Show off your Leica WWII Wartime Cameras

[Mr_Flibble]

Posted this in the "Show off your .." thread a few weeks back,
But it does actually belong here as well.

Red-curtain Leica IIIc (1940).
Upgraded to a "IIIf" (IIIc-sync) in the 1950s
Dismantled in 2015
Acquired by me in 2016
Painted and Rebuild by Alan Starkie in 2016/17

Currently loaded Ferrania P30

 

[lxmike]

what a great thread

 

[lxmike]

Well as luck would have it just grabbed 1941/42 stepper for £130, over the moon

 

[lxmike]

a quick shot of my 1942 IIIc

 

[Wills]

This is a IIIC (K) I once owned from 1942. I sold it in the 80s. I wish I still had it!

Or rather it isn't !

 

[johannielscom]

My second Leica. It's been many years with just the little Leica II, now she has a younger sister (thanks, Al!)


Leica IIIc Wartime Stepper has a new frock by Johan Niels Kuiper, on Flickr

1945 Stepper IIIc 'Bring-back camera', updated to IIIf specs (so it's a IIIc-syn now), with excellent Jupiter-8 50mm 2.0, fake lens cap and vintage strap.


20180210_DSC01417 by Johan Niels Kuiper, on Flickr

It's been around and still it works as intended!

 

[Geo Toreno]

Bump...


Leica IIIC grey version, 1941-1942

Not grey anymore...😉

 

[Adriancko]

Hello,
this is my 1940 IIIC "stepper" with red curtains and matching Elmar
But in a recent CLA i decided to replace them with new black one (i stored the red ones for historic purpose).
Just shoot two rolls (some images are on my Intstagram page), definitely love it !

 

[lxmike]

My Leica IIIc, stepper, serviced by Cameraworks Uk

 

[dexdog]

My leica IIIc stepper serial 371879 along with the the lens that it was attached to.

 

[splitimageview]

Recently acquired this, one of the best condition wartime IIIc bodies I've ever come across. Not bad for 84+ years of age! Actually one of the best Barnacks of any age.

Requested info from classicstore.wetzlar at leica-camera.com, this is their reply, which took less than a day:

Thank you for your inquiry and your interest in our Leica products.

The camera Leica IIIc with the number 393319 was delivered on 20.10.1945 to the US. Army. A service or repair was not noted in the later course.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / best regards



i. A. Paul Kunz
Sales Manager | Leica Classic Store
Phone: +496441 2080-605
Leica Camera AG | Am Leitz-Park 5 | 35578 Wetzlar | Germany

 

[Somerset]

I was recently given this IIIc by my dad, who inherited it around 40 years ago. From what I can work out online, the Fl No. suggests it was made for the Luftwaffe - does anyone have a book to hand in which they can check the serial number? The serial number on the camera is 365884, and the number on the 5cm Elmar lens is 502052. From what I can gather online, those numbers give dates of 1940 and 1939 for the body and lens respectively.

It does look as though the rear of the top plate has been abraded, although I'm not sure it's enough to have removed an engraving. I think the screw in the top of the shutter speed dial must be a previous repair, and the threaded shutter button seems to be done kind of accessory - it unscrews with the shutter guard leading what looks like the original button below.

Hi, yes its a genuine iiib and listed in the military numbers

 

[MISH]

Here’s my lllc and what Leica told me about it. Missing some vulcanite but just came back from a DAG cla and it is so smooth, as good if not better than new

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Last week, someone on Reddit posted about a Leica IIIc "Stepper" that he had acquired for $65.
I pointed out to him that it was a camera from first post-war batch of 300 cameras that Leica delivered to the US Army of the Occupation in June 1945, made from wartime parts. Sold through the Army Post Exchange. The serial number was less than 20 units away from one of mine from that batch. Possibly an unmarked "K".

I thought that was pretty neat.

 

[Dralowid]

How's about a camera that returned to the factory twice during the war? I'm not proposing a wartime conversions thread but it does make you wonder...


No: 28304 (conversion, now a black IIIa)

Was shipped on December 20th, 1929 place of delivery or recipient is not noted.

Was in for repair 3 times

March 1st, 1933, Febuary 15th, 1940, July 10th, 1942 what was done is not noted.

 

[Somerset]

I have Just bought this 1940 iiib serial number 347332 with updated/replaced range finder housing; with unusual 'dot' under the 'o' in No, instead of the under score. Style of the engraving is more like that of a 3G suggesting it was updated quite late on. Leitz say it was dispatched to 'Berlin' 5th March 1940 and no other information on the upgrad/repair. The number places it 1939-40 of a batch of 4500 camera's. I've also looked it up in the known Luftwaffe numbers book and see that it is not listed, the known cameras supplied being (347001 - 347017) & (347708 - 34717).
My question is, firstly has anyone seen unusual engraving like this and could give me more information and secondly is the big question (that cant be answered), what was engraved on the original housing

 

[enasniearth]

you could ask Jim lager

 

[Photar]

I've also looked it up in the known Luftwaffe numbers book and see that it is not listed, the known cameras supplied being (347001 - 347017) & (347708 - 34717).

Just checked, according to my source ("30 Jahre Leica Historica"), the second batch already started with 347701. But that does not change the fact that your camera falls right between these serial number ranges. I don't know anything about the dot engraving.