Re: Luftwaffe & Swastika & Eagle

[Paul Schliesser <paulsc@eos.net>]

>Engravings include various combinations of real Leica Military
>markings.  Exotic variations include the replacement of the body
>covering with some sort of nicely finished dark red wood, and a version
>with a Nazi Eagle atop Swastika--placed on the right front of the camera
>(self timer position).  Non Leica Russian inventions include Black
>unmarked Kievs and Kievs (and lenses) with an olive camouflage finish. 
>
>I can just imagine them sitting around at the local bar talking about
>"What will the crazy Americans buy next?" ------ and then going back to
>the shop and making it!! 

I was in Moscow last year, and saw a lot of interesting LTM cameras at a 
big flea market, most of which I assumed were fakes. There were a lot of 
cameras with the little cast eagle/swastika emblem on the front. I told 
several people about them when I returned to the U.S., and one friend who 
knows a little about military collectables thought that they sounded like 
they were the little emblems on WWII Nazi uniforms, which are very 
common. Glue one to the front of a LTM or fake LTM and you have an 
instant historical artifact. (I've also been told that the majority of 
the "Leica" LTM bodies are Feds with fake Leica top plates on them.)

Walking around and seeing that every camera dealer had at least one Luxus 
tended to make me a little suspicious.

I regret now that I didn't pay more attention to them; at the time I was 
slightly disgusted at the blantancy of the forgeries. Now I'd tend to be 
more curious about what they are and how they were made. I wish I had 
looked at them more. I used to shoot with a IIIc, but other than thay one 
camera, I don't know enough about the LTM cameras to intelligently know 
what to look for.

I did buy some lenses and a turret finder for a Keiv rangefinder camera 
that I have. If I'd known Marc then, I would have talked to him before I 
left and found out what to look for.

The big flea market, BTW, is there mostly for the benefit of tourists. In 
the shops where the Russians themselves shop, (at least that I saw) they 
sell Japanese cameras. I was very dissapointed; the only Russian camera 
that I saw outside of the flea market was a gray plastic Zenit SLR.

- - Paul