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Stankovic Bombs
- Thread starter Dreamk
- Start date
stecol
Well-Known Member
VISTAD was not from Smederevo, Serbia, but from Višegrad, Bosna i Herzegovina. VISTAD stands for "Višegradska industrije inžinjera Stankovića akcionarsko društvo" - "Visegrad industry of engineer Stankovic jont-stock company". Later as in Kragujevac were produced Stokes-Brandt 81mm mortars, and VISTAD was producing ammo, Stankovic built factory in Valjevo which was at present known as Krušik Valjevo (KV stamps on Yugo ammo and ordnance).
[FONT=trebuchet ms, Arial, Helvetica][FONT=trebuchet ms, Arial, Helvetica][/FONT][/FONT]""In the thirties of the twentieth century, a descendant of an old Belgrade family, Nikola Stanković, graduated from the Technical Faculty and found employment in the defence production sector of ''Railway Cars, Machines and Bridge Construction Factory'' in the town of Slavonski Brod. At that time, the military began, due to overloaded state enterprises, to give up a part of armaments, pyrotechnic compositions and ammunition production to the private sector. Stanković saw this as a chance to get independent. In the course of 1935, he bought up the old barracks in Višegrad, and in Sarajevo, the center of the Drina Province, he registered his own firm, ''Višegradska industrija inž. Stanković AD'' (Višegrad Industry of Eng. Stanković AD (abbreviated to ''VISTAD'') and started up production of fuzes and pyrotechnic compositions. On April 11, 1935, the Ministry of Army of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia made a licence agreement for production of 81 mm mortar Stokes-Brandt M.31 with the French firm ''Edgar Brandt''. The line for production of weapons was to be set up in the VTZ of Kragujevac (Military Engineering Enterprise), while the contract for production of shells and fuzes had to be given up to a private firm. Wishing to get that profitable business, Stanković decided to start up a new facility in a more suitable place with better communications and closer to the military and industrial complex of Kragujevac. In the summer of 1937, he laid a cornerstone of the branch facility of the main enterprise in Višegrad. The new plants were equipped with modern machines of German ( ''Chr.Majer'', Tbingen a/Neckar, Baden-Wrttenberg) and Czech origin (''Vlašin-Praha'', i.e. 'Wlaschiner Maschinenfabrik GmbH, Prag)''. The joint expert board of the Ministries of Army and Navy, and of Trade and Industry, Municipality of Valjevo and the Province Government in Sarajevo, gave their opinion on 16th December 1938 that the new plants satisfy legal and technical standards. Pursuant to the Decision of the Royal Province Government in Sarajevo of 19th December 1938, the Industry and Crafts Department of the Ministry of Trade and Industry issued a licence, on 22nd February 1939, stating that the firm ''Višegradska industrija inž.Stanković A.D.''... may perform the industrial operation of primer making in the shop VISTAD in Valjevo-Krušik''. Since that moment, Valjevo had gained a monopoly on production of No. 8 primers.
Taking over of 81mm mortar shell production enabled VISTAD to penetrate into the civilian market. Namely, ''blank'' Cal.12 hunting catridges, with the Gevelot primer, and 8 g of ballistite were used as ignition cartidges for the shells. With the assistance of experts from the Užice FOMU, Stanković set up a production line for ignition cartridges in Valjevo. The components of those mortar shell cartridges were also used to start up the production of hunting cartridges.
When the Višegrad plant found itself in the territory of the newly formed Independent State of Croatia, all machines were concentrated in Valjevo, on the approval of Germany, and the concern name was changed into ''Valjevska industrija inž. Stankovića A.D.'' (Valjevo Industry of Eng.Stanković A.D.). Owing to Stanković's efforts, the production of fuzes, automobile and cart parts, and farming tools, although reduced, was practically not suspended during the occupation. That is why after the liberation VISTAD was practically the only enterprise from the former military and industrial complex which had the capabilities to immediately continue with production for the requirements of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia. As early as 30th March 1945, the Army was supplied with 200,000 pieces of M.38, M.38/45 and M.45 hand grenades."
Taking over of 81mm mortar shell production enabled VISTAD to penetrate into the civilian market. Namely, ''blank'' Cal.12 hunting catridges, with the Gevelot primer, and 8 g of ballistite were used as ignition cartidges for the shells. With the assistance of experts from the Užice FOMU, Stanković set up a production line for ignition cartridges in Valjevo. The components of those mortar shell cartridges were also used to start up the production of hunting cartridges.
When the Višegrad plant found itself in the territory of the newly formed Independent State of Croatia, all machines were concentrated in Valjevo, on the approval of Germany, and the concern name was changed into ''Valjevska industrija inž. Stankovića A.D.'' (Valjevo Industry of Eng.Stanković A.D.). Owing to Stanković's efforts, the production of fuzes, automobile and cart parts, and farming tools, although reduced, was practically not suspended during the occupation. That is why after the liberation VISTAD was practically the only enterprise from the former military and industrial complex which had the capabilities to immediately continue with production for the requirements of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia. As early as 30th March 1945, the Army was supplied with 200,000 pieces of M.38, M.38/45 and M.45 hand grenades."
To complicate the issue, it seems that Vistad produced also in these same years 1938-1941 another type of aerial bomb in the same range of 100kg weight, "on the British pattern", the series being called "Sardit" or "Sarvit". Some of these bombs seem to have been exported to Greece and used there (on the Do22 for instance, besides the Greek "US type" bomb which is a subjet by itself) - Vistad exported massively ammunitions to Greece in the days following the Italian invasion, under secret personal orders of the Yugoslav government to Ing. Stankovic.
Here are (low quality) pics of these bombs - the first from the load of a Do17 during the 1941 fighting, officially identified as Vistad 100kg, and the second from a Croatian Bleinheim (I thought at first these were British bombs remaining from the pre-war years, but a closer examination of the picture raised doubts upon this identification and the possibly of them being Vistad bombs).
Whoever can furnish details/ drawing/pictures on these bomsb will be more than wellcome
Here are (low quality) pics of these bombs - the first from the load of a Do17 during the 1941 fighting, officially identified as Vistad 100kg, and the second from a Croatian Bleinheim (I thought at first these were British bombs remaining from the pre-war years, but a closer examination of the picture raised doubts upon this identification and the possibly of them being Vistad bombs).
Whoever can furnish details/ drawing/pictures on these bomsb will be more than wellcome
It took me some time but I succeeded at last to find a detailed drawing of the Stankovitch 12kg bomb and its fuze, as used by the French Armee de l'Air in the since the last thirties till 1941 (at least). Here it is. Well it remains to find a photo of this bomb.:tinysmile_grin_t:
Bombe de 12kg Stankovitch
Tole d'acier moulee a chaud et soudee
Explosif Tolite (Trotyle)
Poids 11.250 kg (explosif 2 kg)
Diametre (au maitre couple) 100 mm
Longueur (tete de gaine non comprise) 363 mm
Longueur totale montee 616 mm (sans fusee et la fixation verticale)
largeur empennage 140 mm (longueur 212+16 = 228 mm)
Bombe de 12kg Stankovitch
Tole d'acier moulee a chaud et soudee
Explosif Tolite (Trotyle)
Poids 11.250 kg (explosif 2 kg)
Diametre (au maitre couple) 100 mm
Longueur (tete de gaine non comprise) 363 mm
Longueur totale montee 616 mm (sans fusee et la fixation verticale)
largeur empennage 140 mm (longueur 212+16 = 228 mm)
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This bomb is not a Stankovitch but is as a matter of fact a very "strange" and intersting one - although the vanes are typical of the incendiary bomb modele 1927, the body correspond to a 10kg PA (frag) bomb, as well as the paint (yellow ochre = explosive bombs), the inscriptions (MMN= melinite) and the fuze. The vanes of the Stankovitch had three almost parallel longitudinal strengthening "corrugations" or ridges