Bausch & Lomb AN-6531 Military Aviator Sunglasses

Vintage Bausch & Lomb AN6531 aviator sunglasses are the iconic original B&L military version aviator sunglasses c 1930s - 1940s, issued to Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aviators as pilot sunglasses in the years leading up to and during World War II. During WWII the War Department badly needed thousands of these AN-6531 aviator sunglasses made, and they provided the Army Air Corps and Navy Pilots with the sharpness, visual acuity and UV protection they needed. So in 1941 the US War Department contracted with Bausch and Lomb Ray Ban, American Optical, Welsh MFG, and Rochester Optical to manufacture the AN-6531 aviation sunglasses with cases. At the time AN 6531 sunglasses could not be sold to the public because of shortages of metal alloys and the need to focus all production on wartime needs. If it weren't for these optical companies that manufactured the AN6531 for the United States Army Air Corps and Navy American pilots could have not dominated the skies over Europe, Africa, Italy, and Japan. These heroic pilots flew for hours with harmful ultraviolet sun light shining in their eyes, and they badly need these sunglasses to see clearly while battling over the skies while protecting their eyes. Without the AN 6531 aviator sunglasses optical sharpness and awesome visual acuity it would have been far more difficult for the pilots and gunners to see and shoot down enemy planes. They allowed the pilots fly deeper into the battle zone to support the ground troops below and to transport fresh troops, badly needed medical supplies, weapons, fuel, ammunition, and food that helped the United States to advance deeper and deeper into Germany enabling the Allied forces to win the war. Who would have ever thought that a pair of sunglasses would help to win the war.

 

This is the style from which all future B&L Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses and shooters originate, coupled with the soon to be even more famous "General" brow bar designed to improve the balance of the sunglasses on the face. The AN 6531 frame core is copper rather than magnetic steel and the plating is nickel instead of 12K gold; you never wanted to take something magnetic into the cockpit of an aircraft for fear of the affect on your compass navigation system. This frame was lighter weight than subsequent versions which were typically gold plating over a steel frame. Originating in the mid 1930s, the "teardrop" shape lens was designed to accommodate Air Force pilots who were constantly looking down at their instrument panel while in flight, and of course all future aviators are recognized by this lens shape.

 

Although B&L Ray Ban continued full production of their 12K GF frame aviators during the war, all of that production went to the military. And it was not enough to outfit everyone, so the military decided to come out with a generic pair of sunglasses that could be made under the same military specifications by several different eyeglass / sunglass makers. The result was the AN-6531 which for the war were made by American Optical, Shuron, Rochester Optical and of course Bausch & Lomb. Of course only the B&L version of the AN-6531 came with lenses made by B&L Ray Ban; for the first half of the war all AN6531's came with Shade #1 Ray Ban Glass and as the war progressed you had your choice of Kalichrome C, Sage Green, and even beer bottle brown lenses.

 

The Vintage Sunglasses Shop has the world's largest inventory and variety of vintage Ray-Ban and American Optical AN6531 military aviator sunglasses, all with the original RB-3, G-15, or Kalichrome mineral glass lenses. You can also see our entire selection of vintage B&L Ray-Ban sunglasses for sale in our Vintage Ray-Ban sunglasses Photo Gallery or use our award winning website search below. Thanks for visiting and shopping at the Vintage Sunglasses Shop, the world's largest vintage sunglasses store online since 1998.

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