GORDON you mention the Leica camera, many of us when we were informed we were posted to Germany after V.E day heard that Leica 111 C cameras could be purchased for a few cigarettes. \I decided that my first purchase on arrival would be one of these beauties. Before the war they were the international Rolls Royce of cameras and so expensive that the only people who used them were the very rich ot top reporters of national newspapers. On my arrival my new best friend or oppo was a Sgt Bernhard Schier who was originally a German Jew who had left Germany about 1936, He spoke perfect German and perfect English, so had been appointed Civil Labour Manager at R.A.F Wunsdorf. Strangely he was given a civilian interpreter (but as the man said ''Rules is Rules'' There was nothing he could not obtain. A for instance, when the officers mess required a pig’s (or was it a boar’s) head for a mess function, Bernhard took the day off, and returned with one. However he could not find a Leica for me in either Hanover or Braunshweig (his home town), they had all been purchased by the early birds . He did locate a Robot camera which I purchased for 2000 cigarettes . I bought it from a German Officer, who said the 2000 cigarettes would produce enough cash to put him through university. Ii was the same size as the Leica , with a F1.8 Carl Zeiss lens, but had a long tube on the top which contained a clockwork device enabling the camera to take thirty five frames in quick succession, \I was told this was because it had been fitted in a German fighter aircraft. Some time later in civvy street I managed to purchase a genuine 3c , but the deal included a Leica copy made by Reid , England. Evidently when the war started the patent law was ignored in many countries who made Leica copies, in the U.K Reids made a screw for screw identical model for use by the R.A.F . I still have both cameras and was surprised to see the Reid is worth about four times the value of the Leica when I searched on Ebay I saw two Reids selling for £1200 each. A pic of my Leica might appear below.( More about Bernhard a fantastic bloke, when I reach Wunsdorf.)
Meanwhile back to Hemswell , the Python leave scheme carried on, with us flying to Pomigliano , and other squadrons flying to Bari on the East coast of Italy. One trip comes to mind , when we arrived at Pomigliano cloud base was one thousand feet. The skipper wanted to ‘let down’ over the airfield , but the navigator advised that as Vesuvious was nearby at five thousand feet, and not having the help of the U.K navigational aids , it would be advisable to obtain a Q.F.C (atmospheric pressure at sea level) , let down over the sea, then obtain a Q.F.E (aerodrome level) and approach from the sea. A few voices came over the intercom saying “out to sea”, we then flew West and came in under the cloud base, to land safely.
ODDS & ENDS
I remember also returning early one morning through Naples, as our transport swept round a corner our headlights lit up a leveled out ‘bomb site’, and we were amazed to see dozens of people using it as a toilet. The smell was terrible, and when we enquired about it, were told that the sewers were completely blocked, however it was a sight I never witnessed in Germany.
With reference to my note saying ‘civvies in the U.K used their vehicle tyres until the tubes popped out , I also saw a car trundling along through Naples with what looked like a Spitfire wheel on one side and a bare rim on the other.
And Regle, I took the pic of the Leica mainly to practice taking and transferring pics using my new mobile phone and as usual my mind stared wandering again, what if we had had mobile phones during the war. Hi mother, just approaching the coast.?. Sorry folks , i'm claiming pre-senile dementia.