Little is known about Fritz Kuhnert and his company. It seems like it was founded as a family owned company in 1942 in the middle of the II world war. In the years from 1939 to around 1942 The Third Reich had experienced several military and strategic sucesses, and maybe this led to an increased demand for more and better optical equipment and just maybe Fritz Kuhnert saw his chance and founded his company. Lets for a moment turn to what we DO know. The fact is, that app. 6500 so called "forced labourers" were interned in Freiburg during the war, mostly "west workers" such as french, belgian and dutch workers. Some were civilians, and others were prisoners of war and not a few of them were just youngsters and children. It is also a fact, that Optische Anstalten, Fritz Kuhnert appears on the list of company that used forced labour extensively, a fact that in 2002 led to the to the grant and payment of compensation to the surviving labourers by the German state. In november 1944 almost all industries in Freiburg were totally destroyed by an allied air attack, and after that point it was impossible to maintain the control with the forced labourers. Some fled and others were transferred elsewhere. In 1945, Freiburg was occupied by french troops who immediately established a provisorial government and administration. We don't know what really went on at the Optische Werke the following years, but we do know that Fritz Kuhnert introduced the remarkable little 24 x 24 camera Efka in 1947. We also know, that the company changed its name, and ownership around 1950-51 and became Futura Kamerawerk GmbH. Because companies like Zeiss and Leitz, that to some extend had been a part of the german armament industry,  were dissolved and their factories and machinery dismantled and shipped off, a lot of highly skilled and qualified engineers, craftsmen and workers were suddenly available. I believe that companies like Futura Kamerawerke, Diax a.o. benefitted from this. The fact is, that not a few companies appeared at that time and that they were able to produce cameras of outstanding quality and design in relatively small quantities,  and this is just precisely the case with the Futura Cameras. Exquisit quality and finish all the way. Well designed cameras with interchangeable optics and coupled rangefinders. Sadly the Futura Kamerawerke Freiburg went out of business around 1958

Futura Standard (P) (1952 - 1955) RF
Serial no.: P 12648
Format:  24 x 36 on 35 mm film
Optics: Futura Futar 1:3,5 45mm (thread mount)
Shutter:  Prontor SV B + 1 sec. => 1/300 sec.
Misc.: Coupled rangefinder + interchangeable lenses

Futura Standard (P) (1952 - 1955) RF
Serial no.: P 10304
Format:  24 x 36 on 35 mm film
Optics: Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 1:2,8 45 mm  (thread mount)
Shutter:  Prontor SV B + 1 sec. => 1/300 sec.
Misc.: Coupled rangefinder + interchangeable lenses