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The Blyskawica or Lightning Gun was the Polish Army’s first successful sub machine gun of WW2. It was a knock off of the British Sten and the German MP-40. It was created in the context of a series of invasion and occupation of Poland by the Nazis and the Russians. Seweryn Wielanier and Wacław Zawrotny, two Jewish mechanics offered to design and create a light sub machine gun for the Polish Home Army. Working with underground vendors, and secret contracts, the Poles were able to produce 700 of these 9mm guns.
The Błyskawica’s sights were admittedly rather crude, nothing more than a simple rear peephole, and a slightly pointed notch post. Some sources claim maximum effective range was 200 meters, or about 600 feet, though that figure seems overly ambitious, especially for a home-made gun. Maximum effective range was likely considerably less.
Despite the shortcoming of the Błyskawica’s design, it was a functional weapon that took advantage of the logistical realities of the day—9x19 millimeter ammunition and Sten magazines—to create an imperfect, but workable design.
The Błyskawica’s sights were admittedly rather crude, nothing more than a simple rear peephole, and a slightly pointed notch post. Some sources claim maximum effective range was 200 meters, or about 600 feet, though that figure seems overly ambitious, especially for a home-made gun. Maximum effective range was likely considerably less.
Despite the shortcoming of the Błyskawica’s design, it was a functional weapon that took advantage of the logistical realities of the day—9x19 millimeter ammunition and Sten magazines—to create an imperfect, but workable design.