Leica Freedom Train: The German Underground Railroad (News)

Approximately six million European Jews were killed during the holocaust, but some reluctantly survived thanks to a legal loop hole. George Gilbert spoke for the Leica Freedom Train: The German Underground event this past Thursday.


Gilbert, 85, with over twenty books and 400 articles to his name, gave a grand speech about the events that led up and to the creation of the Freedom Train.

Ernst Leitz II revolutionized the photography industry when he created the first pocket camera which could be loaded with short lengths of motion picture film. The camera was dubbed the Leica.


Gilbert asked the audience to raise their hand if they did not own a camera. Only a few did, but Gilbert quickly picked on someone who raised their hand.


“You don’t own a camera? Get out of here!” said Gilbert to the person he picked on.


Gilbert then continued his speech when he talked about the Nazi takeover of Germany.
The Reichstag election in 1933 gave way to an opportunity for a minority party to win the election and take over government. That minority party was the National Socialists, or what is more commonly used, the Nazis.


“The Hitler team won,” said Gilbert.

On one particular night dubbed “Crystal Night,” civilians and Nazi troops went around town in Germany breaking every single piece of glass of Jewish owned stores. Everything was stolen in the stores, and even synagogues were destroyed too.


“NOT FOR JEWS,” said Gilbert was labeled on everything.


The Protestant Leitz family was outraged by the Nazis excessive hatred against Jews, unions, radical groups of the Left, and opposition parties. So the Leitz family conceived a plan in 1938 to send Leica factory representatives and repairmen overseas. The plan would boost foreign sales and the German authorities bought the idea.


The program became know as the Leica Freedom Train. The plan became a legal rout for Jewish Leitz employees to get on the “train.” Not all were Jews. Gays, radicals, and anti-Nazis also got on the “train.”

The Leica Company set up a course at their Wetzlar factory to train these Freedom Train “passengers” for two weeks on how to speak the Leitz lingo.

Through a network of safe travel arrangements, all were safely removed to photo stores in England, France, Switzerland, and elsewhere.

“Did it cost them? Yes,” said Gilbert.

Dr. Elsie Kuhn-Leitz, daughter of Ernst Leitz II, an attorney specializing in human rights cases, began a series of personally conducted tours to Swiss Leica dealerships. Border guards of Switzerland noticed she would arrive with five or six females but left alone. The Border guards quickly caught on. She was arrested and released later on parole.

The Freedom Train had come to an end.

The Freedom Train has only been recently discovered so there never was a formal list of the Jews who got out via the Freedom Train.

“No one ever knew how much it cost,” said Gilbert referring to the Leitz family.