Radom Vis P.35
As the Second World War approached the Polish Government set about adopting a modern automatic handgun, and what was eventually adopted would remain in production well after the country fell to Germany in 1939.
With the end of the Great War came the collapse of the three empires that had dominated eastern Europe. The Russian Empire had collapsed in 1917, with the German Empire following suit in 1918, and following the end of the war Poland was finally able to regain its sovereignty. The new nation quickly set about building a local arms industry, and by the early 1930s was looking to adopt a new handgun.
The sights on the Vis P.35 consist of a standard dovetailed notch rear sight and an integral front blade
The History
Despite having the capacity for domestic production, most work at the arsenal at Radom (Fabryka Broni, Radom, or Weapons Factory in Radom) was focused on production of Mauser rifles, leaving the Poles to utilize a variety of older handgun designs. The quest for a new service handgun resulted in a 1927 trial of various foreign models, including the CZ24, FN Model 1922 and various other compact automatics, and in a subsequent trial FN also submitted their P35 High Power pistol, which was seen to be the clear winner of the trial.
Despite this, an existing contract for Browning Automatic Rifles from FN for Poland had been causing issues with problems with the rifles received, and as a result it was decided that importing the High Power was not viable, and thus a domestic solution was sought. The solution would come from the Radom factory, with a design by Piotr Wilniewczyc that was essentially a High Power with a conventional single stack magazine and several new features. Notably, a decocking lever was added to the side of the frame at the request of the Polish Cavalry.
The controls on the Vis P.35 evolved during the course of the Second World War. Note the magazine release, grip safety, decocking lever on the slide, and the omitted takedown lever
With the design completed, the pistol entered production and Polish service in 1936, bearing the name Vis, which is Latin for “power”, which is emblazoned on the right grip panel. Production of these pistols, with a high quality finish and bearing the Polish Eagle on the slide, continued right up until the factory was taken by the Germans during their invasion in September of 1939. Owing both with the quality of the design and the fact that it used the same 9x19mm cartridge as standardized German handguns, the pistol remained in production under German control as the P.35 (P), with the latter letter standing for “Polen”, the German word for Polish.
On later production pistols, the decocker can be used to engage a notch on the hammer for disassembly
Production continued at Radom, with parts sent to Steyr in Austria for final assembly along with the production and installation of barrels. The Polish workers at Radom were notably able to smuggle a significant number of pistols to the Polish Home Army by duplicating serial numbers, with the duplicates being inspected and passed by the Germans before being smuggled to the resistance. This would continue until September of 1942, when a duplicate pistol was captured by the Gestapo after a shootout with a resistance cell. The resulting retaliations led to fifty workers being hanged, and the Germans tightened their security at the plant going forward. In addition, a concentration camp was set up near the factory, so that Jewish slave labor could be used to fill the gaps in the production line. These were treated brutally, with some shot for perceived poor quality or falling asleep during the long hours they were forced to work. This continued until the summer of 1944, when the Germans abandoned the factory as the Red Army advanced into Poland. Production was transferred entirely to Steyr, with limited runs continuing until March of 1945.
The rollmarks on the slide used by the Germans, along with the Waffenamt proofs and accemptance mark. Note the WaA77 stamps for the occupied Radom factory, and the WaA623 stamps for assembly at Steyr in Austria
The Germans used the Vis P.35 extensively in all theaters of the war, and indeed it was the most common 9mm service pistol in their use after the indigenous Walter P38 and Luger P08. Despite the general decline in finish and the deletion of some features as the war progressed, the Vis developed a stellar reputation within the German military.
The muzzle of the pistol, with the obvious toolmarks a testament to the increasingly dire war situation for the Third Reich by 1944
The Design
The Radom Vis P.35 is a conventional slide operated locked breech semi-automatic pistol, bearing several design elements taken from Browning pistols of the early twentieth century. The overall shape of the weapon is similar to the iconic American M1911, as are its slide release and grip safety. The locking system, however, is more similar to the later Browning High Power that had so impressed the Poles during their trials in the 1930s. The pistol also uses a telescoping guide rod for its recoil spring, which is used also to retain the slide catch with its tension. The weapon feeds from an eight round magazine and uses a single-action firing system, and lacks a manual safety, instead opting for a grip safety alone. Earlier models featured a takedown lever on the left tang, but this was deleted later in the war for the sake of simplification of production. Another prominent feature is the decocking lever located on the left side of the slide, which both retracts the firing pin and drops the hammer when used. On later models (such as that seen here) this can also be used to catch a notch on the hammer in lieu of the deleted disassembly lever.
The magazine, loaded with eight 9x19mm cartridges
This Example
As stated previously, the example seen here is a later production example, specifically from the “Z” serial block, indicating a production date in early 1944. It lacks the disassembly lever, and also bears the rough finish typical of later examples of the pistol. Despite this, it is in excellent conditon, with matching serial numbers throughout. As is to be expected from such a pistol, this weapon bears the German marks on the slide as well as inspection proofs and final acceptance stamps.
The pistol after field strip
Opinions
This is not the first Vis P.35 the author has owned, although it is the latest produced. The Vis is an excellent pistol, with great ergonomics and a slick operation. The pistol has fairly good sights, and is fairly accurate. Recoil from the 9x19mm cartridge is mild, and the feed from the single stack magazine is generally quite reliable. The Vis P.35 is an excellent design, and certainly holds its own against all of its contemporaries from the Second World War era.
A soldier of the Polish Home Army armed with a Vis P.35 pistol during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944
Observed Values and Frequency
Updated: February, 2024
AVERAGE VALUE (USD): $1,000 - $1,500
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
COLLECTOR’S NOTES: Polish Eagle (pre-war) examples command a large premium
Grip varieties exist on later examples, as well as deletion of the takedown lever and decocker