By Dean Roxby
VIS Radom A Study and Photographic Album of Poland’s Finest Pistol
- Author: William J. York
- ISBN: 978-0-9981397-2-2
- Copyright: 2021
- Binding: Full color, hard cover.
- Dimensions: 8.75×11.25in
- Pages: 255
- Website: wetdogstore.com
- Price: $68.95
Designed in the early 1930s, and adopted by the Polish Army in 1936, the VIS Radom pistol soon found itself serving on both sides throughout WWII.
The name comes from the initials of the two designers, Piotr Wilniewczyc and Jan Skrzypinski. The original name was to be WiS. (The lower case “i” is the Polish word for “and”.) This was soon changed to VIS, as this is Latin for Strength or Power. IPSC shooters will recognize the Latin words Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas (DVC) meaning accuracy, power, and speed. The name Radom comes from the city the FB (Fabryka Broni) arms factory is located in.
Three years after its adoption by the Polish forces, WWII erupted and Poland was soon overrun. With the FB factory now under German control, the entire production was diverted to the German forces. As with all weapons captured in significant numbers, the Germans issued it a new name, the VIZ becoming the 9mm Pistole P35(p).
This book, written by William J. York and published by Wet Dog Publications, is a revised version of the original 2011 edition. The new 2021 edition is billed as a Color Edition. I do not have the 2011 one for comparison, but the current edition certainly has many color photos.
The book begins with a Historical Overview, covering the history of Poland as a nation, and of the military small arms situation. At one point in the mid-1600s, the Polish Republic was the largest country in Europe. However, in spite of once being a major power, Poland fell victim to poor governance in the 1700s, and was partitioned by neighboring countries. It was divided into three parts by Austria, Prussia (modern Germany), and Russia. At the end of WWI Poland was reborn, and was known as the Second Polish Republic. This version existed from late 1918 until September 1939.
Upon the rebirth of Poland in 1918, it inherited a complete mishmash of arms from several countries. This caused a huge logistical nightmare, of course, but its financial situation limited its options. First to be standardized would be the service rifles, with sidearms waiting until much later. This leads into chapter two.
Chapter two details the selection and adoption of the VIZ wz. 1935 (wz is short for wzor, which means model). The original patent documents (In Polish, of course.) are reproduced, as are two patent drawings.
The VIZ Radom is often compared to the Colt M1911 and the FN Browning High Power pistols due to its similarity to both. Designer Piotr Wilniewczyc later wrote that they chose to start with an already proven design, so the M1911 appearance is understandable. Especially as the patents had now expired on the M1911. The VIZ also resembled the FN High Power (and the earlier High Efficiency model.), leading many to suggest the Polish design team copied the work of FN. However, a few researchers have questioned this, and author,York, says “…these would seem to be examples of parallel development.”
Chapter three, A Detailed Parts Description offers a breakdown of the main parts, both as an in-depth written explanation of the part and its function, and with crisp, clear color photos. Chapter four gets into the production of the VIZ, and breaks it down into pre-war Polish production, followed by German production during WWII.
Chapters five through eight are likely the most use to collectors, as this section covers Polish markings, German markings, serial numbers, different types of finishes, and rare variations such as .22LR and .45 caliber types.
Chapter nine, Accessories, will also be of great interest to collectors as well. Many types and variants of holsters are illustrated, along with cleaning rods and kits, etc. Oddly enough, only one pre-war manual is shown. The author says that it is likely that a German language manual was issued, but he has never seen one.
Jumping ahead a bit, chapter 13, Production Evolution attempts to list significant changes made to the manufacturing process. These changes were generally due to time saving or material concerns.
What follows is an amazing array of photographs arranged into six galleries. The samples shown here are taken from several astounding personal collections. This section is a bit over half of the book, and the photo quality and presentation are beautiful. The many guns featured are laid out roughly in chronological order. (Pistols of the Polish Underground, Non-VIZ Handgun Production at Radom, and Rifle Production at Radom doesn’t quite fit in chronologically.)
This title is another fine book from Wet Dog Publications. As I have noted in previous reviews, Wet Dog chooses to have their books printed and bound entirely in the USA. This VIZ Radom book is a limited run of 2000 copies. Each copy will be autographed by the author.
VIS Radom A Study and Photographic Album of Poland’s Finest Pistol
| This article first appeared in Small Arms Review V26N6 (JUNE/JULY 2022) |
