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Are there any wartime IIIc instruction manuals?


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The only instruction manuals I ever see are those showing the post-war IIIc

model. I have seen supplementary instructions for the original IIIc, but never

an instruction manual. I always assumed that the supplement was a supplement to

such a IIIc manual.

 

Did Leitz include an instruction manual for the original IIIc?

 

Thanks for any answers.

 

David

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actually, Jim Lager's volume "Leica Literature 1930-1960" reproduces several wartime

instruction books and pamphlets for the IIIc. They show the "step" and are dated in

the wartime period. In the book you'll find "list photo nr 7920, Leica modelle IIIc und

IIId Ocktober 1940"; "list nr 7630a VII, Die neuen Leica-Modelle IIIc, IIId marz 1942";

"Erganzungsblatt zur liste Nr. 7630aVII, Leica-Modell IIIc, marz 1941". I don't know if

this volume is still in print--I doubt it, but should show up in used book sources. You

might try the Leica Gallery in NY.

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it would appear from looking at the wartime material in Lagers book that I mentioned,

that they didn't issue a complete instruction book for the IIIc, but sort of an "update"

from the previous IIIa,b complete manuals. I'd infer from what I see that there aren't

what you'd call a complete instruction book for wartime IIIc's. What's unknown as

far as I'm aware is did any military paperwork cover the camera's operation, In our

army, we had complete TM's (tech manuals) for the IIIf and later the M2. Perhaps

some such material exist, but I've never heard of it. Another source might be Bill

Rosaurer, the LHSA Viewfinder editor. Bill had done several articles on German

military equipment.

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  • 3 weeks later...

David,

 

There was that one listing in German as mentioned from Jim`s book, but other than that there were NO printed manuals in English or for an English speaking market

Less than 200 IIIC`s were even in allied hands by the end of the war, but that was to soon change, I have records of cameras being sold to the US Forces as early as May 9th (the day after the surrender)

 

US Third Army made a Leica Instruction manual in June 1945 which features a "stepped rewind platform" Leica IIIC in it for the first time, this was pretty much the first English language manual of any sort, I do have a copy and I will be producing professional copies about the time that I release my book about US Army Leica`s - sometime next year, ohh and that person who said the other difference in the cameras were the stepped rewind platform is very very wrong, there where at least 4 different types technical versions of the camera (it`s maybe the most modified line of cameras in Leitz`s history) all of that will finally be explained when this book comes out a great deal of history about the IIIC has been ignored for years, mostly evertything`s been written about the wartime cameras, but nothing about what happened right after the war, I hope that our book will shed some light on this subject

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