There is an interesting story about the Polish VIS pistol. The Germans took over the production for their own needs, and of course Polish manufacturers decided it's a good opportunity to make some guns for the Underground. So, now and then they made parts with a duplicate part number, and assembled pistols from them. The Germans could not imagine that anyone could ever make two parts with the same serial number, so it worked for a while. Unfortunately, after ca. 200 guns being made for the Underground, someone blabbed and the workers ended up in concentration camps.
Fun fact: The Polish had a destroyer of the same name (ORP Błyskawica, Grom-Class) wich fought on allied side and survived the war. Its a museum-ship and the oldest destroyer in existence now.
@@avengercannon Did they nerf it? I thought it just was powercrept. T7 isn't the greatest tier for DD anyway, you have shit concealment and don't get the T8 upgrade yet (exept one or two exceptions)
Fun fact again: I think polish destroyer names are really nice Grom = Thunder Blyskawica = Lightning Piorun (The ship that signaled "I am a Pole" to Bismarck) = Thunderbolt
Its impressive that a group of engineers with little actual gun experience and few direct samples to draw from developed such an overall good product. The modularity is particularly impressive. Seems like the few glaring flaws could be modified out with an experienced hand to make it more serviceable. Heck, it wouldn’t take much to make it take glock mags! A tremendous statement of ingenuity and skill in a literal do or die level of risk. Goes to show that no matter where you go, what bans are in place, people can find a way to defend themselves.
@@maotisjan of the Polish folks I know, lots of truth to this. Much like the Irish, they tended to come to canada and find success in skilled trades. Not just labour, but labour requiring experience and skills. The plumbing industry here is a particularly Polish heavy group.
Another unique WWII SMG is the Romanian Orita SMG. It even remained in service post-WWII until it was made obsolete by Romania's AK variants. I only ever saw pictures of it and never saw it fire or disassembled. Would love to see a video on it someday!
@@eclip1991 Just wondering how long a history of annexations and invasions and switching land ownership do you want to take into consideration when it comes to regions throughout Central Europe...
@@engloute After Poland regained its independence, it was invaded by the Russians. Czechs took advantage of the war to seize Polish territory, inhabited to a large extent by Poles. After defeating the Russians, Poland simply regained its lands. I don't know what you're trying to imply, but that's the facts. And tell me, how long a history of annexations and invasions and switching land ownership do you want to take into consideration when it comes to regions throughout any other place in the world?
@@eclip1991 I am aware of many injustices minor as well as major when it comes to the times around the end of the Great War. What I was pointing out was the fact that this general area was sought after by many throughout European history and it switched hands numerous times over the centuries.
Great vid Ian, as long as you are in Warsaw with the Polish Army Museum can you make a video on the Teterycz machine gun? It's another homemade firearm that I personally adore.
Hey, i search it and its say there only 1 has been made, do you have any idea of how it work? Becouse it look like a 1 barrel shotgun with a pistol grip, straight 20 round magazine, and a tubular action. Its also say that it work with a close bolt. Thank you
If you are in Warsaw, you should visit the museum of the warsaw uprising. The museum of the polish army has an huge outdoor area (not the one behind the building) where they have lots of big military equipment. They are or were restoring historical tanks there.
The Italian resistance also made some crude submachine guns, notably the Variara which was a Frankenstein item something between Mab 38 and a Sten with a look similar to the MP40. Maybe one day you will make a video about it. Hopefully
Poles are pretty amazing firearms designers. wz38M is my favourite WW2 semiautomatic rifle design. That’s what they did with firearms experience and under relative peace time conditions.
To wojenne arcydzieło!!!Ile się wiąże z nim Emocji i Polskich Nadziei.Ten kawałek metalu to potężna historia polskiego podziemia.PS W Polsce powstało wtedy kilka takich perełek jak np Bechowiec.
The most impressive part (for me, as an old engineer) is how they managed to make the parts in an inconspicuous way, even if it ended up with a less than perfect design. A buttstock pretending to be an oven handle?
When you consider that the Poles had to do all of this under occupation, it's really quite fascinating and amazing what they came up with. My hats off to the Polish people for their bravery, cleverness and creativity, in doing all of this and more under the very nose of brutal occupation.
7:04 That was necessary to be able to conceal the gun Also the radiator was made from aluminum in order to further conceal the production of the weapon, as no one in their right mind would use a screw-like design for a gun Good moment to point out that the workshops, and stashes of these guns were not discovered well until the boiling point of the Uprising
Couple of Polish engineers with no fire arms design experience design and build a SMG under extreme duress and its a safer design than the sten! hahahaha
@ForgottenWeapons Since You have a little series now about polish weapons, please check another polish SMG manufactured during WW2, "Bechowiec". It's name comes from BCh (which stands for "Bataliony Chłopskie" - "Peasants' Battalions"), developed by BCH soldier Henryk Strąpoć alias "Mewa" ("Seagull"). Also interesting consruction, manufactured as conspiration weapon, only about 11 pcs vere manufactured. Interesting thing is that it was one of the first SMG's that fired from closed bolt. Worth checking, but i am not sure where to find one.
The Błyskawica on display in the museum is a battlefield pick up and very rough. If it could talk, the stories told would be of horror. The one Ian shows looks like it just rolled off the line. Great job, as always, talking about the history surrounding the firearm.
I got to know the grandson of one of the engineers- Mr. Wielanier. In his twenties now but outstanding from the millennial generation - intelligent, poised and very likeable. Good genes have not been wasted…
Thank you for this presentation. I've always been curious how the "Lightning" submachine gun was built. I saw on a period film the manufactory where this weapon was made. I would like to add that Błyskawice had the opinion of better made and more reliable than the English STEN pistols. STEN guns were made by various workshops in the UK. Some copies were completely unsuitable for combat.
Great video showing ingenuity and sophistication of Polish resistance during WW II . Poland had the biggest and the most developed Underground Army aka Home Army in terms of capabilities in the occupied Europe. Polish Home Army could pull off such brave and complex actions against German occupiers like stealing plans and parts of top secret V1 and V2 german rockets in development and smuggling them to the British. Poles could organize the execution of top SS officials "famous" for their cruelty and murders on Poles like in it was a case with Gen. SS Kutschera. Of course you can not forget about the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.
Straight line fluting , in the case of the bolt, decreases surface area hence INCREASES friction. However, the flutes give crud and carbon somewhere to go... for awhile. Until they gum up the receiver tube and spring.
This is an intriguing Polish WWII Sub gun. Another one of my favorite Polish sub guns from the same time was the Bechowiec. I'm not too sure if it ever was made in the numbers the Blyskawica was but it's a interesting looking and operating gun.
Certainly most successful in numbers manufactured, but I wonder if something else tops it in actual combat usage? Like said, 600, vast majority, just disappeared into the blue. Or red.
Wished you said a story how this submachine gun was tested. When Home Army decided to start producing it, the head of this army, colonel August Emil Fieldorf, pseudonym Nil, wanted to see how this sub works. With several guys they took this gun to the center of Warsaw (Theater Plaza) and started shooting it in the sky. Patrolling Germans had no clue what is happening that someone is shooting a machine gun in the center of town. Taste of the Polish stubbornness and craziness at the same to shoot a machine gun in the center of town under thousands of occupying forces. Tested... all went fine, and ready for production. PS. And Warsaw back then was that one coundnt spit far enough not to spit on a German.
I wonder if this has had any influence on Wolfenstein. Błyskawica sounds fairly similar to Blazkowicz, and a Polish resistance SMG would fit with the kinds of missions that happen in the Wolfenstein games.
These were not only 'talented engineers' These were very good engineers; that's how they were educated in 1920' - 1930' Poland. Quality over quantity. Did it pay off?...
I really love this improv gun! It's so interesting and so much of a make do with what you have and know/don't know weapon. Used for killing nazis is also nice. Those people were so very brave you can't help but admire them.
While that particular iteration of automatic safety may not have been used anywhere else, it sure looks like a backwards version of a Glock trigger dingus
The more I learn in life, the more I realize the Polish were beasts! They had some really good weapons/vehicles that were just not quite ready when the war kicked off and resisted fiercely. Its a real shame how history worked out first with the British and French not supporting them and then the horrific treatment by the Germans and Russians all the way up until the wall fell. I almost feel the need to apologize to the Polish despite being a 30 year old non-european lol. But mad respect to the Polish! Lastly all I can say is hopefully the lesson of what happened to Poland remains in our minds and especially that we continue to support Ukraine in this modern age that seems to rhyme with history all too well.
23:00 So how did the barrel stay in place at all without the the aluminium part? Speaking as a guy with a motorbike with mostly aluminium bolts, having the 'thing that holds it together, under full mechanical stress' on this gun relying on an aluminium thread had me worried. As Ian said (re: overheating), they wouldn't be running hundreds of rounds through these, and some janky covert weapons were good for just a few rounds until you secured the guy you just hit's gun, so I guess it was fine. Really interesting story.
What a sad story. Did all of them bear the three lightning bolts logo on the buttplate? And if so, did they not deem it risky to link the weapon with the public oven manufacturing company that made those parts?
Ive never heard of the home army before this video. I always thought poland just got slapped around and that was it. Like a lot of other people say, “clicked for the gun, stayed for the history”.
The "Russians waited convenienty" is a bit of a trope. They got demolished by the Wehrmacht trying to cross the Vistula. They had been on a run since Operation Bagration and were out running their own logistics and air support and the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS finally assembled forces strong enough to stop them. The Red Army lost quite a number of tanks and forces trying to force a Vistula crossing. It was probably a combination of all three. The Red Army had run ahead of its own logistics. The germans were recovering and finally winning battles against the advancing soviet forces and of course the communist Soviets had no interest in a nationalist polish state welcoming them.
"nationalist polish state" - to be frank, Home Army had made public political plans for after the war and it seemed those plans were socialist in nature. Which is one of the reasons why post-war anti-soviet guerilla run out of popular support rather quickly - they had their power based pulled from under them. Other than this, you made a good point. And a one very consistent with what we now know about Red Army's supply.
Countries be like "Alright, we've got some money, we have to develop and mass produce a submachine gun before another war breaks out. Here, factory, time and money, make us something" Meanwhile Poland "We have to kill Gems fast and quick we go, concealed pipe goes brrrr, we run Make as much as you can"
Love it. Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła! God Bless America! Ian and FW Team - Whenever You are ready come again to Warsaw and try the real Polish underground Bimber, we will get You the purest sort we have. Regards!
I wonder if it can be appreciated the hellish risk those people took every day making these weapons. Whole families would be forfeit if any member were caught. And the betrayal at the end by the Red Army,on Stalin's orders,was unforgivable.
Oh, to see this gun actually fired... I repent again for the 'dumb Polak' jokes I made in my youth...and my disgust and hatred of communism deepens. I absolutely condemn National Socialism, but for pure brutality, the Nazis were amateurs in comparison to the Commies.
"and my disgust and hatred of communism deepens" And it shouldn't. USSR wasn't at all communist since like a year after revolution. Under thin veil of red colour and quoting Marx they were extremely classist totalitarian dictatorship with zero respect for normal peoples freedom and life. They literally murdered polish actual communists and socialists.
As a Pole I’d like to thank Ian for first of all for being a such a cool guy, and then for remembering about our firearms and resistance against both Nazi and Soviet rule! It’s an honor to be a Pole, an honor to be able to watch videos on Polish small arms throughout the years. Ian is just based af
When I first read the story of Witold Pilecki I gained a tremendous respect for Polish soldiers in WWII. And today the Poles honor humanity with their support for Ukrainian refugees. My hat is off to you.
As a Pole I am highly impressed how well you pronounced Błyskawica. And how apropriettly you described the background of conditions in which this gun came to life.
We as Poles and other countries see liberation from perspective of NKVD etc. Russians see only common soldiers. Like Ian said common soldier had a good time with each other, but NKVD is another story
Given how few of those guns are actually around it says a lot about the trust Ian enjoys in the international historical firearms community that the Poles let him disassemble what is basically a national treasure to them. :)
German officer in shop: "What is this?"
"Electric oven handle"
"And this?"
"Electric oven fire control group"
This one was good!
You, Sir, win the Internets. For a day.
Highly underrated comment
There is an interesting story about the Polish VIS pistol. The Germans took over the production for their own needs, and of course Polish manufacturers decided it's a good opportunity to make some guns for the Underground. So, now and then they made parts with a duplicate part number, and assembled pistols from them. The Germans could not imagine that anyone could ever make two parts with the same serial number, so it worked for a while.
Unfortunately, after ca. 200 guns being made for the Underground, someone blabbed and the workers ended up in concentration camps.
Ah vell, carry on zen, everzing seems to be in order!
WAS IST DAS?! ;)
Fun fact: The Polish had a destroyer of the same name (ORP Błyskawica, Grom-Class) wich fought on allied side and survived the war. Its a museum-ship and the oldest destroyer in existence now.
True, featured in World of Warships
Do you think we can convince Ian to visit Błyskawica?
I loved it on World of Warships before they nerfed it
@@avengercannon Did they nerf it? I thought it just was powercrept. T7 isn't the greatest tier for DD anyway, you have shit concealment and don't get the T8 upgrade yet (exept one or two exceptions)
Currently stationed and opened for visitors in Gdynia!
Fun fact again: I think polish destroyer names are really nice
Grom = Thunder
Blyskawica = Lightning
Piorun (The ship that signaled "I am a Pole" to Bismarck) = Thunderbolt
Its impressive that a group of engineers with little actual gun experience and few direct samples to draw from developed such an overall good product. The modularity is particularly impressive.
Seems like the few glaring flaws could be modified out with an experienced hand to make it more serviceable. Heck, it wouldn’t take much to make it take glock mags!
A tremendous statement of ingenuity and skill in a literal do or die level of risk.
Goes to show that no matter where you go, what bans are in place, people can find a way to defend themselves.
I don't think making it fit glock mags was of much practical concern.
In Poland we say: Polak potrafi, Which translates to : Polish Can or Polish knows how
@@maotisjan Beautiful saying.
@@maotisjan of the Polish folks I know, lots of truth to this. Much like the Irish, they tended to come to canada and find success in skilled trades. Not just labour, but labour requiring experience and skills.
The plumbing industry here is a particularly Polish heavy group.
@@maotisjan co dużo mówić, lubimy wyzwania
Another unique WWII SMG is the Romanian Orita SMG. It even remained in service post-WWII until it was made obsolete by Romania's AK variants. I only ever saw pictures of it and never saw it fire or disassembled. Would love to see a video on it someday!
I have a video on the 41/49 Orita coming in late January.
@@ForgottenWeapons Wonderful! Thanks Ian!
@@ForgottenWeapons based
The feel of this video feels like some of his early retro videos. I like it Ian.
I think that's just from the scuffed audio
i thought the same thing. just a nostalgia trip.
Always glad to see a new video Ian. Lets hope Poland doesn’t need to make more guns like this and they stay safe in these troubling times.
@@MrSlugny You mean take back Polish land taken by Czechs in 1919.
@@eclip1991 Just wondering how long a history of annexations and invasions and switching land ownership do you want to take into consideration when it comes to regions throughout Central Europe...
@@engloute After Poland regained its independence, it was invaded by the Russians. Czechs took advantage of the war to seize Polish territory, inhabited to a large extent by Poles. After defeating the Russians, Poland simply regained its lands. I don't know what you're trying to imply, but that's the facts.
And tell me, how long a history of annexations and invasions and switching land ownership do you want to take into consideration when it comes to regions throughout any other place in the world?
@@MrSlugny Poland and the Czech Republic are not "two brand new nations".
Poland is 1056 years old.
@@eclip1991 I am aware of many injustices minor as well as major when it comes to the times around the end of the Great War. What I was pointing out was the fact that this general area was sought after by many throughout European history and it switched hands numerous times over the centuries.
Great vid Ian, as long as you are in Warsaw with the Polish Army Museum can you make a video on the Teterycz machine gun? It's another homemade firearm that I personally adore.
Ian was in Warsaw few months ago...
@@comettoPL ah, too bad then
@@dinoslavski I think he also said that he made one about bechowiec. He made videos about a few Polish guns but he uploads them from time to time.
The rise of Uprising Poland
Hey, i search it and its say there only 1 has been made, do you have any idea of how it work? Becouse it look like a 1 barrel shotgun with a pistol grip, straight 20 round magazine, and a tubular action. Its also say that it work with a close bolt.
Thank you
If you are in Warsaw, you should visit the museum of the warsaw uprising. The museum of the polish army has an huge outdoor area (not the one behind the building) where they have lots of big military equipment. They are or were restoring historical tanks there.
The Italian resistance also made some crude submachine guns, notably the Variara which was a Frankenstein item something between Mab 38 and a Sten with a look similar to the MP40. Maybe one day you will make a video about it. Hopefully
Italy was making crude last ditch machine guns before the war even started.
Lmao
The TZ-45 also
@@theguy9208 totally false, ignorant and stupid comment that could have been spared.
Not worth the time spent to write it.
@@theguy9208 utter bulshit
Maybe not the best rear sight to use, but a fantastically simply one to make.
Poles are pretty amazing firearms designers. wz38M is my favourite WW2 semiautomatic rifle design. That’s what they did with firearms experience and under relative peace time conditions.
To wojenne arcydzieło!!!Ile się wiąże z nim Emocji i Polskich Nadziei.Ten kawałek metalu to potężna historia polskiego podziemia.PS W Polsce powstało wtedy kilka takich perełek jak np Bechowiec.
What a crude, odd and bulky weapon.
I love it
The history behind it is so fascinating, thanks for making such great videos!
Amazing how much innovation went into this!
The most impressive part (for me, as an old engineer) is how they managed to make the parts in an inconspicuous way, even if it ended up with a less than perfect design. A buttstock pretending to be an oven handle?
your best episode in a while, this gun and its history is amazing. Thanks for bringing the story to us!
If the safety "trigger" were longer than the real trigger, you wouldn't even need a trigger guard. Pretty neat.
Thanks for the great content, the abilities of people, in adverse conditions, always amazes me.
Holy crap, Christmas came earlier in Poland this year
When you consider that the Poles had to do all of this under occupation, it's really quite fascinating and amazing what they came up with. My hats off to the Polish people for their bravery, cleverness and creativity, in doing all of this and more under the very nose of brutal occupation.
Thanks Ian that’s definitely a completely different type of trigger/ safety.
Excellent resourcefulness! Thanks for the knowledgeable breakdown, Ian 🍻
Thank you man, greetings from Poland
the episode i've been waiting for for far too long :)
That "it went a little better for France" was stone cold, brother.
🇵🇱 Ian, thank You for a word about WWII Polish resistance history and russian war crimes on Polish defenders. Greetings!
Just the rest of the Jews or "everyone"?
Conserving ammunition is not a war crime.
Boohoo, the Russians whom we hate didn't come and save us. War crime!
@@mannywildegibbons1177 ..define HATE! And you're from?
I saw this submachine gun in the game "Zombie Amy Trilogy".
Poland has the coolest war museums, I miss Poland.
⚡🇵🇱
7:04 That was necessary to be able to conceal the gun
Also the radiator was made from aluminum in order to further conceal the production of the weapon, as no one in their right mind would use a screw-like design for a gun
Good moment to point out that the workshops, and stashes of these guns were not discovered well until the boiling point of the Uprising
Couple of Polish engineers with no fire arms design experience design and build a SMG under extreme duress and its a safer design than the sten! hahahaha
"why do Lithuanians pour oil onto their flower beds? Answer: To keep the guns from rusting."
-Old Russian proverb
@ForgottenWeapons Since You have a little series now about polish weapons, please check another polish SMG manufactured during WW2, "Bechowiec". It's name comes from BCh (which stands for "Bataliony Chłopskie" - "Peasants' Battalions"), developed by BCH soldier Henryk Strąpoć alias "Mewa" ("Seagull"). Also interesting consruction, manufactured as conspiration weapon, only about 11 pcs vere manufactured. Interesting thing is that it was one of the first SMG's that fired from closed bolt. Worth checking, but i am not sure where to find one.
Makes me wonder what something like this would look like today. A "What Would the Home Army Do SMG" if you will.
It wouldn’t look very different.
Love it. You do such a fantastic job.
Your Polish is getting better and better :D
The Błyskawica on display in the museum is a battlefield pick up and very rough. If it could talk, the stories told would be of horror. The one Ian shows looks like it just rolled off the line. Great job, as always, talking about the history surrounding the firearm.
Pipes and steel rectangular section, nice.
Nice story and cool gun, at least historically-wise. I hope at least they fed you some pierogis while you were there on a trip to PL.
Pierogi is already a plural form of the word "pieróg". "Pierogis" is an overkill.
@@tytusdezoo5097 i live in london and all my friends love pierogi but this drives me insane
Fascinating stuff!
Thanks as always.
I got to know the grandson of one of the engineers- Mr. Wielanier. In his twenties now but outstanding from the millennial generation - intelligent, poised and very likeable. Good genes have not been wasted…
Thx Ian, I did enjoy this video.
Been waiting for this one!
the Poles produced 10,000 replicas of the British Sten in the bed factory. They did it for the underground army in Nazi-occupied Warsaw
It's nice that you know so much about machining
Polish underground state designed and manufactured machine pistols, grenades, and even radios for communication.
Thank you for this presentation. I've always been curious how the "Lightning" submachine gun was built. I saw on a period film the manufactory where this weapon was made. I would like to add that Błyskawice had the opinion of better made and more reliable than the English STEN pistols. STEN guns were made by various workshops in the UK. Some copies were completely unsuitable for combat.
you pronounced that so well, I am amazed!
Great video showing ingenuity and sophistication of Polish resistance during WW II . Poland had the biggest and the most developed Underground Army aka Home Army in terms of capabilities in the occupied Europe. Polish Home Army could pull off such brave and complex actions against German occupiers like stealing plans and parts of top secret V1 and V2 german rockets in development and smuggling them to the British. Poles could organize the execution of top SS officials "famous" for their cruelty and murders on Poles like in it was a case with Gen. SS Kutschera. Of course you can not forget about the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.
Straight line fluting , in the case of the bolt, decreases surface area hence INCREASES friction. However, the flutes give crud and carbon somewhere to go... for awhile. Until they gum up the receiver tube and spring.
This is my favorite type of firearm history.
This is an intriguing Polish WWII Sub gun. Another one of my favorite Polish sub guns from the same time was the Bechowiec. I'm not too sure if it ever was made in the numbers the Blyskawica was but it's a interesting looking and operating gun.
Certainly most successful in numbers manufactured, but I wonder if something else tops it in actual combat usage? Like said, 600, vast majority, just disappeared into the blue. Or red.
Hoping you do a video on the Bechowiec-1 as well!
Wished you said a story how this submachine gun was tested. When Home Army decided to start producing it, the head of this army, colonel August Emil Fieldorf, pseudonym Nil, wanted to see how this sub works. With several guys they took this gun to the center of Warsaw (Theater Plaza) and started shooting it in the sky. Patrolling Germans had no clue what is happening that someone is shooting a machine gun in the center of town. Taste of the Polish stubbornness and craziness at the same to shoot a machine gun in the center of town under thousands of occupying forces. Tested... all went fine, and ready for production.
PS. And Warsaw back then was that one coundnt spit far enough not to spit on a German.
this is one of my favorite guns
Smart dropsafety 🙂
Like the other spectrum of the SwedishK:s glovefriendly trigger/triggerguard😄🙂
I wonder if this has had any influence on Wolfenstein. Błyskawica sounds fairly similar to Blazkowicz, and a Polish resistance SMG would fit with the kinds of missions that happen in the Wolfenstein games.
These were not only 'talented engineers'
These were very good engineers; that's how they were educated in 1920' - 1930' Poland.
Quality over quantity.
Did it pay off?...
I wonder if JW GROM have a eagle holding a lightning bolt in its claws as one of their patches is a homage to this sub machine gun.
Really gets across that the Red Army was not much better than who they were fighting.
Looks like a Sten and a Luty had a thing...
Funny thing is that Luty could be easily a Polish surname ...
Zombie Army Trilogy players: ''Eyyy, I know this one!''
The lower assembly really looks similar to a Panzerbusche 39, who else thinks that?
That front silver piece looks like a bicycle foot peg.
It probably was.
Oh, a Christmas episode :D that's very kind :)
Very impressive. I just wonder where the ammunition for it came from.
I really love this improv gun! It's so interesting and so much of a make do with what you have and know/don't know weapon. Used for killing nazis is also nice. Those people were so very brave you can't help but admire them.
8:43 Wouldn't the logo also hint the authorities about the manufacturers of those guns? 🤔
Thanks Ian
This thing gives off van helsing vibes. Even the name.
This thing slaps in COD WW2
Ian, thank you.
While that particular iteration of automatic safety may not have been used anywhere else, it sure looks like a backwards version of a Glock trigger dingus
The more I learn in life, the more I realize the Polish were beasts! They had some really good weapons/vehicles that were just not quite ready when the war kicked off and resisted fiercely. Its a real shame how history worked out first with the British and French not supporting them and then the horrific treatment by the Germans and Russians all the way up until the wall fell. I almost feel the need to apologize to the Polish despite being a 30 year old non-european lol. But mad respect to the Polish!
Lastly all I can say is hopefully the lesson of what happened to Poland remains in our minds and especially that we continue to support Ukraine in this modern age that seems to rhyme with history all too well.
Poles are aware of what Russian occupation is. And that freedom is paid with blood. Ukrainians are just learning this lesson.
8:30 FYI Błyskawica translates to exactly Lightning bolt.
23:00 So how did the barrel stay in place at all without the the aluminium part?
Speaking as a guy with a motorbike with mostly aluminium bolts, having the 'thing that holds it together, under full mechanical stress' on this gun relying on an aluminium thread had me worried. As Ian said (re: overheating), they wouldn't be running hundreds of rounds through these, and some janky covert weapons were good for just a few rounds until you secured the guy you just hit's gun, so I guess it was fine. Really interesting story.
100% pronunciation. I appreciate you sir.
What a sad story.
Did all of them bear the three lightning bolts logo on the buttplate?
And if so, did they not deem it risky to link the weapon with the public oven manufacturing company that made those parts?
Ive never heard of the home army before this video. I always thought poland just got slapped around and that was it. Like a lot of other people say, “clicked for the gun, stayed for the history”.
gun jesus has blessesd the polish vievers again
Loving these polish-made firearms. So cool!
Very interesting, keep up the good work!
That looks like a cartoon gun. So cool.
The "Russians waited convenienty" is a bit of a trope. They got demolished by the Wehrmacht trying to cross the Vistula. They had been on a run since Operation Bagration and were out running their own logistics and air support and the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS finally assembled forces strong enough to stop them. The Red Army lost quite a number of tanks and forces trying to force a Vistula crossing. It was probably a combination of all three. The Red Army had run ahead of its own logistics. The germans were recovering and finally winning battles against the advancing soviet forces and of course the communist Soviets had no interest in a nationalist polish state welcoming them.
"nationalist polish state" - to be frank, Home Army had made public political plans for after the war and it seemed those plans were socialist in nature. Which is one of the reasons why post-war anti-soviet guerilla run out of popular support rather quickly - they had their power based pulled from under them.
Other than this, you made a good point. And a one very consistent with what we now know about Red Army's supply.
Countries be like
"Alright, we've got some money, we have to develop and mass produce a submachine gun before another war breaks out. Here, factory, time and money, make us something"
Meanwhile Poland
"We have to kill Gems
fast and quick
we go, concealed pipe goes brrrr, we run
Make as much as you can"
Love it.
Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła!
God Bless America!
Ian and FW Team - Whenever You are ready come again to Warsaw and try the real Polish underground Bimber, we will get You the purest sort we have.
Regards!
co?
@@232rafal co? szkło!
o Bimbrze nie słyszał??
my grand mother's mom served in the AK and so did her husband. its a source of a lot of pride. :)
Hands down this is the best smg in CoD:WWII.
Fast ROF & low recoil 💪
It’s definitely up there but I think the EMP and EMP44 are slightly better
superb pronounciation of Błyskawica, Ian.
I wonder if it can be appreciated the hellish risk those people took every day making these weapons. Whole families would be forfeit if any member were caught. And the betrayal at the end by the Red Army,on Stalin's orders,was unforgivable.
Oh, to see this gun actually fired...
I repent again for the 'dumb Polak' jokes I made in my youth...and my disgust and hatred of communism deepens. I absolutely condemn National Socialism, but for pure brutality, the Nazis were amateurs in comparison to the Commies.
"and my disgust and hatred of communism deepens"
And it shouldn't. USSR wasn't at all communist since like a year after revolution. Under thin veil of red colour and quoting Marx they were extremely classist totalitarian dictatorship with zero respect for normal peoples freedom and life.
They literally murdered polish actual communists and socialists.
Also inspired the song by Kid Rock
Early gang
Wasn't this SMG also nicknamed "The Polish Lightning"
As a Pole I’d like to thank Ian for first of all for being a such a cool guy, and then for remembering about our firearms and resistance against both Nazi and Soviet rule! It’s an honor to be a Pole,
an honor to be able to watch videos on Polish small arms throughout the years. Ian is just based af
...resistance against Germans and Soviet Rusians...
When I first read the story of Witold Pilecki I gained a tremendous respect for Polish soldiers in WWII. And today the Poles honor humanity with their support for Ukrainian refugees. My hat is off to you.
@@joe-ob3se racist
@@SlavicUnionGaming Who is Nazi? Citizen of Naziland?
@@joe-ob3se Seethe
Wow Ian how do you pronounce the word "Błyskawica" perfectly!!!
jak native speaker prawie
Lots of practicing off camera lol
Some very "stern" looking Polish dudes behind the camera making sure he doesn't mess it up while handling a literal National Treasure .... ? :P
@@robertsmith4681 Very sten indeed.
+1
As a Pole I am highly impressed how well you pronounced Błyskawica. And how apropriettly you described the background of conditions in which this gun came to life.
For being a product of the underground Polish branch of Two Blokes in a Shed LLC, this is a pretty good design.
You don't really need enemies if you have such good "friends"
@@handle1603 this! ^^^
Superb pronunciation of "Blyskawica" . Respect.
"Hm"? blyskavicija.....sounds close...
Big Thank You, for explaining, what the "liberation by red army" really means.
yeah, you can always bet on those russian d@#$^^@*s that they screw you over.
We felt very “liberated” for a few decades.
@Madrider1024 I think it's high time we liberate moscow, it is rightful Polish land, after all. moscow must be freed from the russian occupiers
When you walk through the museum you can see the sheer amount of historical artifacts that were "liberated" and then kindly returned
We as Poles and other countries see liberation from perspective of NKVD etc. Russians see only common soldiers. Like Ian said common soldier had a good time with each other, but NKVD is another story
Given how few of those guns are actually around it says a lot about the trust Ian enjoys in the international historical firearms community that the Poles let him disassemble what is basically a national treasure to them. :)
Exactly my thoughts! I’m Polish and see Ian for the very first time. I was shocked the museum allowed him to touch that piece of history!