WesWorld

Novosti News Service, Bar, Wednesday, 1 January 1947

His Royal Highness Prince Tomislav visited the Adriatic Shipyards today to lay the keel of the Navy’s newest warship, Gunboat-Minelayer “A”. This is the first of two such vessels authorised by Parliament at the end of last year. Following the keel-laying ceremony His Royal Highness toured Fleet Tender “B”, launched last August and now fitting out elsewhere in the Adriatic yard. His Royal Highness spoke with great feeling of the need of the nation to maintain its strength at sea in order to protect its commerce with foreign nations.

Domestic Ground Ordnance Production

M35 Service Pistol -:- 150
M43 Service Rifle -:- 32,000
M28 Machine Rifle -:- 300
M32 Machinegun -:- 300
M37 Submachinegun -:- 300
M39 Aircraft Machinegun -:- 450
M37 Tank Machinegun -:- 90
M35 Mortar -:- 60
M27/31 Mortar -:- 30
M42 Heavy Mortar -:- 240
M40 Rocket Launcher -:- 1,650
M40 Divisional Gun -:- 30
M30 Light Antiaircraft Gun -:- 30
M40 Field Gun-Howitzer -:- 30
M32 Hand Grenade -:- 720,000
Small Arms Ammunition -:- 56,000,000
Artillery Ammunition -:- 660,000


Domestic Vehicle Production for Royal Yugoslav Army

Zastava M40 0.25-ton Truck -:- 750
Zastava M41 1.5-ton Truck -:- 1,050
Novi Sad M44 3-ton Truck -:- 590
Novi Sad M46 Artillery Tractor -:- 150
AT.47 Tank Destroyer -:- 28
Orkan Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle -:- 16


Aircraft Deliveries

Soko Orao -:- 48
Type 222 Vihor -:- 15
Type 224 Galeb -:- 12
Utva Lasta -:- 12

Novosti News Service, Visegrad, Saturday, 4 January 1947

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Petar formally opened the Drina Hydro-electric Scheme today with ceremonies here and in nearby Bajina Basta, marking a huge step forward in the economic development of the nation. Despite delays in construction the new powerplants are ready to generate more than four hundred megawatts of electric power that will spur the growth of industry throughout the region. Representatives of the Drina Hydroelectric Power Company have already indicated that they envision the expansion of the power generating capacity of the scheme through construction of additional turbines as soon the capital can be raised.

Novosti News Service, Belgrade, Monday, 6 January 1947

The First Yugoslav Factory for Wagons, Tools and Bridges of Slavonski Brod has formally announced a major restructuring and expansion plan. Among the changes will be the adoption of a new corporate style, that of First Yugoslav Heavy Engineering Ltd. (Prva jugoslavenska teške inženjerske a.d.), as well as division of the firm’s activities into five rational divisions. It is also expected that the restructured firm will undergo an expansion of its capital, though no such details have been revealed to date.

Privredni vjesnik, Thursday, 9 January 1947

Mostar, Soko Aircraft Factory, Monday, 13 January 1947

The management of the factory had laid on a regular tour for the important visitors – a delegation of members of parliament led by Goran Maksimović together with Velimir Radojkovic of the National Aviation League. These were men who could influence the very existence of the factory and it was in the firm’s interest to court their favour.

Boris Cijan and Stanko Obad led the tour, the chief purpose of which was to show Maksimović and Radojkovic the progress made to date in fabricating the nation’s first jet aircraft.

Maksimović looked askance at the mock-up before him. “Is this a joke?” he asked. The diminutive craft seemed little more than a cockpit tacked onto a slim fuselage; from the stubby wings two wooden cylinders hung, approximating the shape and positions of engines.

“By no means,” Cijan replied. “We have calculated that this design will allow us to gather the requisite data for further refinement, and fabrication of a prototype aircraft has already begun. If Hirth delivers the engine on schedule we should be able to make an initial test flight late next month.”

Radojkovic showed surprise. “That soon?”

Obad nodded. “Of course, this is only a research aircraft. At best it might achieve a speed of four hundred kilometres per hour.”

“But it will be a tour de force,” Radojkovic exclaimed. “Something for the Italians to consider…”

Maksimović did not immediately comment, but walked around the would-be aircraft. “If they can fly this thing in February it will have been worth passing up the de Havilland offer,” he thought. “Rupnik said that Gloster will be delivering the first Meteors that month, which will help fill the gap.” Unlike Radojkovic, who only thought of aircraft, he knew the potential cost of military weakness; he also knew the value of domestically produced military equipment – Serbia had been handicapped by its dependence on foreign weaponry during the Great War. He would not allow that to happen again.

“Very good gentlemen,” he said at length. “I can report to parliament what I have seen, and God keep the Germans up to their word for engines.”

Novosti News Service, Belgrade, Wednesday, 15 January 1947

In a further indication of the growth of the nation’s industry the formation of “Ikarbus” Autobus and Special Vehicle Factory Ltd. (Fabrika autobusa i specijanih vozila ‘Ikarbus’ a.d) of Belgrade-Zemun was announced today. The firm, founded by a syndicate of local entrepreneurs with the backing of the Industrial Bank of Yugoslavia, has reached technical agreements with Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk to assist in organising its factory.

Novosti News Service, Belgrade, Friday, 17 January 1947

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that testing of the new M47 general purpose machinegun has begun at the Cepotina military cantonment. This new belt-fed weapon is intended to replace venerable M28 machine rifle and the M32 light machinegun; it can be fired using either an integral bipod or a standard tripod for the sustained fire role. A procurement decision is expected by spring.

Privredni Vjesnik, Monday, 20 January 1947

The Ministry of Commerce has announced that it is seeking industry and commercial participation in a trade fair to be held in Damascus, Syria, later this year. Given the nation’s growing ties with the region, this will be an opportunity for many firms to display their wares to the Syrian public, and, given that Damascus is a centre for trade throughout the Levant, visitors from other nations as well. Details have yet to be finalised. However Minister of Commerce Aleksandr Markovic has expressed his hope that businesses in the consumer products, food processing, and mechanical engineering field will make the leap of faith to seek wider markets.

Novosti News Service, Belgrade, Thursday, 23 January 1947

Speaking at a news conference today Minister of Education Marko Velebit announced that the Government has approved the establishment of the School of Electrotechnics at Zagreb. The school, which will commence its first classes in the spring, will train electro-technicians and electro-engineering technicians to meet the growing needs of the nation’s industries. Further details are expected to be forthcoming.

Report of the Hungarian Military Attaché, Belgrade, Friday, 24 January 1947

The keel-laying of the first of two minelayers ordered by the Yugoslav navy received royal attention; my sources suggest this was more for show than any other reason. Yugoslav naval construction has slowed while base construction – including provision for floating dry docks – at Durrës and Kotor proceeds apace. The coast artillery ordered months ago from Skoda has been delivered and its placement begun. Yugoslav naval patrols remain active in the Adriatic and continue to enforce the restrictions on the Italian exclave at Vlore.

The first contingent of pilots due to attend pilot training in Germany will depart sometime in February; the numbers involved is reported to be no more than two dozen. The first of the British-built Meteor fighter aircraft should be delivered in late February. After several rounds of evaluation of prospective aircraft, no decision has yet been reached on replacement of the Soko Zmaj in the bomber force; it becomes increasingly clear that there will be none in the near future.

The recent announcement of the testing of a new general purpose machinegun by the Yugoslav army has engendered little comment; the M28 machine rifle, while an excellent weapon, has reached obsolescence and its replacement is overdue. The drawdown in production of the M28, and the M32 light machinegun, over the last several quarters, indicates that preparation for mass production of the new weapon is well in hand.

Novi Sad Vehicle Factory, Novi Sad, Monday, 3 February 1947

Danilo Ilić watched from the shelter of the half-open factory door as the string of railway wagons was backed onto the siding, where a group of workers from the Delivery Department tended the first batch of Orkan armoured cars produced by the factory. When the wagons were safely brought to a halt the workers began to move a ramp into place, and then carefully roll the armoured vehicles up onto the wagons, one after another. A light snow made things difficult; but after an hour’s work the Orkans were loaded and tied down, ready for shipment. For this Ilić was thankful – his Production Department having sweated bullets to produce them the previous month he certainly did not want the louts in Delivery to scratch the paint.

Novosti News Service, Slavonski Brod, Wednesday, 5 February 1947

First Yugoslav Heavy Engineering and the German firms of Steyr and Hanomag have reached agreement to develop a derivative of the latter’s half-track infantry carrier to meet Royal Yugoslav Army requirements for a replacement of the American-built HT-40. It is expected that a prototype vehicle will be available for review by spring. The firm has also entered a proposal to meet the Army’s new medium tank requirement; the submission period closes next month, and has attracted considerable foreign interest as it is expected that the vehicle selected will replace all the medium tanks presently in the Army’s inventory. No details of the submission have been provided at this time.

Novosti News Service, Belgrade, Friday, 7 February 1947

A contingent of pilot officers of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force departed today for France, where they will undertake a course of instruction in the operation of jet fighter aircraft. It is expected that other groups will depart for Germany over the next week or two, for similar training.


Novosti News Service, Kragujevac, Monday, 10 February 1947

The Ministry of Defence has approved production of the M47 general purpose machinegun for the Royal Yugoslav Army. All three of the nation’s arsenals will be involved in the production programme, and the first units are expected to be delivered before spring.

Hrvatska Revija, Friday, 14 February 1947

The shipping firm Jugoslavenska Lloyd has placed orders with the Adriatic Shipyard for construction of two cargo vessels for its services to the Levant. These will be the first ships of national origin to be built for the firm. The vessels – Beograd and Brod – are expected to be laid down in the spring and are anticipated to enter service early next year.

Novosti News Service, Bar, Wednesday, 19 February 1947

The Project 1946 Theta type fleet tender – “Tender B” was completed at the Adriatic Shipyard and formally commissioned as the Ivan Visin. She will spend the next six months on trials and operational training before taking up her duties with the fleet.

Novosti News Service, Saturday, 22 February 1947

Novosti News Service, Monday, 24 February 1947

The Fourth Coast Defence Group at Kotor has been joined by the new fleet tender Ivan Visin, which will continue its operational training while supporting the twelve motor torpedo boats of the coast defence group.

Novosti News Service, Mostar, Thursday, 27 February 1947

Officials of the Ministry of Defence, a parliamentary delegation, and other dignitaries were on hand today to witness the flight of the nation’s first jet research aircraft, the Soko Matica. Powered by two German-built Hirth turbojets the aircraft made a successful flight of twenty minutes duration, during which it achieved a speed in excess of 180 miles per hour. While not a combat aircraft the efforts of the Soko firm have demonstrated that Yugoslavia can design an indigenous research aircraft to study high speed aerodynamics and investigate the application of jet engines to high-performance aircraft. A spokesman said that tests will continue while work begins on a successor; the latter development is dependent on funding.

Dinky but a useful tool. Soko seem to have been able to knock this together pretty quickly, but I see no reason why by using existing parts and imported engines that its a problem. Aerodynamically it looks pretty conventional too. I look forward to seeing where this development goes.