Rommel's Leica III Rangefinder

As a kid growing up, one of the most memorable movies I watched was Indiana Jones and Raiders Of The Lost Ark. In it, I remember German soldiers wearing their distinctive, smart-looking tan Afrika Korp uniforms. Although it was a fictional adventure movie, the Afrika Korps have always conjured up a romanticised image of war waged in the deserts of North Africa during WWII, led by the very real flesh and bones Fieldmarshal Ervin Rommel more affectionately known as the Desert Fox. He is one of the few Generals than even the Allies respected and admired.

But Rommel’s human side is often lost in all the hyperbole of his exploits. He was a rebel and it boosted his ego whenever the media called him a hero. Indeed, his fame was made very evident in a letter to his wife, Lu, dated April 1941 when he bragged that “the press of the whole world” was talking about his exploits in Africa. No other German general posed so willingly for so many photographs, always in a position of command, standing in his personal half track called Grief, or seen observing and directing troops on the front.

I've always been fascinated by Rommel's sense of public relations and the fact that he always had a camera on his person to record history is further proof of this awareness. Nazi propagandist Dr. Josef Goebbels knew by 1940 that he had something special in Rommel. He was a rebel who refused to play by the rules. He was personally brave, he always led from the front, and he drove himself as hard as his men. In fact it was Goebbels that was instrumental in him receiving the Leica III Rangefinder he was to use in Europe and his North African campaigns. Many 'photos of his authorship or probable authorship survive from the various theatres of war he was a part of.

Rommel even had a German propaganda staff Lieutenant Alfred Berndt, in North Africa who directed photographers and suggested poses for Rommel to appear in the propaganda magazines of the time.

In 1980, Gianni Rogliatti, a researcher discovers a letter in the Leica Wetzlar's archives. The correspondence is between Rommel and Leica's Dr Ernst Leitz. The letter was sent on 6 February 1943 with the letterhead bore the mark of the fearsome Panzerarmee Afrika".

The correspondence was addressed to Dr. Ernst Leitz, and Rommel gave thanks to him on his creation with camera serial number No. 375000. Rommel was a great admirer of the famous German camera, which he used with regularity and appreciated its legendary qualities. TRANSLATION: Panzer army Africa The Supreme Commander Headquarters, 6 February 1943 To Mr. Dr. Ernst Leitz, owner of the company, G.m.b.H., Ernst Leitz Wetzlar. Dear Mr. Leitz I would like to express my Special thanks to the Leica camera 375000 I was sent. I will be a faithful companion in my future work, since I know from personal experience what value has the photo, not only as a souvenir but also as study material and knowledge. Thank you also for your good wishes, of which we will have soon particularly need.

Heil Hitler!

Rommel

General field marshal The camera with this serial number was never found and if it does pop up one day, you can bet t would be worth a small fortune. BOOK EXTRACT: Discovering the Rommel Murder: The Life and Death of the Desert Fox by Charles F. Marshall