A "partop" (partisan cannon) was manufactured in the 9th corpus in Cerkno units in the middle of July 1944. The first cannon was made from the heavy Italian mortar, without measuring instruments. The mine was a completely partisan product. A head of the mine was first an Italian helmet filled with 5-6 kilos of plastic ammunition with a few fuses in it which caused an explosion if struck at. The helmet with ammunition was fixed to the wooden body of the mine of the same dimensions as the manor's barrel. If a mine hit the target, the effect was excellent. The first mines reached as far as 100 meters. The first "partop" (partisan cannon) was first used at the attack of the Vojko Brigade to the Home Guard post in Hotavlje on 18th July 1944. Nevertheless, it blew up at first firing.
In autumn 1944, they started to improve "partops" at the armaments workshop on Nova gora, on the initiative of Franc Rozman-Stane, commander in chief of the National and Liberation Army (NOV) and Partisan Detachments of Slovenia (POS). "Partops" made in this workshop were much better; they already had measuring instruments and Italian helmets were not used for the mine's head any more, the head was made of tin, 3 mm thick, instead, with four fuses in it. Mines with three or five kilos of explosives were manufactured. The manufacture was specialised in such a way that"partops" and fuses were manufactured and mines filled with the explosives at the workshop on Nova gora, and heads, bodies and tails of the mines were manufactured at the armaments workshop, "Črn" in Črnomelj. In addition to other heavy weaponry which were either confiscated in battles or obtained through the allied help, "partops" also played a destructive and moral role. In March 1945, the National and Liberation Army (NOV) and Partisan Detachments of Slovenia (POS) units used 12 "partops". The museum houses one "partop" and five mines.
http://www2.arnes.si/~ljmuzejnz/topovi.html [Slovene article]
http://www2.arnes.si/~ljmuzejnz/atopovi.html [English article]
Regards,
Kocjo
