Leica Standard Buried After WWII - Nice Story

[willeica]

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It is great to see that this camera is still around and will be put to use again shortly. We had some discussions here lately about how Leicas were traded with occupying forces, such as the US Army, after WWII. In this case, the camera was buried for 6 months to avoid it being taken by occupation forces. It is still around and it has great significance and provenance for the current owner.

https://kosmofoto.com/2020/02/german-leica-buried-ww2/

William

[thomas_schertel]

My grandfather has buried his Nagel Vollenda, too. He wanted to avoid that it would be confiscated by the French troops.

yours sincerely
Thomas

[Guest]

A very interesting story, thank you for posting.

[luigi bertolotti]

Really a touching history , and the mix English/German origin of the author tells us a lot about how better is to live in a world where such relationships are seen as normal events of our life.  It has made me remember the story of an old aunt of my mother .. she was "italian" but lived next to Trento in the 1910s (then part of Austro-Hungarian Empire) and married a man from Wien... after few years, at the outcome of WWI, she was "banned" by her family because "married to an enemy"... and this "blame" resulted in a friction which endured for long, even after war's end...

 

[Pecole]

There are many cases where Leica and the war were linked. Mine is very simple : I am fluent in speaking and writing four languages, and when starting collecting Leica, I logically tried to understand first, and also speak German. Despite all efforts, it didn't work. I was considering following lessons, when - totally by chance - I met a psychologist who new well my family and said it was hopeless. In his complicated language, he explained that I "suffered" a typical mental blockade as a consequence of the nazis having killed my father - and my father-in-law as well - and my mother having educated me in the hate of the "germans". Fortunately, this blockade didn't extend to "not nazis" and never affected my relations with the "new Germans". But it remains a fact of life….and has nothing to do with my fascination for the Leica.

[Pyrogallol]

Cartier Bresson buried his Leica during the war until he was able to retrieve it.

[ironringer]

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Thank you for sharing this interesting and warm story about a Leica "survivor". I have always wished my prewar Leicas could tell their own stories.

[Jerry Attrik]

What a wonderful illustration of someone's foresight.

You are now producing recorded history the like of which is rare and likely to become rarer.

Heartwarming, it is; but it is highly inspirational.

You gain much knowledge of your own family history and a deep insight to life nearly 100 years ago.

I raise my glass to you and your forebears.

D.Lox.

Edited February 23, 2020 by Jerry Attrik