One of the Brno-made weapons for the Waffen-SS was the anti-tank rifle Panzerbüchse (PzB) M.SS.41 in 7.92mm. The development department of the Waffenwerke worked from then on as a part of the SS-Waffenakademie Brünn (SS-Weapons Academy Brno) on the implementation of many innovative ideas, which would not have been possible through the official channels with involvement of the Heereswaffenamt (Army Ordnance Office) because of the intense rivalries between the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS. Since the Wehrmacht was preferably equipped and supplied, the leadership of the SS had to look for suitable opportunities for self-sufficiency and found it in Brno. This organization quickly succeeded in gaining full control of the weapon works in Brno. Most of these weapons were made directly for the Waffen-SS. Only light tanks like this Russian T-26 could be knocked out by anti-tank rifles. The (t) in the German name stands for tschechisch (Czech).
Not only were German weapons like the Karabiner 98k made, but also Czech pre-war developments under a new designation. The main products were military equipment for the Wehrmacht (German Army) and Waffen-SS. The then trademark “Z in the rifled barrel” has been retained and is still used even today.įrom 1938 to 1945, the conglomerate operated under the names Waffenwerke Brünn I (Brno) and II (Bystrica) and was affiliated with the Reichswerke Hermann Göring, an industrial conglomerate of Nazi Germany. Brno) was placed under German administration. Even the conglomerate Ceskoslovenská Zbrojovka A.S. The Czechs were very advanced in weapons engineering, rich in experience and know-how and possessed modern factories. ABOVE: Soldiers of the Waffen-SS equipped with an early PzB 38 during exercises.Īfter the annexation of the Sudetenland and the destruction of Czechoslovakia as a result of the Munich Agreement of 1938, the entire local arms industry came under German influence, including well-known companies like Škoda.
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