From Wetzlar to Dachau

[david_werbeloff1]

Hi All: First, a thank you to Buttons de Ridder for posting his

photographs of Dachau.

 

I have followed with much interest the discussion that has ensued

about the Holocaust, and the earlier thread on the same subject some

years back. For myself, I believe that, despite the fact that sites

like Dachau and Auschwitz have been preserved as reminders of what we

humans are capable, given the right combination of circumstances it

will happen all over in the blink of an eye.

 

This is a discussion forum dedicated to the products of Ernst Leitz,

so I�d like to try and draw the two entities of Leitz GMBH and Dachau

together. As I looked at Buttons� pictures, the one that struck me

was the wrought ironwork of the sign on the front gate. �ARBEIT MACHT

FREI�, it shouts in a beautiful Art Deco style. Loosely translated,

�LABOR SETS ONE FREE�.

 

I bought a Barnack IIIa a couple of years ago. It arrived from the

dealer, a beautifully preserved 1936 example. The engraving of the

Leica logo and the serial number is a little uneven, (not quite as

perfect as the postwar Leica engraving), and uses an Art Deco font.

As soon as I saw the gate sign, my mind connected the font. The Art

Deco period lasted from about 1920 until about 1935 and was very much

part of the Weimar Republic period of pre-WWII Germany. It�s not at

all surprising that Leitz chose to use this font on their cameras.

 

I was so curious about this camera that I contacted Leica NJ, asking

if they could tell where, when and to whom this camera was originally

sold. Eventually a reply came back saying that the camera with this

serial number was originally sold through a dealer, Wunsch, in

Frankfurt on June 10, 1936. There was no indication as to whom it was

sold.

If you will recall, the IIIa was the first Leica to have the top speed

of 1/1000 of a second, something which would be useful for

photographing sporting events. You may also recall that the Olympics

were held in Berlin that year. It was a very big deal; Herr Hilter

and his nice friends and Leni Riefenstahl were all there to proclaim

the wonders of the 1000 year Reich to the world. I wondered who

bought my Leica. Was he some privileged Party official off to the

Olympic Games? Remember, this was not a cheap camera in 1936. The

IIIa was top of the line. And while Herr X was buying his Leica in

Frankfurt, Dachau had been open for business for three years already

in Munich.

 

Then of course the war came and E. Leitz, Wetzlar became what we now

call a defence contractor, supplying the military with superb optical

goods, better to accomplish their dastardly purpose. How many of

those Leica owned by SS thugs and ordinary Wermacht conscripts went to

war and faithfully recorded the humiliation and ultimate murder of

prisoners of all creeds in the camps, or the rounding up of Jews in

Theseloniki or�?

 

My point is that I feel acutely aware of this history when I use my

camera. I�d be interested to hear your thoughts on where you think

your much-cherished Leica has been in its previous lives.

 

As a footnote I�ll add that I also wonder how the IIIa found it�s way

from Frankfurt to the U.S. Was it lucky enough to leave Europe with

its owner before 1939?

[vivek iyer]

All my Leitz gear are post war. Never had any interest in buying anything that is associated with the war or the time before that.

[andrew_rothman]

Check this out: http://www.jsonline.com/onwisconsin/arts/oct02/86006.asp

[EricM]

great link, Andrew. Thank you.

[OCULUS New York]

Ditto Vivek. I have owned the Zeiss Olympic 180 f.2 MF lens, but never speculated about it other than an achievement for Olympic capture, through Teutonic technology. Such grim speculation about camps seems pointless regarding a camera. It could just as easily have belonged to a Jew.

 

Cheer up.

Ray Hull

[david_werbeloff1]

Hi Andrew: The article about the Freedom Train was on the forum a year or two back. It's a great story, and I don't disbelieve it but why did it take so long to hit the press? You'd think they'd have grabbed it with both hands in the 50's.

[michael s.]

See also <a href=http://www.leica-camera.com/discus_e/messages/2/52762.html>this thread</a> (not on this Forum), in which Rabbi Frank Dabba Smith, the author referred to in the article Andrew cites, explains that he's disassociated himself from one publication due to inaccuracies.<p>

 

Important story, and I appreciate David's personal reflections as he contemplates the history and mystery of his own camera.

[mozart 2]

David:

 

If you'd read the book: Hitler's Justice: The Courts of the Third Reich (Hardcover) by Ingo Muller, Deborah Lucas Schneider you'd know the reason why this information was not released in the 1950's.

 

I read the book a number of years ago and am in full agreement with the writer's comments below. The book is an excellent commentary on our times as well.

 

Here is one reviewer's comments:

 

This book is written in a slightly dry way and is probably meant for an audience of lawyers. It is however written with passion and fire.

The German Judiciary, prior to the First World War, had been a servant of the monarchy. Muller describes how between the wars, the judiciary was hostile to the Weimar Republic, and gave very light sentences to right-wing groups who were charged with treason, following attempts to overthrow the democratic government.

 

After the Nazi party took power the courts became the willing servants of the regime. Muller notes that all but a tiny percentage of Judges and prosecutors had joined the Nazi party. The removal of Jews and former communists from the German bar and courts was accomplished without a whimper of protest. In fact German bar associations supported such moves by making it an ethical crime to practice with a Jew.

 

With the promulgation of laws aimed at removing the civil rights of Jews and protecting the German race, the courts bent over backwoods to increase the scope and effectiveness of such laws. Muller quotes countless examples. One case relates to the court's approach to dealing with "Jews" convicted of having sexual relations with "Germans". The existing laws allowed only for a term of imprisonment is such cases. However, courts on their own initiative, would use provisions which allowed the death penalty to apply to repeat offenders to condemn Jews and Poles who had sex with Germans. Muller quotes one example of a young man who was unaware that he was in fact Jewish. He had a number of liaisons and it came to light that his birth records showed that his grand parents were "Israelites". The court hearing the matter decided that as he had a number of relations he should be sentenced to death. Muller quotes a number of case where the courts were criticized by the Nazi party itself for being overtly harsh. The language of the Judges was filled with the invective of anti-Semitism and the racism of the time.

 

After the war, some Judges tried to excuse their behavior by suggesting that if they had failed to co-operate with the government they would have faced serious consequences. Muller in fact examined the record of all Judges and found one who refused to impose the Nazi laws. He was simply retired. Muller has convincingly argued that the members of the German Judicial System were enthusiastic supporters of National Socialism.

 

The book is enthralling reading and is strong evidence for the proposition that what happened in Germany was not because of the Nazi Party, but a coalition of the parties of the right, who had a common perception of the world. The Judges indeed were some of Hitler's willing executioners.

 

Hope this tidbit of information sheds some light on the topic.

 

Bill

[jerry_lehrer]

David-- My first Leica was a IIIa (Model G) bought in 1946 from the son of a glove importer who bought it new in 1936 when he was at the Berlin Olympics. It was used on the trip and not used again till I

bought it when I was 17 years old. I wish I had a record of the serial number! It had an f3.5 Elmar, 50mm lens.

[stephen hazelton]

It's possible that camera came here with some American GI.

 

I remember reading in times past, that in the killing squads that went out (before they started sending people back to the camps), they did have some people that wished not to carry out the orders to kill, and it was not a big deal- they weren't under the coercion you might imagine- not the same as fighters later in the war, or even the Russians.

 

David, here lately, I've picked up several box cameras older than I am- you could equally speculate on where they have been, and what they have been used for. We'll just never know.

[r s]

<i>All my Leitz gear are post war. Never had any interest in buying anything that is associated with the war or the time before that.</i>

<br><br>

Absurd comment to me. How is a Leica camera 'associated with the war' because it was made in Germany during the war?

<br><br>

Guess I should return all US manufactured items I bought that were made during the IRAQ war?

[nzdavid]

Who used your Leica is intriguing. Of course, it is true that the Leica - simply a tool for

recording images of the world - would have been used both by good and evil people, just

as Leicas have undoubtedly recorded both good and evil deeds. How much better for

humanity had Hitler concentrated on building Autobahns or cameras!

 

I too have a IIIa, restored and in perfect working condition. I wonder also about the fate of

the young technicians who built it. I have read that some Leicas were "liberated" from dead

or captured German soldiers by Allied servicemen. Others may have been owned by

wealthy non combatants. Many, prior to the war, were exported.

 

BTW, Herbert Keppler, writing in Popular Photography a couple of years ago, had a piece

about E. Leitz during WWII which you may find interesting. The firm is believed to have

covertly helped Jews to escape Nazi Germany by finding them jobs in the US. Because this

would have necessarily been on a small scale, it was not widely known or disclosed even

after the war. PopPhoto should be able to source the original story.

 

I visited Dachau, with German friends and colleagues, in 1984. In nearby Augsburg, where

I was living at the time, was a war memorial with the words, "Wir sollen nie vergessen was

ein Meer von Blut und Traenen diese Zeit mitgebracht hat." ("We should never forget what

a sea of blood and tears this time has brought with it.")

 

Thank you for your thoughtful post.

Best wishes, David

[andrewlamb]

"Because this would have necessarily been on a small scale, it was not

widely known or disclosed even after the war. PopPhoto should be able to

source the original story. "

 

The British Journal of Photography came out with this story about 10 years

ago. Can't remember details too well but it seems that Leitz were in the habit

of appointing Jews as sales reps and then sent them abroad. Needless to

say, the 'sales reps' didn't return.

 

It seems that the Nazis knew what was going on but were reluctant to tackle

the company about it given the Prussian aristocratic background of the Leitz

family. I find it interesting that the story didn't come to light until the '90s. I

wonder why it took so long?

[paul t]

This is way OT, but one of the most detailed and comprehensive accounts of

life for a Jew throughout the 30s was published in the early 80s, namely the

diaries of Victor Klemperer, who lived in Dresden. It's an amazing piece of

literature, and history. It's impossible to generalise about these things, but

Klempere seemed to feel that the German political system had been

subverted, that perhaps the majority of German citizens were sympathetic

towards him - but that only a minority were brave enough to help. Would that

be different in any other society, I wonder? <p>

Klemperer at one point worked for Zeiss Dresden, who also attempted to help

their Jewish workers, though not to the degree of the Leitz family. <p>

One arresting, shocking detail is that the family of every Jew who was

murdered in the concentration camps would be sent the relatives' 'ashes' plus

an bureaucratic report of the (fictitious) cause of death.

[Richard Williams]

"I find it interesting that the story didn't come to light until the '90s. I wonder why it took so long?"

 

There's a possible answer to this in the document by Frank Dabba Smith attached to the thread posted by Michael S:

 

http://www.leica-camera.com/discus_e/messages/2/Ernst_Leitz_of_Wetzlar_and_the_Jews-52763.doc

 

(which seems to be the most detailed account of these events on the web):

 

"'When Norman C. Lipton approached Ernst Leitz II's youngest son, Gunther (1915-69) with whom he was well acquainted, about his desire to write the story of the 'underground railway out of Germany' for Reader's Digest, he was told 'absolutely not':

 

Gunther, who was usually very soft spoken, almost lost his temper. 'Not while I'm alive,' he practically shouted. 'My father did what he did because he felt responsible for his employees and their families and also for our neighbours. He was able to act because the government needed our factory's military output. No one can ever know what other Germans had done for the persecuted within the limits of their ability.'

 

Gunther Leitz's refusal in 1967 to have the story published during his lifetime could well have been the result of an innate modesty about his family's actions. For him, there was no heroism involved. Helping Jews in the way that was done was what any decent human being would have done, given the opportunity."

[buttons_de_ridder]

I actually forgot to mention that the Dachau photographs were actually taken with a IIIa and an Elmar 35mm and 50mm all "same" period stuff.

 

This adds on to my experience shooting the scenes there. All three items are pre-war, somewhere around 1935 I suppose, and yes I think it's a valid idea to think where they might of been at that point in time.

 

But during the last 6 months I have been caught up in lots and lots of WWII, specifically the rise and fall of the 3rd reich, stuff that it has become more of a normal day to day thing for me.

 

There are so many striking things here in Munich, one can still visit the houses Hitler lives in for instance.... people live there today and are not at all distressed if you ring the doorbell to take picture.

 

The F�hrerbau, the office building Hitler and his associates resided has now been turned into conservatorium, whilst walking through the halls one day (chilly atmosphere also) some students were practicing Palchelbell this combination was strange.... As I said there are lots of relics here in, and around munich some important, some less important but all interesting to "undergo"

 

I know for a fact that there is still a quite large group of neo-nazis, not the young thugs with there boots and skinheads, but a sort of well to do Nazi appreciation group who still come together on a regular basis and discuss how good the world could of been whilst listening to old WWII german songs.

 

A portion of the current bavarian industries, as well as a portion of the rich people of today come from confiscations during the pre-wwII period (confiscations from jewish people) I now houses along the starnberger see (expensive!) that have been paid by the illegal selling of stolen artwork .... I can go on and on, as I said I am looking into all these facts....

 

Before getting into this German thing, quite a few americans prospered from the extermination of jewish families .... After the war numerous works of art were looted and stolen by american officers.... this allas is also a fact.

[vivek iyer]

I don't know if you feel that strongly about the Americans and the Iraq war, Rich.

 

After all, aren't we made safer because a tin pot dictator is gone along with mother of all weapons?

 

I was just stating a fact about my gear.

[buttons_de_ridder]

"a tin pot dictator is gone along with mother of all weapons"

 

do you mean the Irak or America ?

[andrewlamb]

"mother of all weapons"

 

Surely, that was the mother of all myths.

 

Still, if it means we can drive SUVs to shoping malls, it was worth it.

[vivek iyer]

David, My apologies, I did not realise where my post would have taken this thread.

 

Moderator: Kindly delete my 7:57 post.

[charles_stobbs3]

I am not sure that all antisemitism ended in Germany (or elsewhere) at the end of WW II. Also people who had opposed Hitler's rule in Germany may have felt that they would be partly blamed for the loss of the war and the destruction in Germany and the deaths of many of their fellow citizens. Therefore they may have been reluctant to receive publicity.

[darryl_scanlan]

"Rich Silfver Prolific Poster, jan 10, 2006; 01:39 a.m.

All my Leitz gear are post war. Never had any interest in buying anything that is associated with the war or the time before that.

 

Absurd comment to me. How is a Leica camera 'associated with the war' because it was made in Germany during the war?

 

Guess I should return all US manufactured items I bought that were made during the IRAQ war?"

 

I'm all for making sure future generations are taught the atrocities of the Holocaust, but boycotting WWII-era German cameras seems like an overly-symbolic gesture. If you're that outraged and your principles are that strong, it would stand to reason you'd at least boycott all German products made by companies that were in business during the war. But then people would have to really sacrifice, because they wouldn't get to parade their BMWs and Mercedes in front of their neighbors. Besides, there's a decent likelihood that if a high-ranking Nazi owned that camera, that he didn't survive the war. So I'm with Rich on that part, and I'd still have a respect for his reasoning, if it weren't for the last comment. I'm a liberal and not in favor of this administration's actions, but I try to think beforehand, to keep from just blurting out rhetoric that only undermines the credibility of the liberal stance.

[anthony_brookes5]

I have two Leica IIIs. Both were bought in the UK, one by an engineer whose widow sold it to me in 1981. He was a member of the Miniature Camera Portfolio in the 1930s. The second was again bought in the UK by Beecham Research Laboratories. So neither of mine was used by a Nazi. I also have a 1A, a II , and a III Black. These were all bought by me in the UK but with no provenance. There are dozens of pictures on the web of SS officers using Leicas so no doubt some of you are using one right now.

[bob soltis]

The Leica Freedom Train was chronicled in the Fall 2002 "LeicaView" publication of Leica.

 

A pdf file of this issue can be downloaded from the Leica USA website.

[jtk]

Many of us have a Nazi in our family woodpile somewhere. A great, great uncle of some sort was mine...I have his photo, sent to my family in the US from his family, starving later in Soviet East Germany, where we sent canned food via the Berlin air lift.

 

Many of us trace families through other Nazi history, such as French, Lithuanian, and Lebanese Christian Phalangist. Did you know that among the elements that brought the Russian revolution were Russian Nazis? Stalin didn't mind manipulating them as a young man.

 

It's worth remembering these horrors every now and then, and old Leicas give us useful historic touchpoints. My own IIIC happens to have been owned by a soldier in the American sector of Berlin.

 

Remember the phrase "good German" and think if today we're blythely being "good Americans" (or Brits or Persians or Arabians of whatever nationality).