akcyjna (Corporation (Inc.) in English; Société Anonyme (S.A.) in French; Aktiengesellschaft (AG) in German).

Poland, 1919 – Spółka_z_ograniczoną_odpowiedzialnością (s. o. o.)
Germany, 1892 – Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH)

• Zaklady Optycznych, H. Kolberg i Ska (Optical Factory, H. Kolberg & Co. Ltd.)

The Fabryka Aparatur Optycznych i Precyzyjnych, H. Kolberg i S-ka  (Factory of Optical and Precise Instruments, H. Kolberg & Co. Ltd.) was established as a limited liability company in Warsaw, Poland, October 1921 by a group of industrialists, including Leon Malecki, Henryk Kolberg, and Kazimierz Karol Mieszczański. [Archiwum Panstwowe m.st. Warszawy, Ksiega Rejestrow Handlowych, National Archive of Warsaw, Book of Trade Registries]

The company was transformed into a corporation, in January 1922, with investor shares distributed like this: Henryk Kolberg 40%, Bank Handlowy w Warszawie 20%, and other investors 40%.

The company was named Fabryka Aparatur Optycznych i Precyzyjnych, H. Kolberg i S-ka S.A. (Factory of Optical and Precise Instruments, H. Kolberg & Co. Ltd., S.A.). [Memorial w sprawe Polskie Zakladow Optycznych Sp. Akc. Nr 207 tjn LM/IL, Warszawa pazdziernik 1935, Report of Polish Optical Factory, Joint Stock Company No 207, October 1935]

Factory building of the Fabryka Aparatur Optycznych i Precyzyjnych, H. Kolberg i S-ka S.A. (Factory of Optical and Precise Instruments, H. Kolberg and Company, Joint Stock Company) at 35, Grochowska Street, Warsaw, Poland, purchased in June 1923.

The company signed its first contract with the Ministerstwo Spraw Wojskowych – Department III Artylerii Uzbrojenia (Polish Ministry of Defense, Department III of Artillery and Armament) for the production of 1000 6×30 binoculars, based on the 6×30 Zeiss Silvamar binoculars that were being produced by the Carl Zeiss firm of Jena, Thuringia, Germany since 1910.

To fulfill the contract, the company needed a larger factory building than it was using, so in June 1923, the company purchased a factory building at 35, Grochowski Street (present Grochowski Street, 316) that had previously been used for the production of snuff boxes.

This 1500 square meter (5381.96 square foot) factory building on 583.51 square meters (6280.85 square feet) of land was owned and used by the company until November 2, 1995.

Production History of the 6×30 Binocular

The Polish Ministry of Defense contract, in 18 points, provided guidance for the “Technical orders of prismatic binocular with case” to be produced by the company. The last point stated, “To make binocular production easier, Department III of Artillery and Armament lends the Company H. Kolberg i Ska S.A. construction drawings of the Russian binocular 6x (type Zeiss). The Company has to make two copies of the drawings, and has to return the original drawings, and one copy, in ten days from the date of the contract signature”.