War-time Leica Cameras

During the Second World War, the Leitz Company had no choice but to produce for the Nazi war effort. On the humanitarian front, however, the Leitz family became heroes: they went to perilous lengths to help Jews escape persecution by assigning them to posts as Leitz employees out of the country. Now known as “The Leica Freedom Train,” this compassion and kindness has become far better known than many of the war products they built under Nazi duress. A fascinating part of history, some of these wartime cameras have found their way into collections, and now, into our rare camera auction.