RE: [Leica] Military Contaces

["B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>]

Eric - "souvenirs" that your Dad brought home from WWII which served to
remind him, and continue to remind you, of the part he played in wiping
these plagues off the face of the earth are a far cry from collecting the
stuff for the sake of collecting it. I wouldn't for a moment presume to
judge, or imply any questionable motive to, those who brought home reminders
of their WWII service. That really is an entirely different subject.

As to the "anti-Semite" question - I suppose what I am saying is that I see
the lamp shade as just the last step on the Third Reich collecting road.
We're not discussing the motivation of those who worked in the Leitz or
Zeiss factories - and I have seen Marc's repeated defenses of the role
played by Leitz management in saving numerous socialists, gays, Jews, etc.,
from the Nazis and I have neither the knowledge, nor any reason, to doubt
his statements. What I am questioning is why anyone would give cabinet space
to a Leica IIIc, for instance, with a Swastika on it - a symbol that stands
for the production of the lamp shades - when one can own a IIIc WITHOUT the
swastika.

And, as to the comment by someone about endless hating and "never forget" -
as I said in a response to Marc - I drive a Beetle, own and use Leicas, work
for Bayer, and feed and house a dachshund. My feeling about Nazis in no way
carries over to the generations of Germans who have come afterwards. Post
World War II Germany is post World War II Germany. Pre-War Germany is
pre-war Germany, responsible for Hitler's rise to power and some of the
greatest crimes against humanity - Jews and non-Jews - that have ever been
committed. That I can't forget or forgive.

Cheers -

B. D.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of
> Eric Welch
> Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 1999 2:52 AM
> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us;
> leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: RE: [Leica] Military Contaces
>
>
> At 11:35 AM 11/23/1999 +0000, B. D. Colen wrote:
> >WHY? WHY? Would anyone WANT to own a Leica or Contax used by
> the armed
> >forces or government of the Third Reich? And spare me the
> "study of history"
> >crap.
>
> What other reason? Worship of Hitler? I don't think so. I
> have a violin
> teacher who prized his copy of a Nazi Luger with a very long
> barrel. Cool
> looking gun. But he didn't like it because Nazi's were evil.
>
> My father has a Nazi dagger that he's going to give me some
> day that he
> "liberated" in the occupation after WWII. It has the talons
> holding the
> world on the butt of it. It IS a part of history. And he has
> a machete from
> the Philippines a person gave him when he fought there. (It's
> a long story
> how he was in both theaters). And my mother has a makeup
> compact that he
> bought for her in Paris during the occupation that turned out
> to be holding
> a Nazi assassination list behind the mirror (he was a spy).
> The stuff takes
> him back to a very interesting part of his life.
>
> Eric Welch
> Carlsbad, CA
>
http://www.neteze.com/ewelch

Time is just one darn thing after another. - Anonymous