Discovering the Features and History of the Polish FB Radom VIS-35 Pistol

As a Kid I grew up watching Dr. Robert Ballard the marine geologist that found the Titanic and battleship Bismark.  There was a moment in one of the documentaries he said when he finds a ship at the bottom of the ocean “…the guns are at the ready. Frozen locked in battle to this day…”.  The world of firearms is no different. Here at 2 If by Sea Tactical Indoor Range & Store we often see some truly incredible pieces throughout history.  They all have a story to tell, and they are all a time capsule frozen in time.  Sharing a story of conflict, triumph, or horror.  The Polish VIS 35 Pistol is one of those firearms.

The Polish firearm manufacturer Radom was established in 1922 to produce of all things typewriters and sewing machines.  The post-World War I era, however, saw them like many manufacturers of the day, dabbling in the world of firearms.  Europe was decimated and left in complete uncertainty following the end of WWI.  Countries were looking to modernize their militaries by taking the lessons learned on the battlefield.  Poland was no different.

During the Great War Poland had been exposed to a variety of weapons from both the Allied and Axis powers.  One such weapon was the Colt M1911 pistol designed by John Moses Browning.   Two firearm designers Piotr Wilniewczyc & Jan Skrzypiński seized upon this designed and set out to update and rechamber it in the 9mm cartridge designed for the Swiss Luger that rose to fame in Europe.

The marriage of this caliber and weapon platform gave birth to the VIS 35 produced by Radom.  This pistol was produced from 1930-1945 and over 360,000 would be produced by the end of World War II.  This pistol came at a fortuitous time for the Polish Military.  Come 1936 Germany invades, and the military was in desperate need for modern military equipment.

Unfortunately for the Poles, despite a valiant effort Germany was too much for them to push back and a dark chapter in the VIS 35 history began.  Despite this being of Polish design, German High Command was impressed with the design and ergonomics of the pistol.  The Radom factory was taken over and produced weapons for the Wehrmacht including the VIS 35. 

This pistol would become a sought after sidearm among German Officers as a reliable side arm that was rivaled by maybe only another captured production the FN Browning High Power.  Today the VIZ 35 pistol is highly sought after as collector piece a reminder of a weapons platform designed for one country and repurposed for another during times of conflict.

Like many firearms of this type there are places in the world where this piece is still used.  Several third world countries and Eastern European block nations have military members or police officers pictured with this sidearm.  While Piotr and Jan may have not known that their pistol would go on to be so effectively used for so long, their design has withstood the passage of time.  Be sure to check out our Youtube video on this firearm feature in our “From the Vault” series.