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Nicholas Rose

April Mason

Composition I

03 July 2009

The Radom Model 35 'Vis'

The Radom Model 35 pistol is a generally lesser-known element of the Wehrmacht's vast

and various small arms catalog. The design originated in Poland just prior to World War II. It

was originally designated the F.B. Radom WiS vz35, for its creators, but it entered full

production under the name of 'Vis', Latin for 'force'. It was the standard-issue sidearm of the

Polish military. When Germany steam-rolled that nation near the end of 1939, they adopted it

enthusiastically, under the designation of 'p.35'. Pre-war examples are held widely to be some of

the finest 9mm handguns ever created. Even the late-war, last ditch models compare favorably

with modern designs. I consider my example to be the centerpiece of my collection; it has value

far beyond a simple handgun.

The history of this pistol is a major part of its value to me. The German war machine

starved for equipment under the Treaty of Versailles. As a result, it was willing to adopt and field

new and non-standard weapons to a far greater extent than most Allied militaries. A variety of

native weapons were manufactured for nominal commercial purposes and redirected to Germany

itself. Whole weapon systems were commissioned, designed, tested, and fielded. In a situation

like this, when they came upon a viable design with an established manufacturing base, they

seized it, naturally.

At first glance, in fact, the pistol can easily be mistaken for a Colt 1911. It has the same

lines, the same grip safety, and largely similar control placement. This particular one is an

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example of what is known as a Class II. It was manufactured after the Germans had seized the

factories, but shows very nearly the same finishing quality as the original Polish production. It

retains the take-down lever, placed where a modern shooter might expect the safety lever.

Pre-war pistols may be recognized by the large Polish eagle crest in the roll-mark, and by

their exceptional quality of fit and finish. A few of the earliest Nazi pistols were built from pre-

war parts, and bear Nazi proofs in addition to this mark. Once production was fully in the hands

of the Germans, pistols bore only F.B. RADOM VIS Mod. 35 Pat. Nr. 15667. on their slides,

and quality declined steadily as the war progressed. As conditions grew more desperate, the

design was simplified, and the fine finishing abandoned. Late-war, last-ditch pistols had crudely

carved wooden grips rather than molded plastic, and lacked a take-down latch entirely.

The Germans were wont to stamp every last part of their firearms with inspection marks,

serial numbers, and proofs. Officials from the Waffenamt, the German Army Weapons Agency,

stamped items with an eagle insignia, itself called a Waffenamt, which bore a number identifying

their office. This pistol's slide and frame alone feature four Waffenamts and a Nazi acceptance

mark, the barrel is serial-matched to the frame, and everything from the mainspring housing to

the trigger bears a stamp of some kind. As was typical for European weapons of the period, the

pistol is salt blued. The finished parts are coated in a solution of metal salts and acids, and

steamed, forming a protective layer of oxide that resists rust and gives them their dark, gunmetal

color.

Despite a nominally independent design process, the pistol's action appears to be a

missing link between Browning's model of 1911 and the later Browning Hi-Power cam-lock.

The gun operates on the Browning Short Recoil principle, common to the staggering majority of

modern semiautomatic firearms. During firing, the breech is locked; the barrel is joined to the

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slide by a set of lugs just forward of the chamber, holding the chamber and cartridge tight against

the breech face. The pistol operates in single action; the hammer must be cocked manually

before the pistol will fire, and the trigger acts only to release the hammer. Once the trigger is

pulled, the hammer is released, and it strikes the firing pin, which strikes the primer and ignites

the cartridge. As the projectile leaves the pistol, the barrel and slide recoil together for a short

distance, until the cam on the bottom of the barrel reaches a lug on the frame, pulling the barrel

downwards and unlocking it from the slide. The slide continues to the rear, extracting the empty

casing from the chamber and cocking the hammer, and on its return stroke, it strips a new

cartridge from the top of the magazine and loads it into the chamber, ready to fire again.

It is easiest to mark where the p.35 differs from the Colt M1911, America's sidearm of

choice from World War One to the present day. The slide-mounted de-cocking lever is perhaps

the most obvious difference; when pressed, the lever first retracts the firing pin, and then releases

the hammer, rendering the pistol safe. Another major and visible difference is the lack of a

manual safety. In its place on earlier examples of the pistol is the take-down latch, which locks

into a notch on the slide to hold it in place for disassembly. There is a grip safety, which

prevents the hammer from falling unless it is fully depressed, but aside from this the method of

safe carry was to keep the hammer down when not planning to shoot.

This particular pistol, and historic firearms in general, interest me for several distinct

reasons. As a marksman, I look for the best, most accurate firearms I can find; the p.35 is

perhaps the finest 9mm handgun since the Luger in 1908. As a student of history, attempting to

learn about an event, I want every detail that exists about that event; this model of pistol and the

circumstances surrounding its design and adoption provide insight into many aspects of the

conduct of the Axis in World War Two. As an engineer, I have a fascination with mechanisms;

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this pistol is an intricate, precise machine, and as elegant as possible for something that operates

on explosive power. The synthesis of these qualities in one item give it a value, for me, that it

would be absurd to attempt to quantify.