Leica III (military engraving) c1937-40

Tomei Collection

The vast majority of old cameras create interest and fascination based on their age and the era in which they were designed, built, and used by the amateur and professional photographers of the day. However, they are historical artifacts in their own right and as such deserve preservation for all the reasons that all such artifacts may be preserved. In the case of cameras that were marked with the symbols of the Third Reich, this becomes a much more sensitive issue. Such vintage cameras, regardless of how fine their construction may be, are rarely loaded up with film and taken out to use in public. Those were among the darkest days of human existence and unlike artifacts from ancient Roman times, for instance, from which we are all insulated by the intervening centuries, the time of the Third Reich is sadly still with us and alive in the experience and painful memories of a few who surviver to this day.

When I received this camera I was struck by the likelihood that it was not only built during the darkest of times, but it was also likely used to make some of the haunting photographs that have been preserved, photographs of the victims of the Holocaust, photographs that should not be shunned but rather looked upon frequently to help mankind never forget what terror can be wrought upon the innocent by fellow human beings. So, it is with great respect for those for whom these symbols are more than just old cameras.

The camera shown here is engraved on top with an SA over a Swastika. The bottom has the military unit designation SA der NSDAP, Sturm 6/GJ12. SA indicates the Sturmabteilung, perhaps the worst element of the emerging Third Reich of the early 1930's. I had thought (i.e. hoped) that the insignia referred to the Finnish Army, or Suomen Armeijan, since all Finnish army property at that time was marked with an SA. However, it is unlikely since the SA cursive is in the German style and not one used by the Finnish army which was less stylized and would be surrounded by an engraved square frame. By the time of this camera's production, the Sturmabteilung of Germany had been absorbed into the Waffen SS after the Night of the Long Knives in 1934. However, the military unit engraved on the bottom plate refers to one that was created and fought in Finland with the Suomen Armeijan (see below).

The first question to ask about this camera is with regard to the authenticity of the special engravings. The market is filled with fake Leica cameras festooned with Nazi symbols, and some real Leica cameras with engravings that are recent and not contemporary with the original production dates. I have addressed this question in another page that deals with macroscopic characteristics of engravings on Leica cameras ( see Leica Engraving). In my opinion, the added engravings on this camera are comparable with the characteristics and quality of the Leitz factory engraving performed in 1937-40. This does not rule out that they may have been added more recently as some kind of memorial or even simply as an attempt to increase the value of the camera. Unless further history can be uncovered, perhaps the question will never be answered definitively.

This camera was most likely engraved for presentation or to mark the owner's military service. It is basically a Leica III, serial no. 239517 which dates the reservation of the number to 1937 though it could have been built some time thereafter. The 5cm f/3.5 Elmar lens has serial no. 511890 which indicates a build date of 1940. The camera body is in excellent condition suggesting that it had received little use over the decades, another characteristic that suggests authenticity.

Examination of Details of Engravings

The images here are taken with a 55mm MacroNikkor lens and PB-6 bellows using a single halogen light source to maximize detail and contrast. Differences in color are often seen as a consequence of slight variations in the angle of illumination, but these are preserved in order to produce working images of the metallic surfaces. The purpose was to try to determine with some degree of certainty whether the added engravings were performed about 1940, or they were more likely to be the work of recent efforts to enhance the value of an old camera.

There are three types of special engravings on this camera that may help to determine authenticity: First , there is the engraving of the swastika on the top housing which appears to be performed using a fixed template rather than what may be called "free-hand". Oxidation in the engraved furrow of the swastika is identical to that seen in the Leitz engraving suggesting that the two are contemporary.

Second, there is the engraving of the SA which is superimposed on the swastika and is clearly what can be called "free-hand". Careful examination reveals that there are remnants of a tracing around the SA done before the actual engraving as a guide. Third, the bottom plate has additional engraving of the military unit presumably of the owner, engraving that is macroscopically relatively crude compared with that on the top housing.

However less refined the cursive may appear, the engraving of the military unit on the bottom plate is still of high quality and consistent with the characteristics of the other engraving on the camera. Tentatively one can conclude that the camera was engraved shortly after production perhaps for presentation to an SA member.

Historical note:

The military unit engraved on the bottom plate indicates the Gebirgsjäger 6th Division, 12th Regiment. In the mid 1930's following the Night of the Long Knives in 1934, the Sturmabteilung, also known as the SA, had been absorbed into the army and formed its own units under the Waffen SS. Subsequently, the German army formed an alliance with Finland in 1941 and fought what is now known as the Continuation War during which time German units joined those of the Finnish army, or Suomen Armeijan. During this period Finnish leaders and the Suomen Armeijan often adopted their own and different form of the swastika as part of their military insignias. The Waffen SS had formed a new Gebirgs unit (alpine unit), the 6th “Nord” Division made up of Regiment 11 and 12, the SS-Gebirgs Artillerie Regiment 6 and SS-Sturmgeschutz Batterie 6. The division was created in February 1941 in Norway and it’s first action took place in Finland with the Suomi Armeja against Soviet forces on the Lapland front in June 1941. This new unit is known to have suffered heavy losses on the Eastern Front. In September 1944, hostilities broke out between Finland and Germany and the Lapland War began which ended in 1945 with the surender of Germany to Allied forces.

The condition of the chrome and the black enamel on the lens bezel suggests that the camera was not often used.

The engravings are generally of high quality and equivalent or superior to engraving by Leitz during the 1930's and 40's. My opinion is that this was a camera that had been engraved by or on behalf of a member of the Sturmabteilung some time early in WWII and it included the German military unit of the Waffen SS, or Gebirgsjäger 6th Division, 12th Regiment. It is unlikely that this engraving would have been performed more recently since the engraving characteristics are consistent with those performed by Leitz at the time of production some time between 1937 and 1940. Also, as can be seen in the images of the engraving details shown on the left, oxidation within the engraved furrows are all comparable suggesting comparable age.

It is unlikely that Leitz performed the engraving since the factory is not known to have engraved similar markings of the Thrid Reich on other cameras. Of course, my opinion can change as more information is gathered from experts.

Leica III (military engraving) c1937-40 Tomei Collection

Leica III (military engraving) c1937-40

Tomei Collection