PaulatUKcamera
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 24/05/2005
Posts: 1920
Loc: West Wales
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Quote:
"The main impression one gets is the usual one of thoroughness but in the case of Leitz it is more marked than in any of the other factories visited. This is supplemented by a conviction that these people are masters of their art and from research to sales have a complete grasp of every problem likely to arise"
British Intelligence Objectives Sub-committee - 18th & 20th August 1945
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Paul Winter (CRIPN)
Web Site: UKCamera.com
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huwevans
Old Hand
Reged: 05/08/2000
Posts: 15466
Loc: Dorset, UK
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Bang up to date as ever, Paul. ;-)
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Huw Evans.
  
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PaulatUKcamera
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 24/05/2005
Posts: 1920
Loc: West Wales
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Just acquired the two booklets published by the committee in 1946. Absolutely fascinating reading - humour even!
Quote:
Franke & Heidecke
"Franke considered there were no manufacturing secrets in making precision cameras other than good jigging, special purpose tooling and concentration on a standardised limited range - with, he added, the proviso of 25 years experience!"
I wish the end result of modern Parliamentary Committees were as readable!
The investigation into the manuafcturing processs at Leitz is very comprehensive financial, inspection, R & D, raw materials etc.
A treasure trove of information for those interested in screw thread Leicas. e.g. even down to the suppliers of raw materials:
"The body of the Leica, now die-cast as opposed to the earlier method of forming from extruded tube is made for them by Mahle of Stuttgart.............."
A snippet about staffing from the description of the R & D section:
10 Scientists
2 Chemists
3 Physicists
8 Mathematicians
25/30 Optical computors
20 Key Development Engineers
Paul
If you think my quotes are ancient - you should see my cameras! 
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Paul Winter (CRIPN)
Web Site: UKCamera.com
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Tacitus
History
Reged: 17/01/2006
Posts: 871
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In the 60's I worked in the 'attic' of one of the big London museums where there were cupboards-full of old documents. (We even had a supply of stationery marked On His Majesty's Service - he died in some 15 years earlier). In one cupboard there were dozens of these Intelligence Reports, undertaken in 1945-6, on German industry, research and inventions, including jet engines, rotating wing aircraft developments, and much more - all forgotten and unwanted.
These made interesting tea-break reading, and revealed a much higher degree of German technical achievement than was propularly perceived through Allied wartime (and postwar) propaganda. Of course, the wider context, within which the German wartime technical research (and manufacturing) was conducted, was not addressed in these documents - but that's a different issue.
I still have several of these reports ... now they are in a cupboard, in my attic. Someday I'll see if they include ones on the photo-optical industries.
.T.
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Benchista
Wich Tyler
Reged: 11/08/2000
Posts: 37889
Loc: Everywhere and nowhere, baby
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Wasn't Dr Stewert Bell part of the investigating committee at Leica?
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Nick
www.nbrphoto.com
Light and Shade II - the new blog
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Tacitus
History
Reged: 17/01/2006
Posts: 871
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Quote:
Wasn't Dr Stewert Bell part of the investigating committee at Leica?
Yes. Independent 11 December 2002
.T.
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