Into the Archives of Germany’s Intermediate-Caliber Assault Rifle

Full title: Sturmgewehr! From Firepower to Striking Power  (Revised Expanded Edition)

Author: Hans Dieter Handrich

Publisher: Collector Grade Publications, Inc.

ISBN: 0-88935-593-2

Copyright: 2017

Hardcover, with dust jacket: 9” x 11¼”, 720 pages, 514 B&W photos, illustrations, drawings

Website: collectorgrade.com

Available from publisher or SAR store (Item B343)

The Sturmgewehr (German for “storm” or “assault” rifle) StG 44 was the culmination of a program to create a new class of weapons that we know as assault rifles. The generally accepted definition is a select-fire, carbine-sized gun, firing a mid-sized “intermediate” round and fed from a detachable box magazine.

In other words, the rifle and ammo have more power than an SMG that fires pistol rounds but less power and recoil than a full-size infantry rifle.

As we have come to expect from Collector Grade Publications, this book covers the topic in great detail. This fine book certainly does that and touches on other aspects of Nazi Germany weapons development as well.

The author, Hans Dieter Handrich, has revised and enlarged his original book by a substantial amount. The new 2017 edition contains 120 more pages and 122 new illustrations than the original 2004 edition. This brings the current edition to 720 pages and 514 B&W photos, illustrations and technical drawings, etc.

As with other Collector Grade books, this title is divided first into parts and then into chapters. Each chapter is then further broken down into numerous headings and subheadings. This makes the Table of Contents a full 17 pages! This can be viewed as either a good thing or a distraction, depending on your personal point of view.

Part I, Chapter One takes the expected look back at equipment and tactics in the decades prior to WWII. This begins with a brief look at warfare of the late 1700s and early 1800s. Following this, is a look back at WWI and the rise of the machine gun, most notably the Maxim. This leads into the topic of self-loading (semiautomatic, in other words) rifles. A photo of five different designs (three from Mauser and one each from Mannlicher and Borchardt) is shown. All appear similar to the typical bolt action of the era. A Mexican-designed, Swiss-built Mondragón rifle with a drum magazine and a Mauser Model 1916 are also pictured. While several self-loading rifles were tested, none where considered mature enough to be adopted on any serious scale. (A very small number of the Mondragón and Mauser 1916 rifles were issued to the Zeppelin balloon crew for anti-aircraft use.) These all fired full-power rounds and were semiauto only.

After the end of WWI, Germany was stripped of most of her military equipment and prohibited from designing and building more, as decreed by the Treaty of Versailles. However, this was not to be. As author Handrich explains in some detail, Germany disregarded the rules almost from the beginning. At first, these violations were executed very low key, but eventually they became quite blatant. Handrich covers a lot of background history in this book, not just the technical aspects of the StG 44.

Chapter Four, Early Intermediate Cartridge and Rifle Developments, takes a look at several mid-sized cartridges and rifles from several private firms in Germany. These experimental cartridges ranged in bore diameters from 7mm to 8mm and had case lengths from 27mm to 49mm long. Although this new direction caught the attention of the Ordnance Department, none of these early attempts went anywhere.

Part II, Chapter Five is where the gun that eventually became the StG 44 gets its start. In 1938, a year prior to the start of WWII, the Ordnance Department commissioned the C.G. Haenel company of Suhl to develop a select-fire “machine carbine.” Haenel’s chief designer was none other than Hugo Schmeisser, who designed the first operational submachine gun, the MP18/I, during WWI.

Handrich covers the long, sometimes frustrating path that the StG 44 took during its development. This gun has the dubious honor of being renamed the most times during its short career. Just a few of the better known names are: MP 42, MKb 42 (H), MP 43, MP 44 and finally the StG 44.

As the year designations suggest, the process took from 1942 to 1944 to get up to anything close to full production. A good deal of this was due to Adolf Hitler not believing in the idea of an intermediate round. He was stuck on the full-power round, so rifles such as the FG 42 and the G43 (later called the K43) proceeded while the StG 44 had much less official support. In fact, Hitler refused to approve it for full production three separate times. Handrich includes translated text of messages between Hitler’s inner staff and the military to confirm this. Handrich’s own opinion on Hitler’s delay in approving the program is: “There can be no doubt that Hitler’s bans had an extremely adverse effect on the schedule of development, testing and troop trials of the MKb …”

The author includes several images of original teletype messages discussing troop trials during the Eastern (Russian) Front. The text of several more messages, translated into English, document the ongoing troop trial evaluations. The frontline troops thought highly of this new weapon. Reports from the General of Infanterie (GendInf) are also shown, as well as details on monthly quantities delivered to the front. These various reports make for an interesting book, as you can see the progress of the program. A couple of messages are signed by Hitler himself.

Something I enjoyed studying is a set of small sketches (they are not dimensioned, so they cannot be called production drawings) that show the steps involved in turning a raw piece of sheet steel into a receiver. These thumbnail sketches show how the stamping, punching, forming (folding or bending) and drilling operations create a receiver. Most interesting!

English translations of original German military manuals are included. Specific manuals are from the MKb 42(H) and MKb 42(W) (Machine Karabiner 1942 prototypes from Haenel and Walther), the MP 43/1 and the final version, the StG 44. There is also a complete, 48-page, post-War East German manual shown, again with all text translated to English.

A chapter on special accessories looks at items such as a flash hider attachment, grenade launchers, the Vampir infrared riflescope and a long section on the unique Krummlauf curved barrel attachment for firing around corners.

A study of the development of the 7.92x33mm Kurz (short) cartridge is covered in similarly thorough detail. Until reading this book, I was unaware that several different firms were each designing its own idea of the perfect intermediate round or that the Polte company had tried several variants prior to settling on the 7.92x33mm version. These prototypes, along with dummy, tracer, blank, grenade launch blank and other special or experimental rounds are examined in detail. This includes 12 section-view engineering drawings from Polte.

The book wraps up with Part VI: A Post-War Retrospective. Chapter 22 looks at Hugo Schmeisser’s contributions to the AK-47. Following WWII, the Soviets gathered up many German specialists to work in the USSR. Schmeisser was taken to Factory 74 in Izhevsk in October 1946. He remained there until June 1952. During his time in Izhevsk, he worked alongside Mikhail Kalashnikov on what would become the AK-47. Handrich believes that Schmeisser helped a lot in the design, in spite of Kalashnikov saying that Schmiesser’s input was minimal. Schmeisser himself did not talk about it much. He passed away in September 1953.

I did find that the book tends to veer off in different directions as it covers various issues only vaguely related to the Sturmgewehr rifle. For instance, in 1924, the Rifle 98 for bicyclists was renamed the Rifle 98 for (mounted horse) riders. This single paragraph gets its own entry in the Table of Contents. At first, I found this a bit distracting. Later, I began to appreciate these little bits of history. This book has a tremendous amount of technical and historical information related to the Sturmgewehr program and resulting rifle. As well, it has a great deal of info on other aspects of the Nazi Germany weapons program. Although it may be among the most expensive books in your library, it certainly is worth considering. If you have an interest in the early development stages of assault rifles, this work is highly recommended.

The Unappreciated SLR

The origins of the FN49 rifle go back to 1936, prior to WWII. The chief engineer at FN, Mr. Dieudonné Saive, designed a gas-operated semi-auto that used a tilting bolt method to lock the breech during firing. However, with the FN factory in Belgium captured by Nazi Germany early in WWII, the design that would become the FN49 would have to wait.

This book chronicles the development of this under-appreciated rifle in great detail, from the earliest attempts at self-loading rifles, to the end of production. Surprisingly, there was interest in self-loading battle rifles as far back as the early 1900s. In fact, in 1907, FN approached a German-born arms designer, Karl Brauning (no relation to John M. Browning). At the time, Mr. Brauning was working for the Dutch arsenal at Zandaam, Netherlands. He had recently patented a self-loading rifle that functioned by barrel recoil and locked the bolt by a pair of pivoting lugs that fit into recesses in the receiver. This rifle, as well as several other designs, took part in various arms trials in the following years. However, the start of WWI in 1914 interrupted this.

Following the end of WWI, work resumed in several countries regarding the adoption of a self-loading rifle. The U.S. chose the M1 Garand early enough to equip her army prior to entering WWII. Most other nations did not and had to go to war with bolt action guns.
The book takes a detailed look at the early military trials that featured the Brauning design, including a brief mention of the 1929 U.S. Trials at Aberdeen Proving Ground. An interesting photo from that time shows several inventors, including John Pedersen and John Garand with their respective designs.

Chapter 2 covers Saive’s time in England, during which he continued to work on his design. (He had escaped to England during the hostilities.)

Although Great Britain was in no position to completely rearm and retrain her entire military during the heat of battle, the experimenting and research continued. When Saive got to Britain, he offered his design and talent to the British war effort. Soon, he was working on a 7.92mm version named the Self-Loading Experimental Model, or SLEM. Apparently, 50 of these were hand-built, so-called tool room rifles. A good percentage of these first 50 SLEMs have survived, and several are shown. While they differ somewhat from the production versions of the FN49, the lineage is clear to see.

At the end of WWII, Saive returned to the FN factory and resumed work on his design. Eventually, Venezuela became the first country to make a major purchase of the FN49.

After a very detailed study of the path to completion, the book then covers the different versions of the FN49 adopted by various countries. As noted above, Venezuela was the first to place a major order. (Several countries bought one or two rifles to test before the Venezuelan contract.) Each purchasing country is given a separate chapter (chapters 6 through 15). The minor differences between each version are detailed by text and photographs.

Following the country by country review, chapter 17 then covers various official manuals and pamphlets produced over the years. Selected pages are reproduced that show disassembly steps, etc.

Chapter 18 examines Instructional Cutaway rifles. These are training aids that were modified to allow the troops to see into the trigger and sear area and the chamber and gas port areas.

Chapter 19 looks at a wide range of accessories available, such as bayonets, cleaning kits, scopes, slings and even grenade launchers that attach to the muzzle.

As with other books from Collector Grade, this title is high quality, with many clear, crisp photographs and drawings.

The FN49–The Rifle That Ran out of Time
Author: R. Blake Stevens
Publisher: Collector Grade Publications Inc., Canada
Copyright 2011
ISBN: 0-88935-526-6
Hardcover: 8.5” x 11,” 256 pages, 361 illustrations, 141 in color

The FN49–The Rifle That Ran out of Time

By Frank Iannamico

The M3 submachine gun design had begun as the T-15 prototype, which was developed by the Ordnance Department and the Inland Division of General Motors. The three key individuals who shared much of the responsibility of the project were: Frederick Sampson, Chief Engineer of the Inland Division of General Motors; George Hyde, who had a number of original submachine gun and light-rifle designs to his credit; and U.S. Army Ordnance R&D officer Colonel René Studler. No submachine gun requiring extensive machining operations would be considered for adoption. The requirements called for an all metal weapon fabricated from sheet metal stampings to permit fast and inexpensive production with a minimum of machining operations, and no critical metals, such as aluminum, were to be used.

The original T-15 specifications of October 8, 1942, OCM 19007 were altered to include a kit to enable the weapon to be converted from its original .45 caliber to 9mm which was the standard pistol and submachine gun cartridge of the British and the Germans. Another amendment to the original T-15 design was the elimination of the semiautomatic function. This was done to simplify the design. The cyclic rate was such that semiautomatic fire could be accomplished by trigger manipulation. The new designation for the new 9mm/.45 full-automatic-only weapon was the T-20. Five prototype models of the T-20 and five 9mm conversion kits were built by General Motors for testing. The cyclic rate was relatively slow at 400 rounds per minute. There was very little muzzle climb. In the standard test of firing at a 6ft x 6ft target at 50 yards, the T-20 scored 97 hits out of a possible 100. This was a higher percentage than achieved by any other weapon tested in the trials except the Hyde-Inland M2.

U.S. Submachine Gun, Caliber .45, M3

The M3 submachine guns were all metal, fabricated mainly of stamped steel parts to take advantage of speed and economy of manufacture and assembly. Its weight distribution, along with its slow 350-400 rounds per minute cyclic rate, allow for excellent accuracy for a weapon of this type, regardless if the weapon is fired as a pistol with the stock retracted or as a carbine with the stock extended. Control of the weapon when firing bursts is enhanced by the stock being in direct axis with the bore of the barrel assembly. The internal parts were fully enclosed to protect them against any dirt, water or mud. The rear sight, barrel bushing, sear pin bushings, hinge assembly and sling loops were all welded in place. Dual guide rods and springs were employed to provide support and control for the heavy bolt without touching the inside walls of the receiver. The bolt/rod/spring assembly was easily removed from the receiver as a complete unit.

Soldiers’ initial reaction to the M3 was generally negative, mainly because of the weapon’s appearance. The slow cyclic rate also was disliked by troops, who equated effectiveness of a weapon by its cyclic rate. Many epithets were immediately bestowed on the M3; the name that stuck was the “grease gun” because it resembled a tool for lubricating automobiles. After being in service for a few months, the M3 began to gain some respect, but it would never achieve the status of the Thompson submachine gun.

The Guide Lamp Division of General Motors Corporation

General Motors’ Guide Lamp Division was a peacetime manufacturer of automobile lamps, headlight buckets, hubcaps and bumper guards. The Guide Lamp production plant was located in Anderson, Indiana. Guide Lamp had a lot of expertise and experience in sheet metal stampings and was an excellent choice for the manufacturing of the M3 submachine gun.

By June 1944, 1,000 M3s were being manufactured every 24 hours. The initial Guide Lamp contract price for the M3 was $17.92 per unit less the bolt assembly. The initial price was later amended to $18.36 per unit to cover the cost of minor production changes and the packing and shipping of the completed units. The M3 bolt assembly manufacture was subcontracted to the Buffalo Arms Company at a cost of $2.58 per piece. The bolts were then shipped to Guide Lamp for assembly. The total cost of the M3 was nearly one-half the price of the least expensive M1A1 model Thompson. More importantly, the time for producing each weapon was cut in half thus allowing production to keep pace with the growing war-time demand. The M3 was made almost entirely from simple .060 inch-thick sheet metal stampings. The only major parts requiring any machining were the barrel and bolt. The receiver was made from two die-stamped sheet metal halves. The two pieces were then welded together to form the receiver.

The M3 barrel was manufactured by cold swaging, a process that saved a lot of production hours. A steel 40-inch tube for the barrel would first be reamed to the correct inside diameter. The rifling would then be pressed into the barrel by inserting a mandrel and compressing the tube as it is forced through the die. The long piece of tubing would then be cut in sections to produce five M3 barrels. By May 1943 the first M3 submachine guns were rolling off the assembly lines at Guide Lamp. A patent for the M3 firearm construction was filed on May 1, 1944. The inventors listed were Frederick W. Sampson and George J. Hyde. Patent number 2,403,306 was granted.

The first serviceability problems with the M3 were reported by troops undergoing training in the United States during February 1944. The complaint was that the bolt cocking handle assemblies were failing. A closer look at the problem revealed that the retracting pawl on the cocking handle was cracking adjacent to the rivet hole where the pawl was riveted to the brace. An investigation revealed that the metal that was being used in the manufacture of the parts was not well-suited to the heat-treating process. Immediately the correct metal was substituted for the parts involved, and the width of the metal at the rivet hole was increased. Armorers in the field upgraded all M3s in service with the new parts.

The U.S. M3A1 Submachine Gun

The M3 was thought to be as simple and reliable as possible; however, the Ordnance Department felt that the weapon could be simplified even further. A study was conducted to determine if it were possible to eliminate the cocking handle assembly that was the source of most problems and complaints. A way to simplify field stripping and maintenance was also under study.

During the development stages of the M3(E1) submachine gun, the following Ordnance Department rejections, changes and additions were made:

• Eliminate the complete cocking assembly handle and associated parts by the redesign of the bolt.
• The modification requires enlargement of the ejection port.
• A new hinge and a stronger cover spring riveted to the receiver and a redesigned cover plate with improved safety locks.
• Incorporate an ejector slot cut in the full length of the bolt as well as a redesigned guide rod retaining plate to permit removal of the bolt assembly without removing the ejector housing.
• Design the stock to permit its use as a magazine loading tool, eliminating the need for a separate item for that purpose.
• Drill and tap the forward ends of the stock to accommodate a bore cleaning brush.
• Incorporate a larger oiler in the pistol grip.
• Modify the barrel nut to allow its removal using the wire stock as a tool.

Six pilot models incorporating the above modifications were designated as the M3E1 submachine gun. On December 21, 1944, the M3E1 Submachine Gun was approved and officially adopted as: Submachine Gun, Caliber .45 M3A1, thus reclassifying the M3 as Limited Standard.

The total submachine guns manufactured from 1943 to 1945 by Guide Lamp: 606,694 M3s and 82,281 M3A1 models, for a total of 688,975 weapons. The entire World War II production of the M3 and the M3A1 would total only a little more than one-third of the Thompsons produced during the war.

The M3A1 remained the Standard submachine gun of the U.S. Army until the adoption of the M14 in 1957. The M3A1 submachine gun then was relegated to Substitute Standard. The M14 rifle was, in theory, replacing the M1 rifle, the carbine and the submachine gun.

More Firepower!

During World War II, the primary U.S. weapons were the .30 caliber M1 rifle, the .30 caliber M1 carbine and the .45 caliber submachine gun. The M1 rifle was semiautomatic and had a magazine capacity of 8 rounds; it was an accurate weapon designed for long-range targets. The semiautomatic M1 carbine used a less powerful .30 caliber cartridge than the rifle and was a short-range weapon primarily intended to replace hand guns. The submachine gun had a full-automatic function and a magazine capacity of 30 rounds, but its range was limited.

What was needed was a weapon in between the long-range battle rifle and the short-range submachine gun. This was demonstrated by the Germans when information was received to the effect they were fielding a select-fire weapon, the MP43, using a 7.92mm Kurz (short) mid-range cartridge.

As the pace of the war accelerated, U.S. troops encountered new types of terrain and new enemy tactics; the need for more firepower was anticipated.

The T29 Submachine Gun

Inspired by the German MP43, during fall 1944, it appeared advisable to investigate the possibility of modifying the M3 submachine gun to permit the firing of the carbine cartridge caliber .30 M1. This investigation was entered into in view of the many reports received from the field requesting the development of the submachine gun which would fire the caliber .30 carbine round. Considerable study was given by personnel of the design section of the Guide Lamp Division of the General Motors Corporation that was manufacturing the M3 submachine gun.

To reconfigure the M3 submachine gun to accomplish the above, it was necessary to use a spring-loaded ejector to soften up ejection. To facilitate retracting the bolt, and still maintain the proper spring load to prevent the bolt from striking the rear receiver in recoil, it was necessary to employ both a shorter, stronger spring and a longer, low-rate spring; the short spring being required primarily to stop the bolt in recoil and the long spring to feed and fire the cartridge. A 30-round magazine was made by attaching two 15-round M1 carbine magazines together; the magazine well was enlarged to accept carbine magazines. A 14-inch long barrel was used to maximize velocity and reduce muzzle flash. The bolt was redesigned for the .30 carbine round.

The .30 caliber T29 weapons were tested during the fall of 1944. The modified submachine guns incorporated the basic design characteristics of the M3A1 submachine gun were completed, and function fired 1500 rounds per weapon. There were many functioning problems encountered due to the more powerful cartridge. Despite the longer barrel, the report and flash were quite excessive. Further study of the T29 submachine gun showed the Type A spring-loaded ejector and the feed ramp would require further development. However, in that the select-fire caliber .30 M2 carbine was standardized in September 1944, it was not deemed advisable to continue further development work on the T29 submachine gun concept, and the T29 project was terminated on November 16, 1944.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Excerpted in part from the book The M3-M3A1 Submachine Gun, available from Chipotle Publishing LLC.

Special thanks to Curator Alex MacKenzie and the entire staff at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site.
Springfield Armory National Historic Site
Springfield, MA
413-271-3976
www.nps.gov/spar

Despite Its High Cost, Millions Were Made for the U.S. and the Allies in WWII

The Thompson submachine gun was conceived by U.S. Army General John Thompson as a weapon to assault and clear out enemy trenches during World War I. Thompson formed the Auto-Ordnance Corporation to develop his submachine gun. World War I ended before the weapon went into production. After the post-war design was finalized, Auto-Ordnance, which had no facilities for mass production, subcontracted with Colt to manufacture the Thompson submachine gun. A total of 15,000 Thompson submachine guns were produced by Colt from 1921 to 1922. Sales were very disappointing; for all intents and purposes the concept was a failure though criminals of the day recognized the Thompson’s value. Police departments began to purchase Thompsons just so they would not be outgunned by gangsters. Many gangland shootings made the headlines in all the newspapers; the Thompson submachine gun was getting a very tainted reputation.

By early 1939 when it appeared World War II was imminent, the Thompson submachine gun was nearly 20 years old. An entrepreneur by the name of Russell Maguire sensed that there would be a need for weapons when war came. Through some dubious tactics, Mr. Maguire was able to gain controlling interest in the floundering Auto-Ordnance Corporation.

World War II was a more fluid conflict than World War I had been. It would be a war where the submachine gun would play a significant role. Despite the design being over 20 years old, it was the only proven weapon that could be fielded quickly. However, once again Auto-Ordnance had no manufacturing capabilities. A forward-thinking Russell Maguire contracted with the Savage Arms Company to manufacture the Thompson for Auto-Ordnance. The first Thompsons made by Savage were similar to those made by Colt. Savage delivered the first completed guns to Auto-Ordnance in April 1940. Savage also manufactured many parts to supply Auto-Ordnance’s own factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut, that began manufacturing the M1928A1 model in August 1941.

The British Army, despite their resistance to what they referred to as “gangster guns,” was one of the first customers to order Thompsons. At this point, the United States had not yet entered the war. The United States was forced to enter World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The U.S. Army began quickly growing, and weapons were needed to arm soldiers and Marines.

The U.S. government had on several occasions voiced concern over the .45 caliber submachine gun’s high price, which was costing the government the same as a Browning belt-fed machine gun. Savage and Auto-Ordnance were both aware that the Ordnance Department was seeking a less expensive submachine gun to replace the Thompson.

In November 1941, the engineering staff at Savage began conducting a study of how the M1928A1 model Thompson could be simplified. The engineers were looking for ways to decrease cost and increase production. Consuming much of the manufacturing effort was the receiver, more specifically, the rails inside of the receiver that the bronze Blish lock traveled on. The three-piece bolt/lock/actuator of the 1928 model was also labor intensive to manufacture. The engineers at Savage doubted that the locking device was necessary.

A Less Complex Submachine Gun

In late February 1942, a “simplified” prototype Thompson submachine gun conceived by Savage was ready to be submitted to the Ordnance Department for testing. The bolt assembly was a very simple rectangular block of steel. This allowed the receiver to be redesigned for easier manufacture and its width reduced. The inside of the receiver simply had a rectangular channel milled into it to accommodate the bolt. The bolt had been redesigned with two sear notches. This allowed the weapon’s safety lever to be engaged when the bolt was in the forward position on an empty chamber. Since drum-type magazines had proven unsuitable for military use, the new receivers eliminated the lateral slots on the sides of the magazine well for accommodating them.

Savage shipped the new weapon to Russell Maguire at the Auto-Ordnance Corporation headquarters. The Savage Corporation told Auto-Ordnance that it was submitting the redesigned Thompson, “Without any claims for compensation, reimbursement, royalty or patent interest.” The Auto-Ordnance engineering staff examined the new design and then submitted it to the Ordnance Department in March 1942. The new Thompson was sent to Aberdeen Proving Ground for testing and evaluation. After a few government recommended alterations to the prototype were made, the new Thompson was recommended for adoption as “Submachine Gun, Caliber .45 M1” on March 24, 1942.

The pilot rod for the recoil spring was simplified for easier manufacture and was held in place by a new type buffer. The M1’s pilot rod was made longer than those for the 1928 design to completely contain the spring. The M1’s pilot rod and buffer lessened the possibility of damaging the recoil spring during assembly and disassembly; a problem often encountered with the 1928 models.

The M1 featured a smooth barrel without the radial cooling fins or a threaded muzzle for a compensator. The rear sight installed on early production M1 Thompsons was the same simple unprotected “L” type. This design proved to be easily damaged and was replaced by a similar sight but with protective side “ears.”

By July 1942, Savage began delivery of the first new Thompson model, now designated as the M1 Submachine Gun. The Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport and Savage Arms factories both began production of the Thompson M1 model in July 1942. However, due to many technical problems experienced by the Bridgeport factory with the change over from the M1928A1 model, the actual manufacture of their M1s was delayed by several months.

While in July 1942, Savage had turned out 48,000 guns, Auto-Ordnance was struggling to meet its scheduled production mark. Contributing to the production delays were problems in deliveries of materials, equipment and tooling authorized by the government for M1 production.

After the M1 production finally commenced at Auto-Ordnance’s Bridgeport plant, more problems were encountered. The Springfield Ordnance District refused to accept any of the Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport-manufactured M1s because of the increase in their full-auto cyclic rate over the M1928A1 model. Officials from Washington, the district ordnance office and Auto-Ordnance engineers conducted studies and tests, all failing to provide a correction for the condition. Finally, on December 9, 1942, official notice from the Ordnance Department in Washington gave the district permission to waive the rate-of-fire requirement and accept the Bridgeport M1 guns. In the interim, the M1 Thompsons being produced at Savage were being accepted in large quantities by the Rochester Ordnance District without any problems.

The M1A1 Model

The Savage Arms Company continued attempts to further simplify the design by experimenting with a fixed firing pin model. The prototype was originally fitted with an M1 type bolt with a firing pin fixed in an extended or “in battery” position. The firing pin, spring, hammer and hammer pin were omitted. Later the “fixed” separate firing pin was eliminated and replaced by a fixed “firing pin” machined onto the bolt face.

The Springfield Ordnance District was notified that manufacture of a fixed firing pin bolt for use in the M1 submachine gun was authorized. In order to distinguish between submachine guns equipped with separate firing pins and fixed firing pins, the submachine guns fitted with the fixed firing pin would be designated as “Gun, Submachine, Caliber .45, Thompson M1A1” (A1= Alteration 1).

By the time the Springfield Ordnance District began accepting the M1s made at the Bridgeport plant, the new Thompson M1A1 model had replaced the M1. Most of Auto-Ordnance M1 Thompsons were then upgraded to the M1A1 configuration and the A1 designation added by hand stamping “A1” on the receiver.

On earlier models, the forward motion of the bolt was stopped by the front of the bolt cavity in the receiver, a major factor in determining the length of the chamber. To increase reliability the cylindrical protrusion at the front of the M1A1 bolt was increased by .028-inch. With the longer front shank, the bolt’s forward motion was stopped by the cartridge seated in the barrel’s chamber unless the chamber was empty. The redesign ensured that the fixed firing pin would strike the primer with greater force, reducing misfires. However, the downside to the fixed firing pin design was that it increased the chance of an out of battery discharge of a cartridge.

The cost for Savage to manufacture an M1 was $23.44. On February 24, 1942, Savage agreed to a contract to manufacture the M1 model for Auto-Ordnance at the cost of $36.37 per unit, providing Savage with a profit of $12.93 per gun. Auto-Ordnance then charged the U.S. government $43.00 for an M1 model and $42.94 for the M1A1 version, although the prices and profits varied slightly from contract to contract.

Serial Numbers

Unlike the 1928 Thompsons, the manufacturer’s initials, “AO” or “S,” were not used as a serial number prefix on the M1 series. To identify who made a particular M1 or M1A1 Thompson, the manufacturer stamped their code letters on the bottom of the receiver where the front grip mount is fitted. The letters used were “S,” which indicated Savage manufacture, or “A.O.C.” for weapons made at the Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport plant. As on the previous M1928A1 model, the Auto-Ordnance Corporation name and Bridgeport address are present on the receiver’s right side, regardless of who manufactured the weapon. Another change noted in the M1/M1A1 Thompson was the spelling of the word “caliber” on the receiver. The word was changed from the early spelling of “CALIBRE” to the U.S.-recognized spelling, “CALIBER.”

Savage-manufactured M1 and M1A1s were stamped with the Army Inspector of Ordnance’s initials of the Rochester, NY, Ordnance District. AIOs of the Rochester District were Lt. Colonel Ray L. Bowlin, using stamp “RLB,” and Colonel Frank J. Atwood, using stamp “FJA.” The Bowlin RLB marking is found only on the early M1 Thompsons. All Savage M1 and M1A1 submachine gun receivers and frames were also marked with the encircled “GEG” acceptance stamp of Auto-Ordnance’s civilian inspector at Savage’s factory, George E. Goll.

M1 and M1A1 Thompsons produced at the Auto-Ordnance plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut, would have the acceptance stamp of the Army Inspector of Ordnance of the Springfield District. Very early M1s would be marked with the stamp “WB”—Colonel Waldemar Broberg. Later production would be marked with the “GHD” stamp—Colonel Guy H. Drewery.

There have been many M1A1 trigger frames documented that do not have serial numbers. During repairs and rebuilds, the frames and receivers were often mismatched. This caused a lot of confusion when the weapons were stored in racks, and the frame number was mistakenly recorded instead of the receiver serial number. U.S. Ordnance specification AXS-725, dated January 7, 1943, called for a serial number to be marked, “Only on the receiver.” Subsequently, M1A1 frames manufactured after that date had no serial numbers applied. Arsenals were instructed to obliterate or remove serial numbers from the frames of the M1/M1A1 Thompsons. Due to the depth of the markings, the practice was soon discontinued.

M1’s and M1A1’s Final Days

In January 1943, the Ordnance Department announced to the Auto-Ordnance Corporation that the Thompson was going to be replaced by the newly developed U.S. M3 submachine gun. After the Ordnance Department’s official adoption of the M3 submachine gun, Thompson production was scheduled to be concluded in July 1943. Plans were made to begin tapering off production of the weapon. In April 1943, 62,948 M1A1 guns were manufactured; this was reduced to 55,000 in May and 51,667 in June. This left only 5,000 guns remaining to be manufactured in July 1943 from existing contracts. Authority was then received from the Ordnance Department in June to procure an additional 60,000 weapons by the end of August. Before the end of August, more orders for the Thompson gun were received from Washington. A total of approximately 119,091 additional Thompson M1A1 models were to be manufactured, providing continuance of production through December 1943. At the end of December, there were enough parts remaining to assemble approximately 4,500 additional guns. In January 1944 authorization was granted to complete the remaining guns by February 15, 1944. Production briefly resumed in February, completing a total of 4,092 additional guns. On February 15, 1944, the very last M1A1 Thompson submachine gun was accepted by the government via contract W-478-ORD-1949.

The Savage Arms Corporation manufactured an estimated total of 464,800 M1 and M1A1 model Thompsons, while the Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport plant turned out an estimated 249,555 M1s and M1A1s. A presentation-grade M1A1 Thompson was made by Savage. The serial number represented the total number of 1928 and M1/M1A1 Thompson submachine guns made by Savage: 1,244,194 from April 1940 until February 15, 1944. The number does not include the Thompsons made by Auto-Ordnance’s Bridgeport factory.

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Article excerpted from the book American Thunder III, available from Chipotle Publishing LLC.

Special thanks to Curator Alex MacKenzie and the entire staff at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site.
Springfield Armory National Historic Site
Springfield, MA
413-271-3976
www.nps.gov/spar

Finnish elite shooter badge for machine gun. This Finnish badge was issued to “Vailo-Ampuja” or “Elite Shooter” machine gunners. The first of these badges was issued in 1933 (March 6) and continued being issued until the end of World War II. A very scarce two-piece badge because it has a gilt Maxim machine gun inside a white metal wreath meaning it was issued to someone on the permanent staff. Outside edges have civil guards influence with branches of the evergreen tree. Screw-post back.

African Gold Coast Territorial Force machine gun officer’s silver plate collar badge (circa 1920s-1930s). White metal trumpeting elephant atop gold colored banner with “G.C.T.F” to center atop silver-plated crossed Vickers machine guns. Rear maker marked “Firmin London” with two lugs to the rear. The Gold Coast was a British colony in the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa.

Glass souvenir of the 2/ 1st Australian Machine Gun Battalion on the occasion of the Fifth Australia Wide Reunion in Adelaide in 1982. Clear glass with gold rim. Approximately 5 inches high. Rear of glass has famous poem In Memory of Fallen Comrades: “They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old, age shall not weary them nor the years condemn, at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.” “LEST WE FORGET.” The 1st Machine Gun Battalion was a World War I raised unit in 1918 and part of the Australian Imperial Force consisting of four machine gun companies fighting in the final days of the war. The unit was disbanded in mid-1919 during the demobilization of the AIF after the war. The second 1st Machine Gun Battalion was raised for service during World War II as part of the 6th Division seeing service in the Middle East, Egypt, Greece, Crete, Syria and Palestine. It later fought a defensive role in the New Guinea campaign and the Borneo campaign. The battalion was disbanded in early 1946.

Indian Army Sikhs Machine Gun Corps other ranks brass cap badge. The five-pointed star affixed to the top denotes instructor. Two lugs to the rear.

Malta-assigned other ranks machine gun section brass cap badge. Machine Gun Corps insignia with Malta banner below. Slider to rear.

Pair of Italian officer’s silver cufflinks for the 42nd Infantry Regiment. Crown to top with “42” in center with crossed rifles and water-cooled FIAT Revelli M1914 machine gun below. Each cufflink and connecting bar marked “800” indicating silver content of 80%.

Canadian veteran’s blazer patch for the North Nova Scotia Highlanders Machine Gun Regiment. Green thistle and wreath with purple embroidery and bullion-stitched lettering on black felt. Though this unit existed in Canada for a long time, it was under this “M.G.” designation for only a little less than 10 months in World War II. This unit was placed on active service on Sept. 1, 1939, as the North Nova Scotia Highlanders (M.G.). It then mobilized on May 24, 1940, as the North Nova Scotia Highlanders (having been switched from machine gun to regular infantry, the M.G. designation was dropped from its insignia). Battle record included the Normandy Landing, Authie, Chambois, Boulogne, Breskens Pocket, the Rhine and Northwest Europe.

German Reichswehr period (end of World War I in 1918 and the rise of the Third Reich in 1933) 0/5 liter pottery beer stein marked, “19. Bayer. Inf. Rgt. 1. Batl. 4. (M.G.) Komp” and “Weihnachten 1930” (19th Bavarian Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, 4th Machine Gun Company and Christmas 1930). The central image is of a German soldier training with the MG08 (Maschinengewehr 08) mounted on the sled mount. Pewter hinged lid with relief helmet and acorn leaves. Maker marked on bottom Villeroy & Boch, Mettlach.

Above: An early Patchett machine carbine, with its stock in a folded position. The first Patchetts were designed during World War II.

Classic Submachine Guns, Carbines and Pistols Refined

The Patchett Submachine Gun

The Sten machine carbine (the term “submachine gun” was not used by the British until 1954) was hurriedly conceived during the early stages of World War II, as Great Britain, seriously short of weapons for defense, was facing an invasion by the German Army. The Sten was a rather crude, but reliable and deadly weapon. After the threat of invasion subsided, work began on developing a more refined submachine gun.

George Patchett was an experienced gun designer who went to work for the Sterling Armament Company during World War II. Mr. Patchett designed a fair number of prototype weapons based on his ideas. By 1943, George Patchett’s submachine gun was developed enough to be tested by the military. Designated as the Patchett Mark I machine carbine, the weapon used a number of parts from the Lanchester machine carbine. The Mark I’s magazine housing was attached at a 90-degree angle to the receiver and fed from Sten or Lanchester magazines. After testing, the Patchett Mark I was considered suitable for service, but with plenty of Sten Mk II and Mk IV submachine guns still in service, there were no large orders for the Patchett forthcoming. Undeterred, development of the Patchett continued with the introduction of the Mk II model in 1946. One of the primary features of the Mark II was its magazine housing oriented at an 82-degree forward angle, to accept Patchett’s new double-feed, curved magazine—a vast improvement over the Sten magazine. Finally, during 1953, the Patchett Mark II was adopted as the Gun, Sub-machine, 9mm L2A1. During 1955, the Mark III model was introduced. The Patchett name was dropped and replaced with the name Sterling. The official designation was the Sterling Submachine Gun Mk III, L2A2. The Sterling company continued further development of the weapon resulting in a final version designated as the Sterling Mk IV L2A3.

The Sterling Mark IV L2A3 submachine gun was produced in Great Britain by Sterling and the Royal Ordnance Factory at Fazakerly. Submachine guns produced at Sterling had serial number prefixes using the letters “KR,” “S” and “US.” Fazakerley weapons used the prefix “UF.” Production began during 1955-1956 and ceased at Fazakerly in 1959, Sterling in 1988. The Sterling Mark IV L2A3 remained in British service until 1994.

Sterlings destined for British military service had a Sunkorite 259 satin black painted finish. Commercial Sterlings had the black crinkle finish. The British use of the term “commercial” is a bit misleading. Sales to Commonwealth and governments, other than the British military, were considered “commercial” sales. The Sterling was also licensed for manufacture in Canada as the C1 submachine gun and India as the SAF Machine Carbine A1.

For the police market, Sterling introduced a semi-automatic-only version of the Mk IV L2A3 submachine gun called the “Police Carbine.” The Police Carbine was also available to civilians in countries such as South Africa. Sterling ads boasted, “The Sterling submachine gun has been modified for use by police and civilians in troubled parts of the world,” and the “Perfect weapon of self-defense for those obliged to take such precautions.” The Police Carbine operated the same as the submachine gun, firing from an open bolt. The semi-automatic-only function was made possible by adding a block to the selector lever, preventing it from being rotated to the A (automatic) position. It was soon discovered that the Police Carbine could easily be converted to select-fire by removal of the block or installing a submachine gun selector lever. Police Carbines can easily be identified by their serial numbers that began with a letter “P.”

The U.S. Market

During the 1980s, a new breed of firearm was introduced to the U.S. civilian market; copies of military submachine guns and rifles. The big difference was the clones were semi-automatic-only and had to adhere to strict provisions set by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms to make them difficult to convert to full-automatic.

Rifle Caliber

Popular U.S. offerings for the market were Colt’s AR-15 rifle, a civilian version of the U.S. military M16, and the Springfield Armory, Inc. M1A copy of the M14. However, both the aforementioned rifles were available before the 1980s. The M1A rifles went into production in 1971; the Colt AR-15 in 1964. Both became popular when many enthusiasts discovered them in the monthly periodicals of the day, followed by special editions of 1980s magazines focusing entirely on the new breed of semi-automatic firearms and the quickly growing accessory market that soon followed.

Many of the semi-automatic firearms were imported. Companies like Heckler and Koch (HK) offered copies of their .223 caliber HK33 as the HK93 and the .308 G3 as the .308 HK91. Other popular firearms were FN’s Belgian-made SAR (FN FAL), China’s AKS rifles and Austria’s Steyr AUGs. Some of the imports were quite expensive, a few costing twice as much as a Colt AR-15.

Pistol Caliber

U.S.-manufactured pistol caliber semi-automatics included the West Hurley Auto-Ordnance M1927A1 Thompsons, MAC-10s, SWD’s M11/Nine, Nighthawk carbine and Wilkinson Arms Linda pistol and Terry carbines.

Foreign submachine gun copies included the Heckler and Koch MP5 designated in semi-automatic-only guise as the HK94; Action Arms imported semi-automatic models of the famous UZI submachine gun. Some of the lesser known imports of the 1980s were the British Sterling Mark 6 carbine and Mark 7 pistol, semi-automatic copies of the British Mk IV L2A3 submachine gun.

As per the ATF requirements after 1982, the semi-automatics had to operate from a closed-bolt position.

The introduction of the semi-automatic clones occurred prior to May 19, 1986. This allowed the legal registration and conversion of the firearms into machine guns. After May 19, 1986, the laws were changed making full-auto conversions illegal except for what would be known as restricted post-May dealer samples. Many AR-15s, UZIs, AKs and HK94 carbines were converted prior to the cut-off date. One select-fire conversion that was seldom seen was the desirable British Sterling Mk IV L2A3.

Sterling Mark 6 Carbines

The British-made Sterling Mark 6 carbines were imported by Parker Arms and Armscorp of America. However, the majority of the carbines were imported by Lanchester USA of Dallas, Texas. The suggested retail price of a Sterling Mark 6 was nearly double that of the popular UZI carbine in 1983. Due to their high price, limited advertising and availability, only a small number of the Mark 6 carbines were sold in the U.S.

The primary differences between the Sterling Mark 6 carbine and the Mark IV L2A3 submachine gun were the carbine’s 16-inch barrel and its closed-bolt operation. The receiver itself was similar to its submachine gun counterpart. The overall length of the Mark 6 Sterling is 35-inches with the stock extended and 27-inches with the stock folded. The carbine uses the same 34-round magazines as the submachine gun.

Sterling Mark 7 Pistol

The Sterling Mark 7 was a pistol variation of the Mark 6 carbine without a buttstock. The Mark 7 featured a 4-inch barrel extending through an 8-inch long barrel shroud. The pistol came with a 10-round magazine.

An import ban enacted in 1989 ended most of the importation of foreign semi-automatic rifles and carbines.

Police Automatic Weapons Services (PAWS)

Oregon Class II manufacturer, Bob Imel, had an interest in the British Sterling Mk IV L2A3 submachine gun design. To produce a U.S.-made copy of the Sterling, he formed the Police Automatic Weapons Service better known by the initials “PAWS.” During the 1970s Imel began to manufacture parts and receivers many years before the original surplus British Sterling part sets became available. The results of his efforts were the PAWS ZX-5 submachine gun in 9mm and the ZX-7 in .45ACP. The PAWS guns were only slightly different cosmetically than the Sterling Mk IV L2A3 submachine guns. The 9mm ZX-5 was designed to accept unmodified Sten magazines, in place of original Sterling magazines, due to cost and limited availability at the time. Because of the magazine-well configuration that was oriented 90-degrees to the receiver, the PAWS ZX-5 cannot accept original Sterling curved magazines. The .45 caliber ZX-7 model uses modified M-3 Grease Gun magazines. There were only a few hundred transferable ZX submachine guns made and registered, in .45 and 9mm, before production ceased with the enactment of the May 1986 McClure-Volkmer Amendments to the Gun Control Act, banning the manufacture and registration of transferable machine guns.

After the 1986 ban, Mr. Imel decided to create a semi-automatic carbine version of the PAWS submachine gun, in both 9mm, the ZX 6 and .45 ACP the ZX 8, with the parts left over from his machine gun production line. At that time the market for semi-auto submachine gun clones was flourishing. He started with an ATF-approved receiver design that was similar to and built to the same standards as his submachine guns but that used a closed-bolt design. The carbines came fitted with a 16.5-inch barrel and an UZI-type barrel nut. The blow back carbines weighed 7.5-pounds unloaded and were approximately 35-inches long with the stock in an extended position.

Prior to the 1986 machine gun ban, a number of submachine guns were constructed from part sets. Although the receivers could not be imported, it was legal (AFTER ATF approval) to assemble and register a machine gun with a new U.S.-made receiver. Many World War II submachine gun receivers were made of tubing for ease of wartime manufacturing. One of the most popular was the British Sten Mk II, primarily due to a large number of inexpensive parts. Another popular “tube gun” was the German MP40. Made in smaller numbers were the subguns like the Swedish K due to a limited number of spare part sets.

Submachine gun part sets from the Mk IV L2A3 Sterling were conspicuously absent only because the weapon was still in service with the British and many other countries. Although there were a very small number of original Sterlings in the U.S., most were dealer samples. The desirable Sterling submachine gun was seldom encountered in collections or on the firing line. It wasn’t until around 1994 that Sterling part sets began to be imported. However, eight years after the machine gun ban, there were relatively few registered receiver tubes available that had not been assembled into guns.

Stan Andrewski, a Class II manufacturer from New Hampshire, discovered that Sten Mk II receiver tubes shared many of the same dimensions as the Sterling Mk IV L2A3 submachine gun, except for the position and width of the cocking handle slot. The Sten’s slot is located at 50 degrees on its receiver, while the Sterling’s slot is located at a 60-degree position and is narrower than the Sten’s. Mr. Andrewski believed that the Sten-to-Sterling conversion had merit and sought permission from the Firearms Technology Branch of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for the conversion. Although ATF eventually granted permission for the Sten-to-Sterling conversion, narrowing of the cocking handle slot was not permitted. This hurdle was overcome by modifying the cocking handle, so the interior portion engages the bolt while the exterior handle travels in the 10-degree offset slot. This is achieved by cutting off the handle section itself and then MIG welding it back at a slightly lower position. The cocking handle has flange added to it, so it fits properly in the wider slot and retains the bolt at the correct angle. The cocking handle and cocking handle block are modified by drilling a hole in each, so the plunger protrudes through them to secure the cocking handle. This makes it a little harder to remove the cocking handle because the plunger must be depressed with a small diameter pin punch, while at the same time pulling outward on the cocking handle sometimes requiring a third hand to accomplish. Due to Mr. Andrewski’s efforts, a number of transferable Sten guns were reconfigured into Sterling submachine guns. Florida Class II manufacturer Don Quinnell also began performing the conversions. Finally, after many years, a transferable “Sterling” submachine gun was available!

Since the initial conversions were approved in 1997, a small number of virgin pre-1986 registered DLO, and a few Wilson-made receiver tubes have surfaced with a Sterling-spec narrow cocking handle slot, allowing an unaltered cocking handle to be used. This quickly resulted in the Sten-tube conversions with the wider cocking handle slot to be snubbed by some and bestowed with the rather condescending nickname “Stenlings.” However, in reality, both are still just “tube guns,” in turn probably slighted by the handful of fortunate owners of “real” British-made Sterling Mk IV L2A3 submachine guns.

With a large number of Sterling parts kits (less receivers) being imported, it was only a matter of time before someone would begin assembling the parts into a semi-automatic carbine. To comply with U.S. laws, the carbines had to have a barrel with a minimum length of 16 inches. Wise Lite Arms of Boyd, Texas, produced a semi-auto carbine and pistol version of the classic Sterling. The carbines were assembled using a mix of newly made U.S. parts (bolt and barrel) and parts from demilitarized Sterling Mark IV parts kits. The Wise Lite carbines operate from a closed bolt to comply with U.S. laws. The pistol version lacking a butt stock has a 4.5-inch barrel.

There aren’t a lot of original accessories available for Sterlings, other than slings, magazine pouches and bayonets. Spare parts kits can still be found; however, many of the kits were bought by fans of the “Star Wars” films. The weapons carried by the Storm Troopers in the films were Sterlings modified for a futuristic look.

(Dan’s note: most of the original “Star Wars” used Sterlings were deactivated to UK standard and sold on the market in the UK.)

The Smatchet was developed by Lt. Col. William Fairbairn for use by British Commandos of the SOE and SAS, and was later manufactured in the U.S. and adopted for use by the OSS. A massive close combat weapon with an 11 inch blade and 16 inches overall, it was heavy, balanced and combined the features of both the machete and bolo. The leaf-shaped blade is sharpened the entire length along the bottom and the front half along the top and allows it to be used for slashing, thrusting or chopping an opponent.

By Robert G. Segel

Except for Germany and Japan, the world was ill prepared for World War II. Military budgets had been cut, troop numbers reduced, tactics continued to be rooted in old ways, new technology ignored and research and development curtailed. Suddenly in September 1939, the world was stunned by the assault on Poland by Germany and Europe was once again being torn apart by a vicious war. Poland fell, France fell, Belgium fell, Italy joined Germany and Russia and England were faced with beating back the German advances. The U.S. provided material aid but tried to stay out of it.

Japan was expanding her empire and invaded China in the 1930s. Then in December of 1941, Japan attacked the U.S. at Pearl Harbor and later the Philippines fell, the Dutch East Indies fell, other Pacific islands were occupied and Australia was in danger of being invaded.

Unlike World War I that was stagnant and rooted in trench warfare, the new world war was swift and mobile. Modern technology of the time of aircraft, land machines and more efficient weapons dictated new tactics. With this came a sudden surge in research and development in everything imaginable in an effort to counter every threat. Secrecy, stealth, spying and clandestine operations suddenly were very real and necessary. Along with the spying side, the high number of aircrews that were shot down and captured demanded a wide range of materials to enhance the capabilities of escape and evasion. Truly, necessity is the mother of invention.

False information, secret meetings, coded messages, secrecy, lies, stealth, moles, double agents, dead drops, bribery, blackmail, assassination, couriers, saboteurs, concealment, interrogation, analysis, capture, interrogation, imprisonment, torture, false documents, tunnels, escape, evasion and execution – all are just some of the words associated with spying and clandestine operations or evading or escaping from captivity.

Novels, movies and television romanticize the game, but the reality is that the vast majority of such work, particularly in peacetime, is relatively safe and mundane information gathering and checking facts. Yet the stakes were high, lives at stake, and field agents and operatives, particularly in times of war, do indeed go in harm’s way with agents suffering the fate of immediate execution and escapees harsh punishment or execution at the hands of their captors.

World War II was the impetus for the development of specific services that focused on clandestine operations that also dovetailed into the art of escape and evasion for agents and downed pilots, aircrew and prisoners of war. In the U.S., the OSS (Office of Strategic Services, later after the war becoming the CIA – Central Intelligence Agency), the British SOE (Special Operations Executive), MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6 – Intelligence) and MI9 (Military Intelligence, Section 9 – Escape and Evasion) developed the many tools of the trade for all sorts of clandestine operations.

Inherent in these types of operations, operatives or soldiers must master many skills, among them close combat weapons that generally included knives, coshes and garrotes and specialty firearms. Some are designed as an offensive weapon to eliminate a guard or sentry in a swift and silent attack while others are a last ditch self-defense weapon to be used when no other means are available and life is immediately at risk.

Close combat is the ultimate battle – one on one and face to face. It calls upon the very fiber of self-preservation as there can be no mistakes. There is only one winner resulting in either the death of the opponent or the opportunity to disable or distract the opponent to enable escape from the situation.

Some weapons were specifically designed and adopted as issue equipment for field use such as the OSS Stiletto, Smatchet, Mark-1 Garrote and the suppressed High Standard pistol. But it was the British SOE, MI6 and MI9 that excelled in the art of deception, spying and escape and evasion during the war. Because so much was new, and untested, operatives had great leeway in obtaining commercially made items that they felt were necessary and were comfortable using. Surprisingly, the most common secondary knife used was the trusty Boy Scout knife. Yet there are a number of sleeve daggers, lapel daggers, stilettos, frisk knives, spike daggers, gravity knives, garrotes, blackjacks, the Welrod or Hi-Standard suppressed pistols, etc., that are attributed to various agencies as part of their close combat or escape and evasion arsenal of equipment. Some of them were, but the majority of special purpose blades were produced commercially, mostly in Great Britain, for private purchase and did not appear in official records or equipment lists. There is no evidence that these were ever used in actual operations let alone credited with an actual “kill.” While these specialized blades were designed for use by operatives, and were purchased by them, they appear to be more a souvenir than an actual field service item. That is not to say that they were not in fact taken into the field. As is often the case, an item designed for a perceived need is far from practical for the actual need. Nevertheless, such items offer an insight to the life and death world of clandestine operations.

The M1A1 Thompson is heavy, loud and as effective downrange as a bulldozer, just like the Americans who carried it. Though technically obsolete at the beginning of World War II, the Thompson saw active service until the Vietnam war.

By Will Dabbs, MD

The Four Preeminent World War II Submachine Guns Shoot It Out for Supremacy

What happens when you get a group of friends together to do some recreational blasting and suddenly realize that you have representative samples of each of the submachine guns used by the major powers who fought the war in Europe in WWII? You burn through a lot of ammunition and spark some spirited technical discourse.

Pistol-caliber submachine guns have lost their allure these days in favor of compact, rifle-caliber platforms that provide better penetration and greater range. However, there was a time when the submachine gun was the ultimate cool-guy iron. Troops of all flavors in World War II bartered for them and even used captured examples of foreign guns when ammunition was available. What is fascinating, however, is to appreciate the disparate mindsets that drove each of the main powers in the European Theater in World War II to design the weapons that they produced and employ them so differently.

USA

American submachine guns in World War II were much like the Americans who carried them—loud, heavy, and undeniably effective. Firing the enormous .45 ACP cartridge, the early 1928 Thompson weighed nearly eleven pounds when equipped with a fully-loaded magazine. The Thompson was technically obsolete at the outset of the Second World War, yet it soldiered on for lack of an appropriate replacement all the way to war’s end. The heavy forged receiver and fire control group were expensive and difficult to manufacture, but legendarily robust as a result. The simplified M1 and M1A1 Thompsons dispensed with the finned barrel and Cutts compensator as well as simplified the bolt assembly, but they were still difficult to manufacture. A M1 Thompson cost the U.S. government about $45 to produce back during the war.

The erstwhile replacement for the Thompson was the M3 Grease Gun. By contrast, the Grease Gun was built entirely of steel and was designed for ease of manufacture. The M3 set the government back about $18 per copy. The Grease Gun exhibited a remarkably slow rate of fire of around 450 rounds per minute and was either loved or hated by its users. The utilitarian appearance of the weapon was objectionable to many troops raised on forged steel and oiled walnut.

In American usage, submachine guns were specialist weapons used primarily by tankers, MPs and paratroopers. I have a friend who fought in the Infantry, all the way from North Africa through Sicily and up through Italy and Monte Cassino, who told me he never saw an American submachine gun in combat. Greatly coveted by front-line soldiers, submachine guns were cherished treasures when they could be obtained.

UK

More than the other three countries profiled herein, Great Britain was in a fight for its life early in World War II. Finding itself bereft of weapons after the miraculous evacuation at Dunkirk, the British were desperate for small arms. They purchased thousands of Thompsons in exchange for gold early in the war, as there simply was no other option available in quantity. With their backs literally at the ocean, the British Army needed a submachine gun that could be produced cheaply and rapidly. Tactical functionality had to take a back seat to these considerations, but the resulting weapon was still surprisingly effective.

Designed by R.V. Shepherd and H.J. Turpin at the Enfield manufacturing plant, the Sten took its name from these three sources. Alternately referred to as the “Woolworth Gun,” “The Plumber’s Delight,” and “The Stench Gun,” the Sten was (and is) undeniably bug ugly. The Sten evolved through several marks and the final Mk V sported nice wooden furniture, high quality sights, and a bayonet lug. The Mk IIS and Mk VI variants were the world’s first sound-suppressed submachine guns in common use.

Thousands of Stens were airdropped into occupied Europe for use by the Resistance against the Germans and the sound-suppressed version was state-of-the-art spy gear for its day. The story goes that a partisan attempted to execute deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini with a Sten gun only to have it misfire. A comrade subsequently did the deed with a Thompson.

The British issued Stens to Airborne troops, as well as officers and NCOs of other branches whose duties were better suited to a small, portable automatic firearm. While Stens were produced by the million in a variety of Marks, they typically cost about $9 to build. One of the brilliant aspects of the Sten’s design was that its component parts could be manufactured in small shops that were readily dispersed and concealed. The tolerances on the Sten are such that it was fairly forgiving regarding quality control.

USSR

The Soviet Union in World War II was essentially a peasant nation in possession of tremendous natural resources. Adolph Hitler, hungry for Russian raw materials and with a legendary disdain for anyone lacking blonde hair and blue eyes (Hitler’s own hair was brown, by the way), launched Operation Barbarossa in June of 1941 with the intent of securing the USSR’s vast resources for himself. Soviet defenders were initially violently thrown back until the heartless Russian winter ground the German offensive to a halt. In times of dire national crisis the Soviet submachine guns reflected the Russian character—robust, simple and plentiful.

While the stories of the PPS-43 being delivered directly from the manufacturing plants to the front lines a few blocks away are commonly known, the marginally more refined PPSh has more sex appeal. Designed by Georgi Shpagin and known to the Russians by his surname eponym, the PPSh fired a bottlenecked high-velocity 7.62x25mm cartridge at a prodigious rate of fire. The weapons were constructed predominantly of sheet steel stampings and fed from either a 35-round box magazine or a 71-round drum. The PPSh, equipped with its characteristic drum magazine, became a visual icon that personified Russian nationalism in their fight to the death with Nazi Germany.

In contrast to other combatant nations in WWII, the Soviets fully embraced the concept of the submachine gun as an Infantry combat arm. They at times equipped entire battalions solely with submachine guns and used them to tremendous effect in the brutal street fighting that characterized their push back across their homeland and into Germany. The overwhelming firepower afforded by massed formations firing submachine guns most have been utterly overwhelming at close ranges.

Germany

The Germans have a well-deserved reputation for superlative engineering. Many of the well-known German manufacturing firms today had their genesis in military production generations ago. For example, BMW produced aircraft engines, Porsche built tank turrets, and Mercedes turned out military trucks. As has been the case for our other three examples, German small arms reflect their national identity.

Until the necessities of war drove them to cut corners, German military small arms were works of art. Handling Luger P08 pistols or MG34 machine guns manufactured in the late 1930s is a breathtaking exercise for the engineering-savvy firearms enthusiast. In the case of submachine guns, the Germans struggled to standardize. Roughly half a dozen disparate submachine gun designs found their way into the ranks of the Wermacht and Waffen-SS in the early days of the war until martial necessity drove the Waffenamt to settle on a single design.

The MP38 was a revolutionary weapon. For starters, it was all steel and synthetic materials, with no wood of any sort. While the MP38 incorporated a machined receiver that was fairly difficult to produce, the more common MP40 that replaced it was an exercise in sheet steel art.

More than a million MP40 submachine guns rolled off the lines in WWII and they equipped every branch of the German military. The Germans used MP40s heavily among paratroopers and tank crews and also issued them to officers and NCOs who needed a small, portable weapon to facilitate leadership duties. Anecdotal evidence supports the issue of MP40s to troops in combat, particularly on the Eastern Front, as a reward for valor and exceptional combat effectiveness.

Magazines

Thompson magazines were of a double stack design and subsequently easily loaded with nothing more specialized than a standard set of human fingers. The magazines for the M3 Grease Gun, the Sten and the MP40 were double stack designs that tapered to a single column for presentation of rounds into the breach. As a result, they required a dedicated magazine loader and were incrementally less reliable in action as a result. All three can be loaded using a small dowel or piece of wood in a pinch, but it gets tedious quickly, particularly when those last few rounds are topped off.

The drum magazine for the PPSh is a fairly complex piece of kit that was nonetheless reliable and effective in combat, due in large part to the fact that the mechanism was well sealed against the elements. These drums, like all drum magazines, are tedious to load and noisy in operation because of the rounds clattering around inside during movement. In addition, when fully loaded they are fairly heavy and ungainly as a result.

Trigger Time

To call a Thompson a boat anchor does disservice to boat anchors. The Thompson is ridiculously heavy when fully loaded. Also, no disrespect to the near-religious acolytes of the Thompson gun, the general design is pretty wretched. The weight is in the rear of the weapon and the axis of recoil is significantly above the buttstock. These two factors are a perfect recipe for muzzle climb. The Thompson can be controlled and kept on target, even on long bursts, but it requires experience, attention and careful application of body weight. Lean into the gun and let the recoil press against gravity for best results. Additionally, the M1A1 Thompson cycles at a spunky 700 rpm and trigger control is important as a result to manage ammunition expenditure.

On the plus side, a cloud of .45 ACP rounds will stop anything that breathes. The controls are fairly well laid out for right-handed operators and the bolt locks open on the last round fired. As a result, the operator need only swap magazines and squeeze the trigger to keep the gun in action. This exercise is easier and faster than on most any other military small arm of any generation.

The Sten gun just sticks out all over the place and can seem ungainly as a result. The side-mounted magazine facilitates shooting from the prone position, no small attribute considering this is where most tactical firing is undertaken. The other three competitors must be turned sideways or fired blindly to accomplish the same end, but this feed geometry makes the gun difficult to carry comfortably while slung. All but the Mk III have a swiveling magazine well that may be rotated closed when the gun is stored or exposed to mud and fouling.

The sedate rate of fire of the Sten makes it imminently controllable with trivial training, but the ergonomics are fairly poor. There is no safety per se, though the fire selector is a convenient push-through button accessible with the trigger finger. The T-stock is positively horrid and the loop stock only marginally better. The sights are fixed and welded in place so the zero of the gun is driven by the whim of the welder in question. The magazine release is thick, heavy and difficult to manipulate in a rush.

Firing the PPSh is an altogether unique experience. The gun cycles very quickly, akin to a MAC-10, and ejects the empties straight up into the air. In short order the operator resigns himself to firing a burst, letting the empties rain down on his head, and firing another burst. The effect when three hundred Russian soldiers were firing shoulder-to-shoulder en masse must have been remarkable.

Even with a heavy drum magazine in place, the PPSh requires attention to keep bursts on target given its high rate of fire and were it not for the 71-round capacity of the drum, the gun would run dry with alarming rapidity in action. The fire selector is a pivoting lever within the trigger guard and is easy enough to manipulate. The magazine release is a pivoting lever behind the magazine itself and is fairly easy to use in action.

The MP40 is smooth, accurate, and controllable. The rate of fire is around 500 rpm and its slow cadence makes burst control a joy. The long telescoping recoil system makes the MP40 hands down the most pleasant of the four guns to shoot. However, the design is quite front heavy and difficult to keep in a ready position for extended periods as a result. Additionally, the folding stock is not particularly comfortable and tends to wobble badly over time. In their defense, the German engineers who designed it likely never imagined having a geek like me pick apart their design seventy years after they produced the guns en masse trying desperately to win a global war.

Final Thoughts

The Thompson brings the most firepower to the table, but the prospect of having to hump the thing on a twelve mile forced march is the stuff of nightmares. The Sten does a magnificent job given the desperate circumstances surrounding its production, but being issued such a crude weapon on which to trust your life must have been demoralizing. The PPSh was a devastating CQB tool at close quarters but large formations of soldiers would have consumed vast quantities of ammunition and it would be easy to burn through your basic load quickly in action. The MP40 is a magnificent piece of engineering but at nine pounds and with so much of that weight so far forward, following the thing around corners and through room clearing drills can become agonizing.

So, the bottom line, all four guns are sitting on a table and you have to pick one to use for real. Which one would it be? For me, much to my surprise, I think it would be the Sten. The light weight and slow rate of fire seem to make it the most efficient and practical tactical tool. It certainly has its shortcomings and the decision is not without reservations, but if an MP44 is not a handy alternative the Sten wins in my book, though by a narrow margin over the MP40.

Your mileage may vary, and opinions are like certain unmentionable excretory anatomical structures, everybody has one. However, in the final analysis the Sten puts its rounds most readily on target, best lends itself to being carried around tactically for long periods, and allows relatively accurate fire from the most common firing positions legitimately used in combat. Whoever would have thought?

Sten Mk II submachine gun and magazines.

By Frank Iannamico

During World War II there were an estimated forty-two million magazines produced for the British Sten submachine gun. Today, Sten magazines are very easy to find on the surplus market and usually very inexpensive. Because of their availability and low price, Sten magazines have been adopted for use in a number of modern firearms, both as issued and in modified form. With such a proliferation of Sten magazines one has to wonder just why anyone would choose to make new ones.

During 1940, the British were in dire need of small arms. The British Lanchester submachine gun and its magazine were a close copy of the German MP28 II submachine gun. The reason for choosing that particular weapon was the manufacturing drawings had been made earlier from two weapons that were in British hands. The existing German magazine and the submachine gun were copied instead of designing a new one to save precious time. The German’s MP28II magazine was the same basic configuration later used for their MP38-MP40 magazines. A similar magazine, in a 32-round configuration, was adopted for the British Sten submachine gun for the same reason. The double-stack single-feed magazine design is a configuration that requires a strong spring in order to force the cartridges into a single row at the top. The spring makes the single feed magazine difficult to load by hand, requiring the use of a loading tool, and places a lot of force on the magazine feed lips. The double-stack double-feed design, as was used in the Thompson submachine gun, is far more reliable and much easier to load by hand.

Sten magazines were produced by a large number of contractors and subcontractors. The magazines were fabricated from sheet metal, with the manufacturing process of the body varying slightly by manufacturer. A thick steel collar was spot welded to the top of the magazine’s body to form the feed lips. The floor plate was made of sheet metal and bent to slide onto the rails formed on the bottom of the magazine body. The floor plate was held in place by a protrusion on a plate attached to the bottom of the magazine spring.

Early Sten magazines proved problematic and were redesigned by eliminating the holes in the rear of the magazine (used to determine how many rounds were in the magazine) and adding a cross brace to connect the legs of the follower to keep them from spreading apart and dragging on the magazine body. The new magazines were designated as the Mk2 design. Many of the earlier magazines were upgraded when processed through a British Factory Thorough Repair program (FTR).

The primary contributing factor of the Sten magazine’s functioning problems is the feed lips’ propensity to spread apart when loaded, changing the critical feed angle of the top cartridge. The condition exists because of the stiff spring inherent of the design.

After Market Sten Magazines

This brings us back to the question of just why aftermarket Sten magazines exist. One of the primary problems with original Sten magazines is that they are 70 plus years old. Springs have a finite life, and the sheet metal parts can suffer from metal fatigue and corrosion. The new manufacture Sten magazines are made of modern materials and to closer tolerances than possible during World War II. When the Sten magazine conversions for the M11/Nine submachine gun were introduced, there was a small run of Sten new magazine springs produced in an attempt to make the magazines more reliable. As a general rule, aftermarket magazines are not as reliable as original factory production. However, the reproduction Sten magazines seem to be the exception. Currently there are two known sources for new manufacture Sten magazines.

TAPCO is a well-known wholesale company based in Georgia that specializes in the accessory market for firearms. One of the products the company offers is a U.S. made, 32-round Sten magazine made from a modern composite polymer material. The spring is made of corrosion resistant stainless steel, the floor plate is steel and the follower is made from the same polymer as the body. The magazines were originally designed for MasterPiece Arms’ 9mm Defender Series of semiautomatic MAC type pistols. The Defender pistols were originally designed to use metal Sten magazines, but as suitable surplus magazines could no longer be found in the quantity needed, the Company persuaded TAPCO to manufacture new ones. They also offer a magazine loader, although the magazines used in the evaluation could be loaded with an original Sten box type loading tool. According to their website, all TAPCO products have a lifetime guarantee.

The second source of new manufacture Sten magazines is an online company called KeepShooting.com. The company, in business since 2002, is located in southern Maryland and sells firearms, firearm accessories, military surplus and ammunition. The Sten magazines offered by Keep Shooting are all steel and exact reproductions of the originals. The company website states: “The magazines are guaranteed to fit and function reliably in any Sten submachine gun, including the Sten Mk I and each of its many variants. This magazine is also compatible with the MPA-30. The body of the magazine, which is designed to hold and feed 32-rounds of 9x19mm Parabellum ammunition to your firearm, is constructed from hardened steel that has been fully heat treated. It also boasts a black Teflon-based finish for enhanced protection against rust and corrosion. Additionally, both the steel spring and follower are precision manufactured to provide for reliable feeds on a consistent basis. The Keepshooting.com Sten magazine is a reproduction of the original Sten magazine, which was a direct copy of the MP-38 magazine. As such, it may still suffer from the reliability issues characteristic of the original design, as our modern manufacturing techniques are not capable of correcting inherent design flaws. If properly maintained, your Keepshooting.com Sten magazine should perform well.”

As advertised, the Sten magazines appear to be very well made. The company website lists the manufacturer as the KeepShooting.com products house-brand. Several efforts were made to contact the company by both phone and email to inquire where the magazines were manufactured. No one answering the phone at the company knew the answer, nor could locate anyone that did. There were no replies to several emails. Judging from the construction and finish of the magazines an educated guess would be South Korea, based on features and construction of other magazines known to be produced there. There are some magazines advertised on the Keep Shooting website that specifically state “not Korean made.” The Sten magazines ad on the site did not include that statement. These particular Sten magazines seem to be only available from this company, so not revealing their source is understandable.

The Field Test

Both the TAPCO and Keep Shooting magazines were tested in a British Mark II Sten, Mark V Sten, Sterling and a Lanchester submachine gun – weapons all designed to use Sten magazines. Ammunition for the test varied from reloads to new full metal jacket with a variety of 115, 125 and 147 grain bullets.

Fit

The Lanchester submachine gun could not be used for the operational test because none of the aftermarket magazines being evaluated would fit into the brass magazine well. Original World War II manufactured 32-round Sten and 50-round Lanchester magazines fit with no problem. During World War II, Sten submachine guns and magazines were assembled from parts supplied by numerous manufacturers both large companies and small workshops. As such the parts were made to generous tolerances. To expand the magazine fit-test beyond the four test guns, the new magazines were then checked in several Sten magazine housings from parts sets and the magazines fit with no problem. One of the magazine housings was from a Lanchester part set. The Keep Shooting magazines fit, but the TAPCO mags did not.

Function

As stated earlier, the primary problem with original Sten magazines is the spreading of the feed lips, which changes the feed angle and leads to failure to feed stoppages. Loading the magazines to full capacity will aggravate this condition. If you leave original Sten magazines fully loaded over an extended period of time, you will probably encounter functioning problems. The feed lips of the new magazines were measured and the feed angle checked. The magazines were then loaded to capacity and stored for several months. The magazines were removed from storage and measured again. The feed lips of all the magazines remained in spec. The acid test was to test fire them. Seven of the Keep Shooting and four of the TAPCO magazines were loaded and tested twice. They were fired in two different Sten variants and a Sterling submachine gun. There were a few stoppages encountered in firing 700-plus rounds, but none could be directly attributed to a magazine malfunction.

Summary

The aftermarket magazines functioned very well in the test; they proved to be more reliable than original World War II magazines. The cost of the new manufacture magazines is comparable with original 32-round surplus mags, and there is no storage grease or Cosmoline to remove.

Sources

TAPCO
www.tapco.com/

Keep Shooting
Phone (877) 703-2767
www.keepshooting.com/

This article is intended to complement Anthony Williams’ article published in last month’s SAR (Vol. 15, No. 4, January 2012) dedicated to .5-inch Vickers guns and ammunition in order to present some of the feed systems used with those weapons. Both fabric belts and metal disintegrating links are presented for four main types of .5-inch Vickers ammunition, namely the earliest belted .600/.500-inch, the rimless 12.7×81, the semi-rimmed 12.7x81SR and the high velocity semi-rimmed 12.7x120R.

Feeding the Early Vickers in .600/.500-inch

Early .5-inch aircraft Vickers machine guns used the belted .600/.500-inch cartridge. The feeding was achieved by means of a complex and over-engineered disintegrating metallic link using no less than 5 separate rings. The ammunition itself is nowadays an extremely sought after specimen and only available in the world’s most advanced collections. The known surviving links are only a handful nowadays and are probably among the scarcest British disintegrating link for collectors.

Feeding the British Service .5-inch Vickers for the Rimless 12.7×81

The rimless 12.7×81 Vickers ammunition was adopted for British Service in 1924 and is also referred to as the .5”V/580. This ammunition was used in British Service both on Land, Sea and in the Air.

Land Service .5-inch Vickers

On Land, the Mark II, IV and V water-cooled tank guns were fed with a 100-round fabric belt referenced as Mark I. The belt is composed of two strips of cotton fabrics assembled together with riveted brass spacers. Both ends of the belt are fitted with a brass starter tang intended to facilitate the introduction of the belt into the feed block. The starter tangs are marked with the caliber designation, the belt capacity and the manufacturer’s code. One starter tang only also bears inspection markings. The brass spacers are slightly chamfered at the top ends in order to positively seat the shoulder of the cartridge case in the belt. Before World War 2, belts are produced by the company Vickers-Armstrongs Limited and are not dated. During World War 2, belts are produced by the company Thomas French & Sons of Manchester. This company specialized in the production of a very wide range of belts and links in various calibers. These wartime belts by Thomas French are marked with month and date of production.

Naval Service .5-inch Vickers

The water-cooled naval Mark III .5-inch Vickers weapons, most frequently encountered on the quadruple Mark M anti-aircraft mount are fed with a 200-round belt assembled with metallic disintegrating links and wrapped around a spool.

Two types of links were in service. The standard link is of the model Mark II Navy and denoted II N. The link design is a direct scale-up version of the Prideaux links developed by the inventor during WW1 for the .303 Vickers aircraft weapon. The links are marked with the weapon designation .5VMG or .5MG, the model of link II N and the manufacturer’s code. According to the large amount of links used during WW2, at least nine different British manufacturers produced those Mark II N links. For example, the company British Pens Limited of Birmingham (marking BP) produced 14,198,000 Mark II N links during WW2.

With the standard Mark II N links, the connection of belt sections with one another usually requires that a loose cartridge be inserted into the trailing links of each belt. In order to enable the connection of two belt sections together without the need to remove and insert a cartridge, a dedicated connecting link was designed and referenced Connecting Link Mark I Navy and denoted I N. This link is fitted with a half-open central loop which can be directly snapped into the last cartridge of the adjacent belt. This connecting link is marked with the weapon designation .5MG, model of link I N and manufacturer’s code. According to their specific use, these connecting links were produced in a much smaller quantity than the standard Mark II N links. It is suspected that probably only very few manufacturers produced these joining links. So far, the author has only come across Mark I N Connecting Links manufactured by the company British Pens Limited (BP), but there are probably other productions.

Air Service .5-inch Vickers

The .5-inch Vickers was involved in British Air Service with the air-cooled Vickers Class B weapons. Only very few weapons were actually acquired by the British War Office for test purposes. These aircraft weapons were fed with simplified and lightened disintegrating links. These Class B links are nowadays rarely encountered.

Feeding Weapons for the Semi-Rimmed Export 12.7x81SR Vickers Ammunition

According to the British War Office requirements, the Vickers Company was only permitted to export .5-inch weapons using a slightly modified cartridge case to make it semi-rimmed which makes it 12.7x81SR. The Vickers designation of that ammunition was .5”V/565.

Vickers exported a few tens of aircraft weapons chambered for that caliber to Japan and Siam. The disintegrating links used with those exported weapons have not been definitively identified. It is however suspected that the links are the same as those used with the Class B aircraft weapons but this is only speculation pending documented evidence.

Feeding Italian Weapons in 12.7x81SR

Italy adopted the semi-rimmed cartridge 12.7x81SR for their aircraft weapons of domestic design.

The Breda-SAFAT aircraft weapons are fed with disintegrating links of the Prideaux design similar to those used with the British Mark III Naval weapons. Italian made links can be readily identified by the markings exhibiting the Italian manufacturers’ code and the month and year of production. No connecting link was used by Italy. It is not known to the author whether Hungary domestically produced any links to feed their Breda-SAFAT.

The other major Italian aircraft weapons chambered for 12.7x81SR is the Scotti-Isotta Fraschini, which also uses disintegrating links. This weapon uses a feed mechanism where the cartridge is pushed through the links that therefore requires belt links of specific design.

Specimens of Italian push-through links with “hook-and-eye” connection design are known from surviving specimens bearing the markings Mod. 42. It is currently unknown to the author whether these are a late variant of links for the standard Scotti weapons or specific links for another weapon. Any comments by readers would be most appreciated.

Feeding Japanese Weapons in 12.7x81SR

Japan adopted the semi-rimmed 12.7x81SR cartridge to feed the Ho-103 aircraft weapon that was derived from the U.S. .50 cal. Browning. The feeding is achieved with disintegrating links which, unsurprisingly, are derived from the U.S. Browning .50 cal. Links M1. Japanese links are either unmarked or marked with the manufacture’s logo.

Feeding the High Velocity Vickers Class D for Semi-Rimmed 12.7x120R

The water-cooled High Velocity Vickers Class D chambered for 12.7x120SR was fed with disintegrating links. This weapon was never adopted by Britain and only very few specimens were sold to Asian countries. Accordingly surviving specimens of the links are nowadays rarely encountered. Links observed so far are unmarked.