CZ 27 Post War Occupation Period

[Rescue190]

I picked up a couple of months ago thinking it was a very late war period CZ 27 with Phosphate finish. I posted to another forum for information. I was a bit surprised on the good side.
The next two writings were from information provided by two other properly credited forum members and are not mine. No plagiarism on my part. Mostly a current US joke.

Roger is correct on all accounts. There is no definitive serial documentation so all the serials and dates that are thrown around are merely "best guesses". Good luck with your collecting. If this is your first CZ 27 you started with a lucky find.
The Czech's quickly eliminated the phosphate finish and applied a moderately polished blue finish to the majority of the immediate postwar guns.

Muldoon

It's not possible to know the history of 473986 unless there is specific veteran provenance. Rescue190's CZ27 most certainly began production when the Germans were still controlling the plant. Given the lack of WaA76 stampings on the frame and slide, it completed production after the Germans were kicked out of Strakonice by the local townspeople on May 4th, 1945. Production resumed at Strakonice very quickly after the self-liberation. Best guess is that there were at least a few days of "self-liberation" celebration, and the festivities given the arrival on May 6th, of four units of General Patton’s 94th tank division. CZ27 473986 could have been given / sold to a GI, or part of the resumption of normal sales. Ceska Zbrojovka Strakonice, unlike many small arms plants in WWII, resumed production quickly and found customers for thousands of pistols. We are continuing to research this time period of weapons production at Ceska Zbrojovka. Regards,

PS: The American troops remained in Strakonice until Nov 23,1945, so a GI purchase is well within possibility, perhaps even probable. I imagine the townspeople and CZ plant were happy to sell whatever they could to get currency.

Roger


I thought the information was worth sharing. All additional thoughts and opinions are always welcome and appreciated.
John

[AndyB]

There are exact numbers how many Vz27 were gifted to US Gis, is in Skramoussky book probably. This as mentioned could be the range where still some german parts were avialable and were mounted for the liberators. Czechoslovak production has the Kal.7,65 added on left slide.

[AndyB]

I looked to the book of Skramoussky, he confirms that the CS plus German contracts should end around 471500? range, there were in depot on 5.5.1945 by liberation about 3600 CZ27 pcs about 700 were got by partisan group Niva and some local police and new czech organisation, so ammount of 2900 pcs were probably captured by liberators US army and their soldiers and by workers of CZ in Strakonice and brought home. So Your serial is within range of this evidently and were returned by US soldiers.So he mentioned too that on 19.5.1945 were listed in plant depot only 40 pcs of CZ27 pistols, all other completed weapons were captured or stolen. When i remember corectly my slovakian collector friend here some decades ago had a 475xxx which was already CS lion 45 proofed and blued on slide so i assume this was already the new postwar production.

[Rescue190]

Thank you AndyB. Much appreciated.
John