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Leica 338476 shipped, six days before Germany’s invasion of Poland and the start of WWII on Before and during the war, the Leica camera was world renowned as one of the best photographic instruments made, and as such was a highly desirable item by the German war effort. Leitz’s so called “Leica Freedom Train” isn’t nearly as well known as the efforts by Oskar Schindler, but is no less significant.
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In the years prior to the war, Leitz secretly helped train and promote Jewish workers from his factory in the city of Wetzlar into sales positions, so they may be sent on sales trips to New York, and other western countries, freeing them from future atrocities. The Leica camera has an undeniable link to Nazi Germany, but it’s president, Ernst Leitz II was not a willing supporter of the regime. “Secure in the Mountains with the Leica”, an advertisement in Kleinfilm Foto from Jan/Feb 1941. If however, you are interested in a fascinating period of history, that just happens to coincide with some dark times, then please keep reading and I hope you find it as interesting as I have. For anyone misguided enough to even remotely consider anything Nazi Germany did back then as a good idea, this article is not for you. Although the link between Nazi Germany and Leica cameras is real, this article is about the history of the camera, and nothing more. From there, the seeds for this article were planted. I found Jim’s contact information online, sent him the pics and asked for his help. That man was Leica historian, author, and war-time expert Jim Lager. After getting some pretty convincing, but low resolution images, I asked around for help in authenticating it, and nearly every response told me I needed to consult with one man. In July 2018, I was contacted by a reader of this site named Joe Prah saying he had a military Leica and wanted my help to authenticate it. I enjoy researching the stories behind the people who created and used these wonderful devices, and considering a camera’s entire purpose is to capture moments on film, being able to wonder about the things these cameras have seen is really exciting for me. My passion for collecting cameras is heavily rooted in their histories. This is a topic that is very sensitive to a lot of people, and sadly, has recently become more of a conversation topic among extremist groups in the United States and other countries. In addition to cameras and lenses, Germany was also tied to a whole list of atrocities committed by it’s government and the Nazi regime. Throughout a large portion of the 20th century, the photographic industry was heavily tied to Germany.