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As Promised some random notes on the history of Brno and CZ rifles:

A brief overview of the histories of the Brno and CZ arms factories and companies:

( Notes by Alf Smith )

Because of the impositions of language and the isolation of the Warsaw pact countries during the cold war the general American shooting public have a poor understanding of Czech arms manufacture, particularly how Brno and CZ came about.

In order to gain an understanding of the history of ZB
( Zbrojovka Brno) and CZ
( Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka) one would have to go back in history, look at each company separately and try and put each development to a timeline.

This short historical overview is by no means complete and it leaves out much to do with the manufacture of the machine guns and other arms of war. These companies also diversified into other forms of light industry and this has been omitted.

The common starting point in time for both companies starts with the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire at the conclusion of WW1 and the founding of the State of Czechoslovakia in 1918. It must be noted that historically the Czechs were very much a nation of gun makers.

Czechoslovakia was founded on the former lands of Moravia and Bohemia.

Under Hapsburg rule numerous small independent gun makers and independent arms and ammunition manufacturing operations existed within the boundaries of what was to become Czechoslovakia.

These companies were mostly owned and funded by banking groups and corporations out of Vienna and were taken up by the new Czechoslovakian State to form the core of the Czechoslovakian arms industry.

ZBROJOVKA BRNO ( Arms factory Brno)

The city of Brno in the former Moravia was home to an arms manufacturing plant controlled by Vienna.

In 1918 this plant would form the basis for the later Zbrojovka Brno or Arms factory Brno abbreviated as ZB.

This company with it’s numerous manufacturing plants and subsidiaries would later be the manufacturer of the sporting rifles we have come to know as the Models 21 H and 22 F , the later Galas rifle or ZG47 as well as the full range of Brno 22 small caliber rifles as designed by the Koucky brothers.

With the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the conclusion of WW 1 in 1918, the new Czechoslovakian state needed to rearm their fledgling army.

In order to achieve this, the State took over the existing armoury at Brno and floating a plan to refurbish German war surplus arms as well as a number of Steyer Mannlicher rifles.

Using the already existing arms factory at Brno, arms procured under the armistice agreements, were refurbished.

Some 100,000 Mauser rifles were procured and refurbished under this agreement.

A further 5,500 Mannlicher rifles were locally produced with expertise procured from the famous arms works of Styer in Austria.

The arms works at Brno formerly part of the Viennese arms manufacturing network was taken over by the new Czechoslovakian state and on March 1, 1919.

It was initially named as “Ceskoslovenska Statni Zbrojovka v. Brno” (Czechoslovakian State Arms Works at Brno).

Tooling and technical expertise was acquired from Mauser Oberndorf in Germany in 1920.

This was done in order to assemble the Mauser rifles for the military, 1921 saw this plan enacted.

Initially the idea was to buy parts sets for 42,000 Mauser rifles directly from Mauser Oberndorf and to assemble the rifles at Brno.

The history is not clear if this saw fruition but in addition to, a home grown Mauser production was started, which in turn ultimately lead to the production of the famous Vz 24 Brno-Mauser rifle.

This ability later played an important role in the hands of the Nazi occupation of the Sudatenland in 1938 , later the whole of Czechoslovakia in 1939 as the Nazi war machine, as we will explore, made good use of the Czech arms industry during the occupation.

In 1922 the company underwent change in name and structure to comply with constitutional legalities needed to do trade on the open, international arms market.

This also means partial privatization of the company with a limited stock holding as indicated in the name change.

The company is now named “Ceskoslovenska Zavodi na Vyrobu Zbrani v. Brno” abbreviated to CSZ (Czechoslovakian Works for military Arms Manufacture at Brno)

In 1923 CSZ is sold to Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka Praha. ( Czechoslovakian arms factory Prague) or CZP

With this a new company is formed and is named Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka Brno A.S. or ZB and designated as a Pty Ltd.

The corporate ownership at this point is designated as follows:

Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka akc. Spol v Praze acquires 20% of VZB with the state owning 80%

This company was formed to buy out CSZ and it was controlled and owned in part through government shareholding (80%) and in part through the Arms works of Skoda in Prague (20%) as shown by the aforementioned.

This company abbreviated to the designation ZB a.s. was then ultimately to be home to a number of significant number sporting and military weapons.
It amassed through the years the expertise of arguably of the world’s greatest small arms developers and engineers.

The Vz 24 rifle:

Important to the understanding of sporting arms manufacture at Brno is the history as it pertains to the Vz 24 Brno-Mauser rifle. ( VZ = Vzor = Czech for “model” )

This rifle has it’s origins with the submission of a prototype Mauser M98 based rifle by Engineer Rudolf Jelen to the Czechoslovakian military in 1919. ( Pushka Mauser Jelena)

Rudolf was the younger brother to gunmaker Josef Jelen of Vejperty in Bohemia.

Rudolf was born in Bolehost, Bohemia on 27 January 1878 and died in Prague on 10 March 1938.

He was conscripted to the Czech army in 1887, retired from service in 1914 only to join the police. He is however still involved with the military until 1920 and qualifies as an engineer in 1921 having studied from 1918 to 1921.

He now joins the State arms works at Brno where he submits the prototype for what was to be the basis for the very famous Vz 24 rifle.

The forerunner to the Vz 24 is to be known as the Jelen Rifle or Puska Mauser-Jelena.

This rifle is basically a modified Mauser 98 in cal 7x57. The action dimensions differ from the standard M98 Mauser so does the nose cap of the rifle. The nose cap and bayonet bracket design is to be used later in the British SMLE. The Jelen rifle is made in 7.9x57 (150 rifles) and 7x57 (150 rifles)
These are all manufactured by CSZ

( This sharing of technical expertise between British gun makers and the Czechs is not strange as later during the Nazi occupation we see Czech gun makers fleeing their homeland and end up working for the British military arms industry.
Here the relationships see influence on machinegun manufacture such as the BREN but also influences sporting arms manufacture by BSA where we see common design copies in BSA based on the Brno ZKW rifle.)

Now followed the rifle model Vz 98 / 22 which is basically an improved Mexican Mauser but with the Jelen action.

They were built in 1923 – 1924 first by CSZ and then later by Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka Brno a.s. from 1924 -1930.

The Vz 98 / 22 is in cal 7.92 X 57

Then followed the VZ 98 / 23

This was also offered in a short rifle and there were variants to the theme in the form of the model Vz 23 and Vz 23 A. The Vz 23 was built on cannibalized Mauser parts, whilst the 23A was built on new parts made in Czechoslovakia. So in effect the Vz 23 A was a wholly Brno built rifle.

The Vz 24 design though essentially a Mauser was like most of the Czech gun making industry products the collaborate work of some of the worlds most famous gun makers ( largely unknown the larger US derived gun loving community)

The VZ 24 came about through the amalgamation of the model 22 and 23 experience as the parts for the 22 and 23 were not fully interchangeable.

The VZ 24 prototypes were built in 1923 by CZS and the VZ 24 proper from 1924-1940 by Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka Brno a.s.

Though the Vz 24 is designated as 24 production was actually in 1925

It is claimed that by 1939 some 762,000 Vz 24 rifles and 986,000 Vz 24 bayonets were made by ZB.

What is telling of the success of the VZ24 is the fact that the rifle found it’s way into the armouries of many foreign countries.

Ammunition manufacture:

In conjunction with the establishing of armouries the state needed to have ammunition for the military.

Two ammunition factories were located within the Czechoslovakian state borders at the time of the declaration of the Czechoslovakian state namely G. Roth & co. in Bratislavia, and Sellier & Bellot in Prague.

Both these two entities would, over time prove to be very important to the arms manufacturing industry within Czech lands. Also they became through amalgamation part of the ZB empire.

In 1928 ZB procures a major shareholding in the ammunition manufacturing company of G Roth based in Bratislavia.

The G. Roth company now undergoes a name and corporate ownership change to be named as Ceskoslovenska Manici a Kovodelne Zavodi a.s Bratislavia ( Czechoslovak Ammunition and Metal Works, joint stock company Bratislavia)

A full merger takes place in 1933 and the ammunition plant is moved to Povaske Bystrica.

The Povaske Bytrica plant, Zavod 2 also makes VZ42 rifles as well as bayonets

1937 sees the expansion of ZB with a new gun works at Brno, they also upgrade their old Mauser procured machines to new machines from Oberndorf.

A new plant at Zabrdovice was also started in 1937.

ZB also opens a factory in Vsetin for heavy machine guns ( Zavod3 )

ZB made the model 26 light machinegun from 1927 this was a Holek design from CZP (Zbrojovka Praga)

Nazi occupation 1939-1945:

The Nazi’s take control of the Sudatenland in 1938 and in 1939 take control over the whole of Czechoslovakia.

They immediately enroll all arms manufacture under Nazi control and with usual German precision bring arms manufacture in line with German doctrine.

ZB now becomes Waffenfabrik Brunn Aktiengesellshaft and German Waffenampt markings and proof rules are applied to weapons.

It is claimed that civilian sporting arms manufacture came to an end at this time, however specimens of sporting rifles are to be found dating from the occupation period complete with German proofs and Waffenampt markings.

Some of the factories and what the produced under Nazi control

Zavod 1 Brno and Zabrdovice - Infantry arms
Zavod 2 Povaske bystrica - Infantry arms
Zavod 3 Vsetin - Infantry arms
Zavod 7 Cejl - Rocket powered arms
Zavod 10 Optikotechna prerov - Scopes and rifle optics

It is then also noted that some prominent Czech arms engineers fled the occupation.

One such person was Engineer Otagar Galas the originator of the ZG47 rifle.

He found his way to the UK where during the war he was involved in British arms manufacture. Galas although not the principle designer of the Bren gun had much to do with Bren manufacture in England as well as the Oerlikon antiaircraft gun system.

At the conclusion of the Second World War much of Czechoslovakia was taken from Germany by the Russians whilst the Americans liberated Pilsn and Prague.

This then heralded the post war era for Czechoslovakia and the advent of a new dispensation under communism.

After the war:

With the conclusion of WW2 there is an amalgamation and distribution of German assets:

Under this ZB now procures or gains control over 14 plants included are:

1. The original assets of ZB a.s.
2. Sellier & Bellot
3. Zbrojovka Frans Janecek in Prague
4. The Vsetin plant ( rifle and machine gun manufacture)
5. The Zabrovice plant ( rifle and machine gun manufacture)

Shortly after Zbrojovka Frans Janecek is closed down.

Post WW 2 and communist rule:

1945:

At this point all companies local or foreign owned, are taken over by the Czechoslovakian state by virtue of nationalization decrees.

By this all industry is transferred to the auspices of the Department of industry and all manufacture becomes national or “peoples” enterprises or Narodni Podnik in keeping with the communist ideal.

This is reflected in the markings on rifles stating N.P. or Narodni Podnik

Zbrojovka Brno A.S. now becomes Narodni Podnik Zbrojovka Brno and under it is included some 14 other former plants and companies

Ceska Zbrojovka A.S. of Uhersky brod and Straconice remains separate from the ZB congloemerate.

The plant at Povaske Bystryca now becomes NARODNI PODNIK POVAZSKE STROJIRIN. This enterprise consists of 14 plants including Sellier & Bellot as well as the former ZBROJOVKA FRANTICEK JANECEK in Prague.

Under communism all arms manufacture is centralized under the Central directorship of the NPCZIS in Prague. The manufacturing co-operatives were managed but this arrangement but this was short lived as it proved costly and inefficient. (only to once again be dismantled by 1949)

In 1955 Czechoslovakia joins the Warsaw pact and all arms manufacture is brought under Soviet doctrine. This brings about huge increases in production but also significant problems in corporate control.

CESKA ZBROJOVKA (CZ)

The company origins of CZ appears to be much in line with that of ZB in terms of the historical events that surrounded the founding of the State of Czechoslovakia in 1918.

CZ was born out of various company mergers in 1922.

The original founding company was Jihoceska Zbrojovka ssro. (South Bohemian Arms Factory pty ltd ) founded in 1919 in Pilsn.

Jihoceska Zbrojovka a.s acquires Hubertus in 1922 and the company name changes to Ceska Zbrojovka Straconice abbreviated CZ. ( Czechoslovakian arms factory Straconice) with their principle factory in Straconice.

The original plant at Straconice was started by architect Karel Bubla with technical expertise from the Skoda Works of Pilsn in 1919.

Engineer Alois Tomiska of Skoda in Pilsn moves to Straconice to build pistols and production was started in 1921.

This arms works would later due to solvency problems need to diversify.

With the diversification the Straconice plant now builds machine tools and bicycles whilst small arms manufacture is moved to a new plant in the city of Uhersky Brod in 1937.

Under a strategic master plan for arms manufacture in the New State ZB cedes pistol manufacture to CZ in 1923. 1924 sees Franticek Miska producing the VZ 24 pistol a derivative of the original VZ 22 of Josef Nickl.

At this time we also see the founding of another gun works in Prague (1819) Praga Zbrojovka by A Novotny. They build the Praga pistol, a 1910 Browning copy, they get a Government contract in July 1920 for 5000 pistols to be delivered by December 1920

The famous Vaclav Holek one of the Holek brothers is affiliated to this factory

Nazi occupation 1939-1945:

The following factories and what they produced during the war:

ZB: - Waffenfabrik Brunn
Under German occupation the factory still remains as an independent company but the German occupiers rename the company.

Zavod 1 Brno- Zabrovice - Infantry arms
Zavod 2 Povaska Bystrica - Infantry arms
Zavod 3 Vsetin- Infantry arms
Zavod 7 Cejl - Rocket powered arms
Zavod 10 Optikotechna prerov - Scopes and rifle optics

CZ ( Straconice and Udersky brod)

Infantry automatic weapons
Aircraft automatic weapons
Infantry cannons

Zbrojovka Velinksy and Zbrojovka Kyser

Hand grenades

Zbrojovka Frans Janecek:

Anti tank guns
Bomb racks
Pumps
Engines

Zbrojovka Franz Dusek:

Pistols

After the war 1946:

Amalgamation and distribution of German assets:

ZB procures 14 plants in all included are:

1. The Original assets of Zbrojovka Brno a.s.
2. Sellier & Bellot
3. Zbrojovka Frans Janecek of Prague
4. Zavod 3 in Vsetin ( rifle and machine guns)
5. Zavod 1 Zabrovice ( rifle and machine guns)

Zbrojovka Frans Janecek is shut down for a short while only to be reopened later on.

Zavod 2 in Posvaka Bystrica becomes independent and becomes Povsake Strojirny, they made Czech ammo.

1945:

At this point all companies local or foreign owned are taken over by the Czechoslovakian state by virtue of nationalization decrees.

By this all industry is transferred to the auspices of the Department of Industry and all manufacture in accordance with the dictates of communism became “National enterprises” or Narodni Podnik.

A restructuring of the arms factories take place and this is reflected in the markings found on rifles of this period.

Zbrojovka Brno a.s. now becomes Narodni Podnik Zbrojovka Brno and under it is included some 14 other former plants and companies.

Ceska Zbrojovka a.s Uhersky Brod and Straconice remained as separate corporate entities from the Zbrojovka Brno conglomerate although they were all controlled by a central directorate.

In practice this proved to be a poor business model as problems arose with production and marketing of the arms products on an international basis. With time this model was fazed out and control reverted back to the individual factories.

In order to comply with international trading code some of the State control was relinquished and the companies traded as limited shareholding operations. Later marketing was undertaken by trade companies such a Agrocet which marketed the Czech arms products on the international market.

The Rules of Proof:

The premise of the rule of proof is that all small arms have to be proved safe by firing a test load with a charge producing higher (usually 30 to 50%) pressures than the industry standard. This then acts as a safeguard against faulty weapons, thereby protecting the user.

The Czech arms industry though not a signatory to the Brussels Convention on Proof applied rules of proof to all small arms manufactured.

Military proof:

The military Proof and Acceptance in the new State of Czechoslovakia was undertaken by the Arms Technology Authority “Zbrojne Technicke vrady” (ZTU).

This arrangement was brought about in 1922.

ZTU’s were designated by number, assigned to the various arms manufacturing plants in Czechoslovakia.

For example:

ZTU 3 at Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka Brno
ZTU 4 at Povaska Bystrica
ZTU 5 at Sellier & Bellot
ZTU 7 at Ceska Zbrojovka Straconice
ZTU 8 at Zbrojovka Janecek
ZTU 9 at Vsetin

Civilian Proof and Acceptance:

Civilian Proof and Acceptance was undertaken at two locations:

The Government Arms and Ammunition testing Authority in Prague and the Proof house at Vejprty.

The Vejperty Proof house and Authority was closed down in 1945 with the liquidation of the Vejperty Arms Works under the post war government “take over” of arms manufacturing in Czechoslovakia.

The rules of proof used under Hapsburg rule were adopted under the Proof law of 1891 (June 23, 1891) enacted on January 1, 1892.

These rules and marks were in use at the time of the proclamation of the State of Czechoslovakia in 1918.

The Czech proof law (law 207 of 1931) December 17,1931 with supplementary regulations of December 22, 1931 was enacted on January 1, 1932.

This law called for obligatory proof of all small arms manufactured within the borders of Czechoslovakia.

German occupation, 1939 to 1945 brought about changes in Proof law as all arms manufactured under German occupation were placed under German acceptance rules. We see examples of this in rare occupation sporting rifles bearing the same military German Waffenampt codes as found in Mauser military rifles.

After 1945 the 1931 Czech law was once again used until 1962 when a new and current used law was enacted. (May 31,1962)

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