This is a picture of a F.B. RADOM VIS Mod.35.Pat.Nr.15567 per the slide marking the left side. It’s design was “influenced” by John Browning’s 1911 and Hi Power designs. There’s also a touch of the Spanish Ruby.
It takes It’s a 9mm Parabellum or Luger round. It came with a single magazine, with a capacity of 8 +1 rounds.
It has a dark rust blued finish, but the surface is rough low polished and there are some production marks, a plus a little pitting and minor wear. The 4.53” barrel is shiny, there’s no rust and she’s tight. The grips are wooden with grooves. 85-90% would be appropriate.
In 1935 Fabryka Broni, the Polish National Armory at Radom started manufacturing these for use by their cavalry. Later that year Germany and Russia invade and split Poland down the middle. The Radom plant was in the German sector. Supervisors from the Steyr-Daimler-Puch factory in Austria were sent to supervise further production in 1940.
VIS in the stamped ID is Latin for Power. There pistols are often identified as being the VIS-35 Polish Radom Pistol, the Polish Radom P-35 or if you’re selling them at an online gun auction you call them Late World War II Nazi Marked Occupation Radom 35 9mm Pistols.
Here’s a photo of the left side. The serial number, along with the absence of a slot to attach a stock and a takedown catch located where the thumb safety would be on a 1911 indicate that it was manufactured in 1943. So she’s what some folks would call a “2 lever” gun.
Things were going downhill fast for the Germans in 1943; they’d failed in their invasion of Russia. There had been an uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto. So production at Radom has been increased and standards lowered. By August 1944 production had moved to Austria. When the Russian Army took Radom they burned the plant, in 1945.
The slide marking identifying the make and manufacturer is accompanied by a Nazi Eagle over a Swastika and a Eagle over 623 Stamp, with no WaA. These stamps were also found on the barrel, which was also marked with the last three numbers of the serial number. They’re called Waffenamt acceptance marks, indicating that they had been inspected (proofed) and fired by Inspector 626. 626 could have been either a team or an individual, who was usually at the Steyr Factory. 626’s stamp under an eagle is also on the magazine. Some folks contend that later the barrels were only being made at the plant in Austria and that when they received the lowers from Poland they were accepted and proofed there. Since this one was made in 1943, 71 years ago, history has faded away.
The German Radom Model 35’s were issued to SS, Paratroopers and Police (The Secret Gestapo Kind) who participated in some rather nasty atrocities during the war. Some were specially produced and marked as Mariner Models; they were issued to “U” Boat types. They are rare, since most wound up on the bottom of the Atlantic.
I acquire this one through a private sale and have no available history as to how it wound up in America. Based upon its condition and the markings it was reasonable at $460.00. Some of these especially the original Polish ones and specific later models bring a pretty price.
http://www.jmtpublishing.com/articles/2011/Vis35article.asp
Here’s an interesting link to some more history on the VIS-35 Polish Radom Pistol.
