Russian Cameras - WWII

[newspaperguy]

Seen here... with Russian soldiers. Scroll down and I.D. the cameras:

ttp://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/10/world-war-ii-after-the-war/100180/

 

[Jagdtiger]

Leica x 2 🙂

 

[MartinP]

I do recall reading that a correspondent of Khaldei's renown would have been using Leicas. Many other official photographers were using sheet-film cameras through most of the war.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

If you look closely you see they have slow speed dials....these cameras can only be considered Russian if by that you mean they are owned by Russians 😉

Here are a few more Leica and FEDS in use by the Red Army and Fleet

 

[newspaperguy]

Nice addition to the "gallery," Mr. Fibble.

 

[xayraa33]

Most of the cameras look to be Leica III or IIIa or IIIb as they have slow speed dials and are lacking the lens flange lapels™ found on the IIIc.

There could be a Fed or two in the mix in the more unclear photos.

 

[johannielscom]

picture no. 7: Yevgeni Khaldei certainly has a Leica (slow speeds dial at the front clearly shows), his colleague might have one too, or it's a FED.

picture no. 45: is that an everready case for a Leicaflex?

Just today I relocated my file with kriegsberichter postcards and some original photos from both German and US soldiers from WWII. And a portrait from a young Kriegsberichter holding his Leica and wearing his uniform with armband.
Some were deliberately joining the war to fight and photograph, but many young men were lured into the Kriegsberichter units with stories on adventure, good pay and the opportunity to travel freely. Only to find out later that they were in fact supposed to be soldiers with a camera.
I wish we knew what the Russians did to get their pictures and films from the front, Stalin pretty quick picked up on Goebbels's propaganda policies. Were their war photographers journalists or photographers to begin with, or just enlisted men who were given a camera and a brief training?

 

[newspaperguy]

Good point, Johan. I can tell you in the U.S. Army, it varied.

I had both schooling and newspaper experience when I enlisted;

but many of the other Army photogs I met had no prior experience.

Rick