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| Collecting British WW2 airborne militaria |
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Uniforms |
Insignia |
Headgear |
Equipment |
Weapons |
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On this page you will find a brief description of the various weapons used by the airborne forces. Please note this page is under construction. The Lee Enfield No4 rifle 
As early as 1924 the first designs were made for a replacement of the No1MkIII* rifle. The first No4MkVI was produced in 1931 but mass production began as late as 1940. It was more accurate than its predecessor due to a longer sight base, and it had a larger magazine capacity and a faster bolt action than many other rifles. It as also produced in Canada (Long Branch), the USA under lend lease contracts (Savage) and India (Ishapore). The Lee Enfield rifle remained in service until 1955, the sniper version No4MkI(T) even remained in service until the early nineties! Parachutists sometimes used the rifle valise during the descend to protect the rifle. A simple spike bayonet could be fitted with a round (MkII) or cruciform (MkI) blade. Calibre: 0.303" or 7,7mm Lenght: 44.43" or 1129mm Weight: 9.125lb or 4.14kg Muzzle velocity: 2465 ft/sec or 715 m/s Magazine capacity: 10 rounds The Enfield No2MkI revolver 
The Enfield revolver No2 was designed to replace the heavy .455 Webley&Scott revolver: many experienced soldiers had died in WWI and it prooved too hard to handle by unexperienced troops. Webley&Scott made a design in 1931 firing a lighter 0.38 S&W round. Captain Boys (Assistant Superintendant of Design at the War Office) made slight alterations to its design, and a contract for it was awarded to the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield after its approval on 2 June 1932.The cocking spur on the hammer prooved to be a dangerous feature inside armoured vehicles, so in June 1938 the double action No2MkI* was designed whithout this spur. Most existing stock of the No2MkI was converted into No2MkI* and the grips were changed from wood to plastic. It was also produced by Albion Motors Ltd from Scotland and Howard Auto Cultivators from Australia (very small numbers only). A further simplification came in 1942: the No2MkI** did not have a safety stop. The Enfield revolver was eventually replaced by the Browning HP in 1963. Calibre: 0.38" or 9,65mm Lenght: 10.25" or 260mm Weight: 1.68lb or 0,766kg Muzzle velocity: 600ft/sec or 183m/s Magazine capacity: 6 rounds The Browning High Power pistol 
The pistol was designed in 1925 by John M. Browning but manufactured first with some modifications by the Belgian firm FN in 1935. It was adopted by Belgium, Denmark, Lithuania, Rumania and the Netherlands. At the outbreak of war the designs were taken to the UK and handed over to the John Inglis Company in Toronto Canada who then produced large numbers for China, Canada and Britain. It was favoured by Commonwealth special forces for its rugged design and high magazine capacity. A special webbing ammunition pouch was issued that held 2 spare magazines.Calibre: 0.354" or 9mm Lenght: 7.75" or 197mm Weight: 2.44lb or 1,01kg Muzzle velocity: 1150ft/sec or 345m/s Magazine capacity: 13 rounds The Sten MkII sub machine gun 
The Sten is named after its designers Shepperd and Turpin and the RSAF at Enfield. The MkII was approved in June 1941, its design basically being a dressed down MkI. It was manufactured in the UK, Canada and New Zealand (small numbers only). The total production number ran over 2,500,000 pieces, and they were issued to all arms of services and dropped into Europe for partizans. A small number of airborne troops used a crude clip-on spike bayonet.Large numbers fell into German hands who renamed it the MP749(E). Calibre: 0.354" or 9mm Lenght: 30" or 762mm Weight: 6.625lb or 3kg Muzzle velocity: 1200ft/sec or 366m/sec Magazine capacity: 32 rounds Cycle rate of fire: 540rpm The Sten MkV sub machine gun 
The MkV was first made in January 1944, when the production pressure was eased a bit. Most obvious features were the wooden foregrip and stock and the foresight and muzzle of the Lee Enfield MkIV rifle that allowed the spike bayonet to be fitted. The quality of the machining and finish were much better than on previous Stens. Production numbers are approximately 500,000.Originally issued to airborne forces but later to all other arms of the services. Calibre: 0.354" or 9mm Lenght: 30" or 762mm Weight: 8.6lb or 3,9kg Muzzle velocity: 1200ft/sec or 366m/sec Magazine capacity: 32 rounds Cycle rate of fire: 540rpm The Webley MkIV revolver 
This is the 1931 revolver that was the basis for the Enfield No2MkI revolver. Basically the same as the .455 Webley MkVI but reengineered to take the 0.38 S&W 200 grains bullets. And although very similar to the Enfield, parts were not interchangeable. Orders poored in at the Webley factory when RSAF Enfield faced serious capacity problems in 1942. Like the No2MkI it was phased out during the sixties.Calibre: 0.38" or 9,65mm Lenght: 10.25" or 260mm Weight: 2.18lb or 0,995kg Muzzle velocity: 650ft/sec or 198m/sec The Webley&Scott No2Mk5 flare gun 
Standard British Army 1" flare gun, also known as a Very gun after the designer E.W.Very. Three colours of flares were available: red, green and white each corresponding with a certain action to be taken. It was carried in a leather holster. On the left hand side of this gun is a notch to attach a trumpet shaped barrel.
The No36 Mills grenade 
The No36 grenade was an improved version of the WW1 Mills No5 defensive fragmentation grenade. One of its new features was that it was waterproofed by dipping it in shellack, otherwise the interious would deteriorate too quick. It was the standard grenade in the British army and it remained in use well into the seventies. Some were marked XXX indicating it was suitebale for use in tropical climates, some had a green band which indicated it was filled with Amatol. It was made by numerous companies.Lenght: 3.82" or 97mm Diameter: 2.165" or 55mm Weight: 1.7lb or 0,777kg Delay: 4 seconds or 7 when fired from a rifle The No69 grenade 
The No69 was a offensive grenade developed in 1940 using a high explosive charge, it's body was made from bakelite. A screw-on cap had to be removed and when thrown a weighted tape armed the grenade so it exploded on impact. Markings corresponded with those found on the No36 grenade. Most No69's were made by the de la Rue firm from London.Lenght: 5.9" or 150mm Diameter: 2.36" or 60mm Weight: 0.683lb or 0,31kg Delay: 4 seconds The No82 Gammon grenade 
Developed by Captain Gammon, MC, from the parachute regiment in 1943. It's body was an elastic bag that could be custom-filled with explosives and shrapnel, depending on the target. Like the No69 grenade it used the Allways fuse so it could be thrown as a grenade or placed as a demolition charge. Lenght: does not apply Diameter: does not apply Weight: 0.748lb or 0.34kg (empty), up to 1.98lb or 0.9kg (filled) Delay: 4-7 seconds The PIAT Anti -Tank weapon 
At the outbreak of war the Boys anti tank gun prooved highly ineffective against German armoured vehicles, prototypes made by Major Jefferises led to the development of the Projector Infantry Anti Tank in 1942. It fired a 1.3kg HE grenade and smoke grenades were also available. Despite its unsophisticated appearance and difficulty to load (it required a 90kg force to cock the spring) it was an effective and popular weapon and it remained in service until 1951.Lenght: 39" or 99cm Diameter of grenade: 3.5" or 8,9cm Weight: 32lb or 14,5kg (unloaded) Muzzle velocity: 440ft/sec or 135m/s Effective range: 100 yards (armoured vehicles), 300 yards (houses) |
