homemade and improvised firemarms of WW2

[bluered12]

hi all

I found these interesting sites covering "homemade" weapons of the Polish resistance army

Pistolet Maszynowy "Choroszmanów";copy of PPD-40 or PPSh-41; link says only 22 guns were made
http://63.99.108.76/ubb/Forum2/HTML/004740.html


Pistolet Maszynowy Bechowiec-1; 9mm smg
unfortunately no other information

Pistolet Maszynowy Błyskawica; 9mm smg; there are some interesting pictures; http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/blyskawica.htm

This link seems to show an homemade flamethrower of the Polish resistance army. Unfortunately I can´t speak Polish:-(
http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/uzbrojenie_AK.htm

Does anyone have pictures or further information about these submachineguns or other homemade/ improvised fireams of WW2?

Thx in advance

[PolAntek]

Interesting photos / sites. Thanks for the post bluered12.

It is quite incredible is that these weapons were resourcefully constructed with minimal equipment or materials. And this under the extremely repressive conditions in occupied Poland at the time. Being caught meant death...well, actually...torture first and then death. A nasty way to go - but worth the price for the Poles in their courageous fight for a free and independent homeland.

I'll see if I have any more more info or photos to post

Regards.

[bluered12]

I was finally able to find more information on the Polish homemade firearms
Unfortunatelly the text is in Polish:
http://www.jurek.com.pl/bron2ws/pl/plbs00.php

pistols:

PISTOLET-SAMORÓBKA



6.35mm, 6 shot magazine, length 13,26cm
(unfortunately the online translation was full of mistakes, so I couldn´t find out if the gun is just a copy or a new design and how many gun were built)

submachineguns:

Pistolet Maszynowy "Choroszmanów"



Copy of PPD-40, 22 guns were built from 1943 - 1944
7.62mm, 35 shot magazine, length 51,5cm

PISTOLET MASZYNOWY "BŁYSKAWICA"

modified copy of Sten Mk 2, over 700 guns were built from 1943 - 1944, source claims the caliber of the gun was 5mm, but the gun used Stem magazines, so I don´t think this claim is correct.

pistolet maszynowy "Bechowiec 1"



Built from 1943 - 1944, 9mm, 20 shot, length 45 cm. Source doesn´t mention anything, but from look on the picture I suppose it is an other modified Sten copy

Pistolet maszynowy Samoróbka



20 shot magazine, length 60cm, 9mm; probably built by the same gunsmith as PISTOLET-SAMORÓBKA and Bechowiec 1 ( Henryka Strąpocia); stock from an hunting rifle combined with elements from Sten smgs (?)

machineguns:

rkm F. Teteryka



106,5 cm length, 20 shot magazine, 7.92 mm; again parts from a hunting rifle were used

source of pictures:
http://modeleww2.blog.onet.pl/1,AR2_2004-05-31_2004-06-06,index.html

handgrenades:

R-42

nicknamed "sidolówka", because the body of the gun were similar to the bottles of "Sidol" liquid steel cleaner

ET-40

nicknamed "filipinka" produced from 1940 - 1944(?)

Grenade launchers:

80 mm Łopuski

made from water supply tubes, range about 1km


granatnik Kręglewski i Szuster

grenade laucher made from tubes


"Kubus" armored car:

http://www.linux-penguin.org/achtungpanzer/pol/kubus.htm


bluered

[menel]

more about "kubuś"
http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/poja ... _kubus.htm

[Liluh]

They made around 2000 "blyskawica" smg`s and about 650 STEN copies in Warsaw alone + 100.000 ammo sent in from Radom. They were quite popular and good. One of the granades (filipinka?) had a funny way of igniting it. You had to smash the granade against some hard obstacle, like wall, stone or street peavement and then throw it ASAP. Those mortars made of tubes, were something close to a big bow in the meaning of how it worked, while other worked exactly as catapult (parts used from cars).

The later pictures you`ve attached are presenting weapons made in really small quantities. Pistolet-samorobka (which simply means homemade pistol) was a single design used in Countrymen Battalions (Bataliony Chlopskie - minor resistance group in eastern Poland), just like the designs mentioned below of samorobka. Choroszmanow or Becherowiec-1 were produced in small quantities. Note the difference in quality in these designs compared to STEN or Blyskawica.

Anyway, thanks bluered, interesting links and pictures. I was not aware of some of these constructions.