Last Ditch 1939

roofcore(55)

Published in

#guns

Words

759

Reading

4 min

Listen

Play

This is an overview of the British submachine gun developments and serves as an important lesson that the 11th hour is the worst time to kick into gear.

What is a submachine gun?

A submachine gun is effectively a small machine gun. What differentiates an smg from a regular mg is the fact that it is designed to fire a pistol cartridge like 9x19mm or .45ACP. This allows for longer bursts that are more controllable in exchange for longrange power. The subgun works optimally in close to mid range against unarmored targets. Both the size and the manageable recoil made it the kind of confined spaces for decades. Though their days of practical use are waning, they were once the king of the streets and a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

Now for the main attraction

Why the British did not adopt a submachine gun seems perplexing to many. The French had the MAS 38, Germany had the MP38 and MP40, Soviet PPDs and PPSHs were about, but nothing from the island nation. Some say it was because the British turned their nose up at the concept of a small automatic weapon. There are stories (though sources are sparse) of British generals referring to smgs as “gangster’s weapons”. The more probable reason is that the British strategies of WW1 which utilized the infantry rifle and mounted machine guns as the backbone of their armed forces was not improved over time. Whatever the reason, the Brits had no submachine gun.

By 1939 the need for one became evident as reports from the German conquests across mainland Europe showed that the face of war had changed and the current British strategies were totally outmoded. As a stop-gap solution, the British Army purchased Thompson smgs from The United States as part of the “Cash and Carry” program. In accordance with this Act, the US could sell tools of war and aide to allied nations provided the recipient paid upfront in gold bullion, transported the goods themselves, and assumed all risks. This allowed for some sweet pictures of Winston Churchill,

but at the equivalent of $2300 per unit in gold reserves and a 2 way trip across the Atlantic in wait time, it was a terrible solution.

1940 the pressure on an impending Nazi invasion on mainland UK is stifling. Following the harrowing rescues on Dunkirk, reports came in from all military branches that they needed a submachine gun, and they needed it yesterday. The Air Force wanted them for landing strip defense and also as a pilot’s gun, the Navy needed it because the SMLE rifle was too large and terrible for boarding. The Army needed them because the strategies of trench warfare were long gone and their armaments had gone with them. The British Armed forces needed a new gun, and they needed it fast.

Following Dunkirk, the Enfield factory was commissioned to build a gun to fill the role. They began work on reverse engineering MP-28 smgs captured in Ethiopia. Less than a year later, the first orders were placed for this new gun. Dubbed the Lanchester, after the owner of the manufacturing facility, it was almost a raw copy of the MP-28. The stock was a modified SMLE style, the sights were simplified, and the semiautomatic function was cut altogether.

This was a huge step in the right direction for a simplified smg, but the British still needed more and in faster production. Throughout the production life of the Lanchester, around 80,000 were produced. They could be made for 1/5th the cost of buying a Thompson and they could be fielded far faster. Almost as soon as the Lanchester was produced, engineers at Enfield began work on a more spartan design than this to arm the soldiers for the upcoming invasion of the strongest single military in the then world. I will cover 1942-1945 in a follow up post.

Lanchester’s reputation

The Lanchester was a very well made gun and as a result was formally in service in nonpriority roles until the 90’s. The vast majority were transferred off when the British navy sold their older vessels to other nations.