Camera “Leica III C Red curtain”, 1942, Germany

Camera with range finder. This model became famous for the unusual red curtain it has. Durig the II World War, all the rubber and caoutchouc in the country was used for war purposes, and to get over this problem, the manufacturer Leitz (parent company) introduced the use of the red curtain for the shutter.

At the end of the war, the Company recalled all the cameras to replace the original rubber, luckily however a few models escaped this servicing and became valuable collectors’ items. In fact today it is very rare to find a LEICA “red curtain“, despite the fact several thousand were produced.