[Leica] Re: WW II Leicas

[leicachris at worldnet.att.net (Christopher Williams)]

I met a WWII vet at the DDay Museum here in New Orleans a few years ago. He
had his mom ship his Leica III over to him when he was in Europe. He use to
hide it in one of his food tins. they would not allow soldiers to have
cameras on the front lines. When he could he would send the film back home
to be developed. He had about 60 prints with him that he took while in
Europe during WWII.

He told he picked up another III when he traded a family in Germany 10 packs
of cigarettes for it.

Chris

----- Original Message -----
From: <Afterswift@aol.com>

Subject: [Leica] WW II Leicas


> >From what I read, Leitz continued to make Leicas throughout the war. But
they
> weren't finished in chrome and were mostly sold to the army. The Nazis
liked
> to bait booby traps with them, from what a family member told me. They're
now
> prime collector's items.
>
> I imagine there are some horrendous prints lying in the bottom drawers
> closets all over Germany. The first camera I ever had was a Balda my
brother in law
> picked up from a dead Nazi in North Africa. The sand was still in it and
it
> had a light leak that couldn't be repaired and the shutter was a mess. But
it
> intrigued me enough to send me onto an M3, my own darkroom and innumerable
> Nikons unto this very day.
>
> As for digital, I can take my D70 or leave it alone, to paraphrase Groucho
> Marx.
>
> Bob R