Carbine, Machine, Sten
Sten Mk. II - (trigger mechanism cover is missing)
Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1941–1960s
Used by	United Kingdom, Commonwealth, Norway, Free French, Partisans, Poland and various others
Wars	World War II, Korean War, Mau Mau Uprising, Suez Crisis, 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Sino-Indian War, Indo-Pakistan Wars, Border Campaign (IRA)
Production history
Designer	Major Reginald V. A submachine gun (SMG is a Firearm that combines the automatic fire of a Machine gun with the cartridge of a Pistol, and is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional The Free French Forces (Forces Françaises Libres FFL) were French fighters in World War II who decided to continue fighting against Axis forces A partisan is a member of an Irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, (أزمة السويس - العدوان الثلاثي Crise du canal de Suez מבצע קדש Kadesh The Sino-Indian War ( Hindi: भारत-चीन युद्ध Bhārat-Chīn Yuddh) also known as the Sino-Indian Border Conflict, was a war between The Border Campaign ( December 12 1956 – February 26 1962) was a campaign of Guerrilla warfare ( codenamed Operation Shepherd Harold J. Turpin
Designed	1940
Manufacturer	Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield; BSA; ROF Fazakerley; ROF Theale, Berkshire; Lines Brothers Ltd; Long Branch, Canada plus numerous sub-contractors making individual parts. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF was a UK government-owned Rifle factory in Enfield, now part of north London, which produced British The Birmingham Small Arms Company ( BSA) was a British manufacturer of Vehicles Firearms and Military equipment and still exists as Fazakerley (fæzækəli is a suburb of north Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and a Liverpool City Council Ward. Berkshire (ˈbɑːkʃə or /ˈbɑːkʃɪə/ say Baak-shuh/-sheer sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a Home County in the South Lines Bros Ltd was a British toy manufacturer of the 20th Century operating under the Tri-ang brand name Long Branch is a neighbourhood in the extreme southwestern section of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page
Produced	1941 - Version dependent
Number built	3. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 7-4. 6 million (all variants, depending on source)
Variants	Mk. I, II, IIS, III, IV, V, VIS
Specifications
Weight	3. 2 kg (7. 1 lb) (Mk. The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass II)
Length	760 mm (29. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to 9 in)
Barrel length	196 mm (7. Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. For the fictional characters see Gunbarrel (Transformers. A gun barrel is the tube usually Metal, through which a controlled Explosion The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to 7 in)
Cartridge	9x19mm Parabellum
Action	Blowback-operated, Open bolt
Rate of fire	version dependent ~500 round/min
Muzzle velocity	365 m/s (1,198 ft/s)
Feed system	32-rd detachable box magazine
Sights	fixed peep rear, post front

The Sten (or Sten gun) was a family of British 9 mm submachine guns used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The 9x19mm Parabellum is a pistol cartridge introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM for their A submachine gun (SMG is a Firearm that combines the automatic fire of a Machine gun with the cartridge of a Pistol, and is World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the They were notable for simple design and comparatively low production cost.

STEN is an acronym, cited as derived from the names of the weapon's chief designers, Major Reginald Shepherd and Harold Turpin, and EN for Enfield. Acronyms, initialisms, and alphabetisms are Abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name ^[1] Over 4 million Stens in various versions were made in the 1940s.

The official designation "Carbine, Machine, Sten" should not be confused with the common understanding of carbine; the Sten was a typical, almost stereotypical submachine gun while the term carbine is used to refer to short, light rifles. A carbine is a Firearm similar to a Rifle or Musket, but generally shorter and of lesser power The "Carbine, Machine" element of the designation was due to the British term for a submachine gun being a "Machine Carbine" in the earlier parts of the Second World War.

Contents 1 History 2 Design 3 Variants 3.1 Mark I 3.2 Mark I* 3.3 Mark II 3.4 Mark II (Canadian) 3.5 Mark III 3.6 Mark IV 3.7 Mark V 3.8 Mark VI 3.9 Suppressed models 3.10 Foreign built copies and derivatives 4 Service 5 See also 6 References 7 Gallery of images 8 Videos 9 External links

History

The Sten emerged while Britain was engaged in the Battle of Britain, facing invasion by Germany. The Battle of Britain (German ''Luftschlacht um England'' is the name given to the sustained strategic effort by the German Luftwaffe during the summer and The army was forced to replace weapons lost during the evacuation from Dunkirk while expanding at the same time. The Battle of Dunkirk was the defense and evacuation of the British and Allied forces that had been separated from the main body of the French defenses by the German advance Prior to 1941 (and even later) the British were purchasing all the Thompson submachine guns they could from the United States of America, but this did not begin to meet demand. The Thompson submachine gun is an American Submachine gun that became infamous during the Prohibition era The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The American entry into the war at the end of 1941 placed an even bigger demand on the facilities making Thompsons. In order to rapidly equip a sufficient fighting force to counter the Axis threat, the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield, was commissioned to produce a significantly cheaper alternative. The Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF was a UK government-owned Rifle factory in Enfield, now part of north London, which produced British

The credited designers were Major R. V. Shepherd, OBE, Inspector of Armaments in the Ministry of Supply Design Department at The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, (later Assistant Chief Superintendent at the Armaments Design Department) and Mr. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Ministry of Supply ( MoS) was a department of the UK Government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces See also Woolwich Arsenal railway station, Arsenal FC The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, originally known as the Woolwich Warren Woolwich (ˈwʊlɪtʃ or /ˈwʊlɪdʒ/ is a suburb in south-east London, England in the London Borough of Greenwich, on the south side of the River Harold John Turpin, Senior Draughtsman of the Design Department of the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) Enfield. A technical drawing is a form of graphic communication This type of Drawing is used in the transforming of an idea into physical form The Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF was a UK government-owned Rifle factory in Enfield, now part of north London, which produced British Shepherd had been recalled to service after having retired and spending some time at BSA. The Birmingham Small Arms Company ( BSA) was a British manufacturer of Vehicles Firearms and Military equipment and still exists as

The Sten required a minimum amount of machining and manufacturing effort by using simple pressed metal components and minor welding. Much of the production could be performed by small workshops and the firearms assembled at the Enfield site. Over the period of manufacture the Sten design was further simplified: the most basic model, the Mark III, could be produced from five man-hours work. Some of the cheapest versions were made from only 47 different parts. It was distinctive for its bare appearance (just a pipe with a metal loop for a stock), and its horizontal magazine. The Mark I was a more finely finished weapon with a wooden foregrip and handle; some later versions were not quite as spartan.

The Sten was slowly withdrawn from British service in the 1960s, and was replaced by the Sterling SMG. The Sterling submachine gun is a British Submachine gun which was in service with the British Army from 1953 until 1988 when it was phased out with the The other Commonwealth nations made or adopted their own replacements. The Sten was used extensively by Jewish partisans during the Israeli War of Independence.

Design

The Sten gun was chambered for the 9x19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge. The 9x19mm Parabellum is a pistol cartridge introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM for their The Sten was small and could be stripped down into a set of easily concealed components and was therefore particularly suited to partisan operations on the continent or in Special Operations Executive operations in German occupied France. A partisan is a member of an Irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation The Special Operations Executive ( SOE) (sometimes referred to as "the Baker Street Irregulars " after Sherlock Holmes ' fictional group of helpers Guerrilla fighters in Europe became adept at repairing, modifying and eventually scratch-building clones of the Sten (over 2,000 Stens and about 500 of similar Błyskawica SMGs were manufactured in occupied Poland). Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc The Błyskawica (Lightning was a Submachine gun produced by the Armia Krajowa, or Home Army a Polish Resistance movement fighting the Germans Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland

The Sten was a simple, open bolt, blowback operated, selective-fire firearm. Single shots and full automatic fire were selected by a cross-bolt type push-button located in front and above the trigger. A push-button (often simply " button " or " pushbutton " is a simple Switch mechanism for controlling some aspect of a Machine The tubular receiver and the barrel sleeve were made from rolled steel. It was fed from a box magazine attached to the housing on the left side of the gun. Various stocks were used with different models, all steel skeleton and tubular stocks to wooden stocks and pistol grips. The sights were fixed, consisting of a rear peep and front blade, zeroed to a nominal 100 yards. ^[2]

Stoppages could occur due to the magazine, a direct copy of the one used in the German Erma MP38/MP40. The MP40 ( Maschinenpistole 40, literally "Machine Pistol 40" is a Submachine gun developed in Germany and used extensively by Paratroopers The magazine had two columns of tapered 9 mm cartridges arranged side-by-side in a zig-zag manner. To allow the magazine box to be straight, the front of the magazine was tapered to complement the taper of the cartridges. While other staggered magazines fed from both the left and right positions, the Sten magazine required the cartridges to gradually merge at the top of the magazine to form a single column. Any dirt or foreign matter in this taper area could cause feed malfunctions. Additionally, the walls of the magazine lip had to endure the full stresses of the rounds being pushed in by the spring. This could result in deformation of the magazine lips, resulting in misfeeds. To facilitate easier loading to the great resistance when attempting to push the cartridges down to insert the next one, a magazine filler tool was developed and formed part of the weapon's kit. Modern 9 mm magazines, such as those used by the Sterling SMG, are curved and feed both sides to avoid this problem. The Sterling submachine gun is a British Submachine gun which was in service with the British Army from 1953 until 1988 when it was phased out with the

A well-maintained Sten gun is a devastating close-range weapon. If a Sten does jam with the bolt forward, standard practice to clear it is as follows: tilt the Sten to the right to allow gravity to pull jammed rounds out through the cartridge ejection port, whilst recocking the weapon. Then the weapon is fired again as normal. An easy action to memorise even under stress.

The slot on the side of the body where the cocking knob ran was a target of criticism, as the long opening could allow foreign objects to enter. On the other hand, a beneficial side-effect of the Sten's minimalist design was that it would fire without any lubrication. Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design especially Visual art and music, where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features This was useful in desert environments where oil attracts and retains dust.

The MK II and MK III Stens could accidentally discharge if dropped whilst the gun was cocked. Accidental discharge is the event of a Firearm discharging (firing at a time not intended by the user This was particularly true of early Stens using bronze bolts, where the sear projection underneath the bolt could wear down more easily than ones made of case-hardened steel. Bronze is any of a broad range of Copper alloys, usually with Tin as the main additive but sometimes with other elements such as Phosphorus Case hardening or surface hardening is the process of hardening the surface of a metal often a low Carbon steel, by infusing elements into the material's

The Sten underwent various design improvements over the course of the war. For example, the Mark 4 cocking handle and corresponding hole drilled in the receiver were created in order to prevent an accidental discharge issue. However, most changes to the production process were more subtle, designed to give greater ease of manufacture and increased reliability. Sten guns of late 1942 and beyond were highly effective weapons. Such was the ease of manufacture that the Germans also produced a version of the Sten, the MP 3008, late in the war. The 9 mm MP 3008 ( Maschinenpistole 3008, literally "machine pistol 3008" was a Nazi German substitute standard Submachine gun

Variants

Sten guns were produced in several basic marks, (though the MKI saw limited service, and the MKIV was never issued) and nearly half of the total produced were of the Mark II. Approximately 4. 5 million Stens were produced during the war.

Mark I

The first ever Mk I Sten gun (number 'T-40/1' indicating its originator Harold Turpin, the year 1940 and the serial number #1) was handmade by Turpin at the Philips Radio works at Perivale, Middlesex during December 1940/January 1941. Perivale is a small suburb 10 miles (16 km west of central London in the London Borough of Ealing. Middlesex is one of the 39 historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. This particular weapon is held by the historical weapons collection of the British Army's Infantry and Small Arms School Corps in Warminster, Wiltshire[1]. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. Warminster is a town in western Wiltshire, England, by-passed by the A36, and near Frome and Westbury. Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye

The first model had a conical flash hider and fine finish. A flash Suppressor, also known as a flash guard, flash eliminator, or flash cone, is a device attached to a Rifle or other gun that It had a wooden foregrip and forward handle (sometimes this was made of steel), as well for a section of the stock. The stock was a small tube outline, rather like the Mark II Canadian. One unique feature was that the front pistol grip could be rotated forward to make the firearm easier to stow. The barrel sleeve extended all the way to the end, where it had conical flash hider. Along the top of the tube surrounding the barrel was a line of small holes and its sights were configured somewhat differently. About 100,000 were made before production switched to the Mark II. Sten Mk I's in German possession were designated MP. 748(e).

Mark I*

This was the first simplification of the Mk I. The foregrip, the wooden furniture and the flash hider were deleted for production expediency. ^[3]

Mark II

The Mark II was the most prolific, at two million units produced. It was a much rougher weapon than the Mk I. The flash eliminator and hand guard (grip) of the Mk I were eliminated. Other changes included a removable barrel which projects 3 inches beyond the barrel sleeve and the magazine housing rotates to form cover for ejection opening.

The barrel sleeve was shorter and rather than have small holes on the top, it had three sets of three holes equally spaced on the shroud. Sten Mk II's in German possession were designated MP. 749(e). Some MkIIs were fitted with a wooden stock.

Regular Mark II:

• Overall Length: 762 mm (30 in)
• Barrel Length: 197 mm (7. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to 8 in)
• Weight: 3. Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 2 kg (7. 1 lb)

Mark II (Canadian)

During World War II a version of the Sten gun was produced at the Long Branch Arsenal in Long Branch, Ontario now part of Toronto, Ontario. The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Long Branch is a neighbourhood in the extreme southwestern section of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario This was very similar to the regular Mark II, with a different stock slightly improved quality. It was first used in combat in the Dieppe Raid in 1942. The Dieppe Raid, also known as The Battle of Dieppe or Operation Jubilee, during the Second World War, was an Allied attack on the

Mark I:

• Overall Length: 896 mm (35. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to 3 in)
• Barrel Length: 198 mm (7. Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to 8 in)
• Weight: 3. Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 8 kg (8. 4 lb)

Mark III

This simple design was the next most commonly produced after the Mark II. The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass It was a simplification of the Mk I made both in Canada and the UK. Lines Bros Ltd was the largest manufacturer. Lines Bros Ltd was a British toy manufacturer of the 20th Century operating under the Tri-ang brand name The biggest difference from the Mark II was the unification of the receiver, ejection port, and barrel shroud that now extended farther up the barrel. The barrel was fixed and the body was welded shut along the centre of the top. Captured Sten Mk IIIs in German possession were designated MP. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. 750(e).

Mark IV

The Mark IV was a smaller version which did not progress beyond the prototype stage. It was near pistol-sized and it had a different configuration with a conical flash hider, a rear pistol grip, a very light stock and a much shorter barrel.

Mark V

Changes included wooden pistol grips including a fore grip, a stock, and a bayonet mount. The Sten bandolier issued to paratroopers held 7 full magazines. A bandolier or a bandoleer is a pocketed belt for holding Ammunition.

Mark VI

• Overall Length: 908 mm (35. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to 7 in)
• Barrel Length: 198 mm (7. Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to 8 in)
• Weight: 4. Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 5 kg (9. 9 lb)

Suppressed models

Mark IIS and Mark VIS models (sometimes recorded as 6(s)) were produced which incorporated an integral supressor. The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass A suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer is a device either attached to or part of the barrel of a Firearm to reduce the amount of This would heat up rapidly when fired and a canvas cover was laced around for some protection. The Mark 6 had a lower muzzle velocity than the others; 305 m/s (1,001 ft/s) and was also the heaviest regular version due to the added weight of the specially designed silencer, as well as using a wooden pistol grip and wooden stock. The foot per second (plural feet per second) is a unit of both Speed (scalar and Velocity (vector quantity which includes direction Sten Mk IIS's in German possession were designated MP. 751(e).

The suppressed models were produced at the request of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) for use by their teams in occupied Europe. The Special Operations Executive ( SOE) (sometimes referred to as "the Baker Street Irregulars " after Sherlock Holmes ' fictional group of helpers Starting with the Mk. IIS in 1943.

Foreign built copies and derivatives

Norwegian Sten In German-occupied Norway the resistance, under leadership of Bror With, created a large number of Sten guns from scratch, mainly to arm members of the underground army Milorg. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Bror With (1900&mdash1985 born in Norway 's capital Kristiania, was a mechanical engineer inventor and industrialist Milorg (an acronym of the title Military Organisation mil itær org anisasjon was the main Norwegian resistance organisation in World War II. The same was done to some extent in Denmark. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe

Polish Sten The Polish resistance was provided with numerous Stens of various models by the SOE and the Cichociemni. Cichociemni ( Polish for Silent dark ones) were a secret unit of the Polish Army in exile created to maintain contact with occupied Poland during World Between 1942 and 1944, approximately 11,000 Sten Mk IIs were delivered to the Armia Krajowa. Due to the simplicity of design, local production of Polish variants of Sten was started in at least 23 underground workshops in Poland. Some of them produced copies of Mark IIs, while others produced the so-called Polski Sten. The Polski Sten made in Warsaw under command of Ryszard Białostocki were built from a number of legal elements made in official factories or acquired through other means. The main body of the machine pistol was made from hydraulic cylinders produced for hospital equipment. All the pistols were marked in English to disguise their origin and the production facilities. A modernized version of the Sten was produced in Poland under the name Błyskawica. The Błyskawica (Lightning was a Submachine gun produced by the Armia Krajowa, or Home Army a Polish Resistance movement fighting the Germans

Gerät Potsdam In late 1944, the Mauser works in Germany started manufacturing a series of copies of British Mk II Sten for diversion and sabotage purposes. Mauser is the common name of a German arms manufacturer maker of a line of Bolt-action Rifles from the 1870s to present Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The series was nicknamed the Gerät Potsdam and approximately 28,000 weapons were made.

MP 3008 In early 1945, Germany was seeking a cheap machine pistol for the Volkssturm. The 9 mm MP 3008 ( Maschinenpistole 3008, literally "machine pistol 3008" was a Nazi German substitute standard Submachine gun The Volkssturm (lit "Folkstorm" "People's" or "National Militia" Sturm lit For that purpose a modified Sten was designed by Mauser and named the MP 3008. Mauser is the common name of a German arms manufacturer maker of a line of Bolt-action Rifles from the 1870s to present The main difference was the magazine attached below the weapon. Altogether, roughly 10,000 pieces were produced before the end of World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

Neumünster Device The Neumünster Device was manufactured prior to the MP3008 under great secrecy by Mauser Waffenfabrik. The Neumünster device was an almost perfect copy of the British Sten, even down to its British proof marks. The reason for manufacturing the Neumünster Device is unknown but they were manufactured at great expense. Each Neumünster Device cost eight times as much as a Mauser Model 98K rifle.

Austen MK I The Mark I Austen (from "Australian Sten") was a 9 millimeter Australian submachine gun derived from the British Sten gun developed during the Second World War by the Lithgow Small Arms Factory. The Mark I Austen (from "Australian Sten" was a 9 millimeter Australian Submachine gun derived from the British Sten gun developed during The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A submachine gun (SMG is a Firearm that combines the automatic fire of a Machine gun with the cartridge of a Pistol, and is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Sten (or Sten gun) was a family of British 9 mm Submachine guns used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Lithgow Small Arms Factory is a military small arms factory located in the town of Lithgow New South Wales in Australia. Approximately 45,000 Austens were produced from 1942 to 1944. They remained in service as a standard weapon of the Australian Army until 1966.

Sputter Gun

An American invention, the Sputter Gun was designed to circumvent the law that defined a machine gun as something that fired multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger. The Sputter Gun was a modification of the British Sten Submachine Gun, designed to circumvent then-existing U For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. The Sputter Gun had no trigger, but fired continuously after loading and the pulling back of its bolt, firing until it ran out of ammunition. The gun was very short lived as the ATF quickly reclassified it. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (abbreviated ATF) is a specialized federal law enforcement and regulatory organization within the United

Service

The Sten, especially the Mark II, tended to attract affection and loathing in equal measure. Its peculiar appearance when compared to other firearms of the era, combined with reportedly questionable reliability and durability made it unpopular with many front-line troops. It gained nicknames such as "Plumber's Nightmare", "Plumber's Abortion", "Stench Gun" or "Woolworth's Gun". The Sten's attractions were ease of manufacture and availability in the massive numbers required during a major conflict.

Stens were air-dropped in quantity to resistance fighters and partisans throughout occupied Europe. A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups dedicated to fighting an Invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign nation Due to their slim profile and ease of dismantlement, they were good for concealment and guerrilla warfare. Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc

Moreover, a famous ambush involving a Sten - the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich - was almost thwarted when it jammed. Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( 7 March 1904 &ndash 4 June 1942) was an SS - Obergruppenführer, chief This problem also occurred with the German MP40 magazine, copied by the Sten gun designers. The MP40 ( Maschinenpistole 40, literally "Machine Pistol 40" is a Submachine gun developed in Germany and used extensively by Paratroopers

Canadian infantry battalions in North-West Europe held spare Sten guns for special missions and the Canadian Army reported a surplus of the weapons in 1944. The Sten was not used in Italy due to constraints on the shipping of ammunition; .45 ACP was already being used in theatre by the US Army and a requirement for 9 mm would have been in competition with limited shipping space.

The Sten saw use even after the economic crunch of the Second World War, replacing the Royal Navy's Lanchester submachine guns into the 1960s and was used in the Korean War including specialist versions for British commandos. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Lanchester was a Submachine gun used by the British during World War II. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the In Military science, the term commando can refer to an individual a Military unit, or a raiding style of military operation. It was slowly withdrawn in the 1960s and replaced by the Sterling SMG in British Army service, while Canada adopted a similar weapon, the C1 SMG to replace the Sten. The Sterling submachine gun is a British Submachine gun which was in service with the British Army from 1953 until 1988 when it was phased out with the

In the 1950s "L numbering" came into use in the British Army for weapons - Stens were then known as L50 (Mk II), L51 (Mk III) and L52 (Mk V). This is a listing of British Army Weapons identified by their L number ("L" standing for Land Service The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces.

One of the last times the Sten was used in combat during British service was with the RUC during the IRA border campaign of 1956 - 1962. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Royal Ulster Constabulary GC was the name of the Police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001 The Border Campaign ( December 12 1956 – February 26 1962) was a campaign of Guerrilla warfare ( codenamed Operation In foreign service, the Sten was used in combat at least as recently as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a major military conflict between India and Pakistan.

In 1971 various marks of Stens were used by guerilla fighters of Bangladesh Liberation War. The Bangladesh Liberation War (i ( Bengali: মুক্তিযুদ্ধ Muktijuddho) was an armed conflict between West Pakistan (later

A small number of suppressed Stens were used circa 1971 by the US Rangers, during the latter stages of the Vietnam war. The United States Army Rangers or simply Army Rangers are specialized elite American light infantry and Special operations troops The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia [2][3]

In 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards, one of whom emptied the entire magazine of his Sten into the Prime Minister at point-blank range. Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi ( Indirā Priyadarśinī Gāndhī) ( Née: Nehru (19 November 1917 - 31 October 1984 was the Prime Minister of the

See also

• Austen MK I
• Błyskawica
• MP 3008

References

1. ^ Not all sources agree. The Mark I Austen (from "Australian Sten" was a 9 millimeter Australian Submachine gun derived from the British Sten gun developed during The 9 mm MP 3008 ( Maschinenpistole 3008, literally "machine pistol 3008" was a Nazi German substitute standard Submachine gun Colonel Shepherd discussing how it was named when he received an Award from the Board of the Royal Commission Awards to Inventors. Lord Cohen: "Why was it called the Sten?" Colonel Shepard: "It was called the Sten by the then Director General of Artillery. The S' was from my name, the T from Mr. Turpin who was my draughtsman and who did a very large amount of the design and the EN was for England. That is the origin of the name, for which I accept no responsibility. " In:Laidler, Peter (2000). The Sten Machine Gun. Ontario: Collector Grade Publications, 363-364. ISBN 0889352593.   In the official history of the Royal Ordnance Factories, ST is for Shepard and Turpin and EN is for Enfield. In: Ian Hay (Maj. -Gen. John Hay Beith, CBE, MC) (1949). The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Military Cross ( MC) is the third level Military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993 other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to R. O. F. The Story of the Royal Ordnance Factories, 1939-1948. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. The Office of Public Sector Information ( OPSI) is the body responsible for the operation of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (usually abbreviated as HMSO
2. ^ Popenker, Max. Modern Firearms - STEN submachine guns. Retrieved on 2007-03-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant
3. ^ Skennerton, Ian (1988). British Small Arms of World War 2: The Complete Reference Guide to Weapons, Codes and Contracts, 1936-1946. . Greenhill Books, p 32. ISBN 0-949749-09-5.  

Gallery of images

Sten Mk II - bolt is not cocked	Sten Mk II - bolt is not cocked	Sten Mk II - dorsal view (loop stock partially visible)	Sten Mk II - detail of rear sight
Sten Mk II - detail of magazine well and foresight	Sten Mk IIS (suppressed)	Sten Mk VIS (suppressed)	British Paratroops with Sten Mk Vs on D-Day +1

Videos

• Sten Mk II being fired
• Another Sten Mk II being fired
• Sten Mk V showing comparative tests with the German MP40
• Sten Mk II - 2 round bursts
• Sten Mk II - 3 round bursts
• Sten Mk III - comparison with 2 other SMGs

External links

• Various high-resolution photos of the Sten Mk II, III and V
• How to field-strip a Sten
• Nase noviny
• Sten at Modern Firearms
• Canadian Experiences
• REME Museum
• Ode to a Sten gun (audio recording)

A suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer is a device either attached to or part of the barrel of a Firearm to reduce the amount of A suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer is a device either attached to or part of the barrel of a Firearm to reduce the amount of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Paratroopers are Soldiers trained in Parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force. D-Day may also refer to Decimal Day in the United Kingdom. D-Day is a term often used in Military parlance to denote

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