The slide featured a small section of ribbing to be used as a grip when cocking the weapon y the slide. The wide pistol grip gave a good firm hand-hold and was straddled along either side by wooden grips (checkered or smooth) screwed into the frame at two points. The trigger unit was a solid, curved assembly held within a thin, oblong trigger guard. The action was termed "recoil-operated" and further utilized a closed-bolt arrangement. During this action, the spring loaded magazine forced a fresh cartridge into the chamber while any expended cartridge case was jettisoned from the port at the top of the weapon. The hammer protruded from the rear of the frame and was "kicked back" when the slide recoiled rearwards during firing. The Browning influence on the wz.35 could clearly be seen with its large slab-sided slide fitted over a short cylindrical barrel, integrated trigger group and pistol grip magazine. The "WiS" designation eventually evolved to become the "Vis" designation, Vis translating to "force" in Latin. Due to its manufacture location, the pistol came to be recognized as the "Pistolet Radom wz.35".However, the handgun was more appropriately recognized as the "Pistolet WiS wz.35" - "WiS" recognizing its two designers by initials. Radom model 35 parts serial#With help from Fabrique-Nationale, lines were set up at the Fabryka Broni w Radomiu facility for local serial production, this helping the Poles begin to achieve arms independence at a crucial time in European history. It is notable that the move to semi-automatic pistols from revolver types was something of a world-wide event for many national armies. Polish authorities selected this in-house design as the standard Polish Army handgun in 1935 under the designation of "Pistolet wz.35" ("wz" standing for "model" and "35" for the year of adoption - 1935). During the action, the barrel was initially locked to the slide and then separated by a cam in the frame prior to the stripping of a fresh cartridge from the awaiting magazine. Radom model 35 parts manual#The catch was used to slowly release the hammer with a cartridge residing in the chamber, requiring a manual re-cocking action (managing the hammer with the thumb) to make the pistol "ready-to-fire" once more (a grip safety remained the primary safety facility) - this addition made the wz.35 one of the first pistols to utilize a "decocking" lever. The Polish engineers introduced a slide catch that controlled the hammer and allowed the operator to carry the loaded handgun in relative safety. Engineers Piotr Wilniewczyz and Jan Skrzypinksi submitted a Browning design which centered around the tried-and-proven qualities of the Fabrique-Nationale "High-Power" (HP), a semi-automatic pistol started by fabled American gunsmith John Browning himself prior to his death in 1926. Radom model 35 parts trial#In the 1930s, a move to standardize Polish arms was reinforced by a 1935 trial to select the primary sidearm of the Polish soldier. During the war years, the Polish Army had peaked at 737,000-strong and made due with whatever was on hand. The follow-up Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921 netted a Polish tactical victory and little else. It was under this arrangement that the Polish Army fought its victorious campaign against Ukraine in the Polish-Ukrainian War of 1918-1919. As such, it became a mixed assortment of surplus goods varying in origin (German, Austrian, British, American, Russian) and caliber. With its independence now formally recognized, authorities moved to establish a viable land army for the primary purpose of self-defense and, to this, the daunting task of outfitting its personnel was brought about.įor decades, the Polish Army relied on outside sources to stock its inventory. It was not until the end of World War 1 in November of 1918 that modern-day Poland (as the "Second Polish Republic") was reborn. Prior to World War 1, Polish territory was claimed by the powers of Prussia, Russia and Austria (the Kingdom of Poland was forged in 1025 and dismantled as the "Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth" in 1795). Surviving the war after the Soviet liberation of Poland, the wz.35 was not brought back as the standard sidearm of the Polish Army for Soviet influence dictated use of its Tokarev TT-33 series. Production continued under German control though quality suffered as a result of war time stresses and limitations. The Browning-based weapon proved exceptionally reliable and of great production quality though not many were available at the time of the invasion and subsequent occupation. The Polish wz.35 pistol was one of the finest semi-automatic handguns of her era, appearing just shortly before the German invasion of September 1939 to officially begin World War 2.
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