The British army in 1939 was unprepared for the demands of official war photography and 35mm cameras were still viewed with suspicion by the War Office, with 120 film size being the preferred format.The original cameras issued to the stills photographers accompanying the BEF to France in 1939-40 were First World War vintage Goerz Anschutz (Ango) plate cameras, which was still a standard press camera.

 

Cameras were in short supply and with plans for an expansion of the small film unit into the AFPU, the War Office had to buy cameras from whatever sources they could find, as well as  appealing to the public for donations of Leicas, Contax and Zeiss Super Ikonta cameras - all of German manufacture. The  AFPU  stills photographers were  mainly issued with the Zeiss Super Ikonta (532/16, 530/16 or 531/2 models), initially from a shipment seized in Turkey. This was a slow and awkward folding camera, using 120mm medium format film. It was generally disliked by the photographers. The AFPU Manual also includes instructions for the Rollieflex, to be used for more staged shots and also the US Kodak Medallist I - a heavy and ugly camera using 620 size medium format film. The British mainly recorded WW2 in Black and White as colour film was in limited supply and tended to be reserved for newsreels. Later in the war, the  Kodak Medalist was introduced for colour photography, but was described as suitable only for the more experienced photographer. At a more simple level of photography The AFPU manual also includes instructions for the basic model of the Voightlanda Bessa which did not even have a rangefinder. Distance had to be estimated and set by a focussing ring on the lens.

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Although official use of 35 mm cameras by the British was rare,  Bert Hardy, well-known photographer for Picture Post before his recruitment into AFPU managed to use his existing Contax II camera (and Rollieflex) - although the War Office refused to pay for their repair! Somewhart ironically, AFPU instructors at Pinewood trained photographers of the 30 Assault Unit to use Contax II cameras prior to D Day. Civilian photographers acredited to magazines were more likely to use the 35mm format, with the Contax II preferred as being more rugged and easier to load than its main rival, the Leica III. Most famously, Robert Capa and Lee Miller both used the Contax II (as well as a medium format Rollei) whilst the British Life photographer, George Rodger used a Leica. The standard press camera of the 1930s was the Speed Graphic - a 5" x 4" large format camera. The Speed Graphic Anniversary model is frequently shown in publicity shots of the Canadian Photographic Unit. Although unwieldy, the US produced a military version which was used to take the famous photo of the raising of the US flag at Iwo Jima.

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The following collection is based around the types of stills cameras issued to the WW2 British Army Photographic and Film Unit (AFPU). It also includes references to cameras used by civilian photo-journalists, US army photographers and also to civilian cameras of the period which have a specific connection to the conflict. Officially, ordinary soldiers were not permitted to take cameras on campaign but this was impossible to police. The snapshots taken by enthusiasts on cameras such as the Ensign Midget or the 'box brownie' , collectively form an extremely important archives of the war. 

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For Cine Cameras used by AFPU see HERE.

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I would be grateful to learn of any other stills cameras used in WW2 by British forces. Contact me HERE.