IFRAME: [1]
https://www.youtube.com/embed/TYVSe6s8kGE?feature=oembed
The ZB47 was developed at Brno as a contender for Czech military
submachine gun adoption in the late 1940s. The Czech Army had
technically adopted a submachine gun prior to World War Two (the vz.38;
video on that is coming a bit later) but production did not begin
before the arrival of German troops. After the war, the Army was eager
to add a submachine gun to its arsenal, and the vz.38 was no longer a
practical option as it was chambered for the 9x17mm cartridge.
The ZB-47 is chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum, fired from an open bolt,
uses a simple blowback action, and does not have a semiautomatic
setting – just full auto. In its infantry configuration, it has a fixed
wooden stock with a thumbhole design and a 72-round (!) magazine fitted
almost horizontally under the stock and barrel. A unique feed system
pushes cartridges vertically up out of the magazine feed lips into a
pair of feed ramps that pitch the round 90 degrees forward and into the
chamber. The system is closest to that of the FN P90, although the
cartridge rotating element on the ZB is built into the gun, not the
magazine. The paratrooper variant of the gun has a collapsing metal
stock, which shorted the overall length and also restricts its capacity
to a 30-round magazine when the stock is closed. Rate of fire was
reportedly a blistering 1200 rpm.
One challenge of this very long straight magazine was the slight taper
of the standard 9x19mm cartridge case. In 30-round magazines this is
not really an issue, but by 72 rounds the taper adds up to enough to
cause problems stacking cartridges. Brno attempted to solve this by
making a truly cylindrical version of 9×19, but the Czech military was
(rightly) not convinced of its benefits and rejected it.
In the 1947 field trials, 8 Czech units were given examples of the ZB47
and other competitors. Five of those units actually reported favorably
on the ZB; it looks like a very awkward gun to handle but actually
isn’t in practice. However, the Army deemed it to have too many
drawbacks, including the magazine reliability, poor accuracy, and bring
judged too fragile. One more set of trials would take place the next
year and ultimately the CZ model 23 was adopted. In total, just 62
examples of the ZB-47 were produced.
Many thanks to the VHU – the Czech Military History Institute – for
giving me access to these two fantastic prototypes to film for you. The
Army Museum Žižkov is a part of the Institute, and they have a 3-story
museum full of cool exhibits open to the public in Prague. If you have
a chance to visit, it’s definitely worth the time! You can find all of
their details (including their aviation and armor museums) here:
https://www.vhu.cz/en/english-summary/
References
1.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/TYVSe6s8kGE?feature=oembed
