Just to add to the Leica sightings list. I saw the Mel Gibson flick, "We Were Soldiers," and the reporter in the film was sporting three camera bodies, two Nikons and a pre-M4 Leica. I don't now which one. The only telltale sign was the old-styled rewinding knob.

Anyway, I don't know if this has been mentioned before. I scanned the posts.

The funny thing is the reporter didn't use the Leica at all. He was in the field with a Leica, what looked like a collapsible 50mm lens and a lightmeter in the hotshoe, but the lens had a cap on the entire time.

-- victor (danzfotog@yahoo.com), March 20, 2002

Answers

Yeah,

I saw that one. He must have dropped the M, as I can't quite stop doing myself. Finally put a strap on my M6, others still strapless.

-- chris chen (chrischen@msn.com), March 20, 2002.

yes, i saw that. i was very happy to see it. made me feel proud to own my leica.

-- john molloy (ballyscanlon@hotmail.com), March 20, 2002.

Actually, the M (pretty sure it was an M3) was shot right out of his hand during an NVA attack. I noticed this because the camera disappeared at that point and never reappeared in the rest of the movie (I'm a stickler for accuracy like that :-) I liked the Sergeant Major's gruff comment as he stood over the prostrate, terrified PJ with bullets whizzing by: "You can't take no pictures lying down there, now can ya?"

-- Paul Chefurka (paul@chefurka.com), March 20, 2002.

Hi, All - Putting our Leicas aside, what really happened in that firefight was a featured front page piece in today's Washington Times. Regardless of what one thinks of the Time's political posture, this one is really a "must read!" Go to:

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20020321-97857864.htm

-- George C. Berger (gberger@his.com), March 21, 2002.

Saturday Evening Post article 1/28/67 First hand account of Ia Drang by Jack P. Smith

-- Brooks (Bvonarx@comcast.net), March 22, 2002.