Equipment Used By The Infantry Regiments

During the war the main advances in the weapons carried by the Infantryman were the introduction of the sub-machine gun and more power infantry anti-tank weapons. What follows is a brief summary of the Ordnance used by the various Infantry Regiments that served in the Division during the Second World War

The British Army used a number of different pistols throughout the war but the main ones are listed below;

This weapon served from 1936 to 1957 and was derived from those that served in the First World War. It weighed 0.780 kg, and was 264mm long. It held six .38 calibre cartridges in cylinder, with a double action trigger. It had a practical range of 30 metres. It had stiff trigger action and was generally regarded as inaccurate.

Back

  Thompson Sub-Machine Gun:

 Brigadier-General John Thompson of the US army developed this weapon, from a machine pistol he designed during the First Work War. The first production models were made in 1921 and were called the M1921, which set the pattern for all subsequent types. It had a rectangular receiver, a finned barrel and pistol grips for both hands, along with a wooden stock. The bolt had a reduced diameter forward section, with the cocking handle on the top, slotted so that the sight line could pass through it. The magazine was a box a drum type, holding 20 or 50 rounds respectively.

Through its use by the US Marines in Shanghai and other actions, it became noticed outside the USA, although its use notorious by gangsters had made it famous through the press and motion pictures. In 1939 the British and French governments over 130,000 guns, as war clouds loomed of Europe. In June 1940 Thompson died, just as his weapon was achieving worldwide recognition. In 1940 the model in production was the M1928A1, fitted with a muzzle compensator. At $270 each it was expensive for the day, but by 1942 the cost had reduced to $70. In order to reduce the cost further the replacement of the Blish breech block by using a simple gas blowback system was proposed and in 1942 this version, now called the M1, was produced. Eventually 1,750,000 guns were produced, with enough spares to make another 250,000 guns also being made.

The gun was found in all theatres of the war, with the worst anyone saying about was that it was heavy! It became legendary for its superb reliability, accuracy and resistance to hard conditions and it was preferred by allied servicemen over virtually every other sub-machine gun, except possibly the Australian Owen Gun.

 Thompson Sub-Machine Gun, Data:

Back

  Sten Sub-Machine Gun:

The blowback system used a heavy bolt and a fairly strong return spring, but this combination gave a rate of fire of about 550 rounds per minute, and more importantly ensure that the work parts were tolerant of dirt, dust, snow, mud and general neglect! The barrel was short and was held in a tubular metal sleeve and the body was another similar metal tube. The only machined parts were the bolt and barrel, with everything else being pressed or stamped, with all joins being welded or pinned. This meant most of the manufacture could be placed with small machine shop around the country, with the parts only be gathered at the larger factories, with the barrels/bolts, for final assembly and test.

The Mark I was soon replaced by the Mark II, which was the most famous of the series. The Mark II had all the frills removed and utilised a single tube stock with a flat plate on the end for the shoulder. The woodwork and grip from the Mark I were dispensed with and the barrel was held in by screwed jacket, which meant it could easily be removed. The magazine housing could be rotated to lie in line with the trigger mechanism, while a spring stud held on the stock.

Prior to D-Day the Mark III was available, with yet more simplifications, including a gun which had a fixed barrel and the body and jacket all in one. However, this version was not produced in great numbers, as moves were afoot to produce versions with following stocks for use by the airborne forces.

Despite it’s many advantages the Sten was not well liked by the men who used it, as the magazine gave some trouble, which could cause a jam. The magazine was never improved but in 1944 the Mark V was brought out to convince the troops a better version was available. The Mark V has a wooden butt and pistol grip and if the design of the magazine had been changed it could have been one of the best sub-machine guns of the war. (The picture left shows the MK I, II, III and V, from top to bottom.)

 Sten Sub-Machine Gun, Data:

Back

Vickers Medium Machine Gun:

In the early 1900's Vickers saw that the earlier Maxim gun was capable of improvement and development, bringing out their own version in 1904. The new gun was lighter than the Maxim as weight had been saved by carefully calculating where the most stress was. This along with high grade steels and aluminium also reduced the weight. The toggle action was turned upside down, which reduced the depth of the receiver by almost half, which, with the other measures, reduced the weight of the gun by nearly 25%.

It was adopted into service in 1912 and earned a good reputation for reliability and effectiveness during the First World War, with the British Army forming Battalions armed with now else, but the Vickers. One point of interest is that during tests it once fired non-stop of seven days! The main drawback with the Vickers was that it needed a crew of three to move it, as it was heavy, as well as a supply of water (to cool it) and men to make up the ammunition belts. The gun weighed 40lb and the Tripod another 60lb. Normally each battalion was equipped with two Vickers with the Support Company.

In the 1920's and 1930's heavy version was made in 0.5-in (12.7mm) calibre, for use in Tanks, such as the Matilda I and the MKVI Light Tank. The basic Vickers Gun remained in service with The British Army until the mid-1960's.

 Vickers Medium Machine Gun, Data:

Back

Browning 0.5 inch Machine Gun:

The M2HB is a Browning 0.5 inch calibre American heavy machine gun, produced since 1933 and mounted on American military vehicles since the Second World War. It is still in service to this day. It has a muzzle velocity of 890m/s and fires ball ammunition at 450-500 rounds-per-minute fed by a belt system. The gun originally appeared as a water-cooled anti- aircraft machine gun, but in the 1930s the M2 air-cooled version was developed for use on tanks.

Although, it could also used on a tripod by infantry, the British Army mainly used the 0.5 inch Browning mounted on vehicles, such as Half Tracks, Tank Destroyers and Self-Propelled Guns. In Belgium, in 1944, one Queens Regiment Bren Gun carrier actually mounted three 0.5 inch Browning's, to increase its fire power. The picture below shows a typical vehicle mount.

 Browning 0.5 inch Machine Gun, Data:

Back

The British Army used a few different types of hand grenades an the below list gives some basic information on each

This was a continuation of the weapons developed during the First World War and was used throughout the Second World War. Although normally thrown it was also sometimes used as trip-wired Anti-Personnel Grenade.

This was gravity Grenade, which when thrown caused the safety tape to be pulled clear by a weight and caused the Grenade to explode on impact and was made of Bakelite.

Known as the Thermos bomb, it was a purse blast weapon that was more commonly used for demolition work.

Also known as the Sticky bomb, as it has a sticky coating that made helped it stick to the target. It was unpopular as it could stick to anything and was used as little as possible, plus it meant the user had to virtually touch the tank to use it.

Also known as the Hawkins Grenade, this weapon was intended to be either thrown or laid as a mine to blow a tank's track off. It utilised a crush igniter fuse with half its weight being made up of the bursting charge. It was often used in clusters for better effect.

This grenade was always used with an impact fuse, and was filled with white phosphorous. The latter could cause severe burns and possibly ignite buildings.

Back

   2", 3" and 4.2" Mortars:

The 3-in (76mm) Stokes mortar was first offered to the British Army in 1915, but due to the number of such weapons available it was some type before they committed themselves. They were originally concerned about using a tumbling bomb, but Stokes then developed and proved a fin stabilised bomb. He arranged the firing pin so that it could be withdrawn and improved the sights. With this the 3-in Stokes Mortar entered service.

Between the wars the design of the Stokes mortar was modernised and better bombs provided. In the 1930's 2-in (51mm) mortars (right) were developed to replace the rifle grenade as a means of reaching out a little further than was possible with hand grenades and one was normally issued to each platoon, while the 3-in mortar (left) was issued to the support company. The 3-in mortar could fire HE and smoke, while the 2-in mortar was restricted to HE.

As the war progressed it was realised that at heavier mortar was needed to provide more support, especially for the infantry units and so the 4.2-in Mortar (pictured left) was developed, based upon the Chemical Weapons Design from the Great War. The British version differed from the US one as the latter had a rifled barrel. The 4.2-in Mortar was a simple and rugged design and used a wheeled base plate for easier movement.

It was first used in North Africa, by the Chemical Warfare Companies of the Royal Engineers at El Alamein using conventional ammunition.  However, from about mid-1943 the Divisional Machine Gun Battalions (one per Infantry Division) and Independent  Machine Gun Companies (one per Armoured Division) were converted to included one Mortar company or Platoon respectively operating 4.2-in mortars. For an armoured division's Independent MG Company an extra platoon was added with 4 mortars.

2", 3" and 4.2" Mortar, Data:

The armour penetration was never impressive and the Boys was virtually obsolete before it entered service. It did see action in France in 1940 and in Burma and Malaya in 1941-42. It was also mounted in armoured cars and Bren Gun carriers in Egypt and Libya in 1941, where it proofed a good anti-personnel weapon in rocky terrain when rock fragments were produced by indirect fire. It was eventually replaced by the PIAT in 1942.

 Boys Anti-tank Rifle, Data:

Back

   PIAT:

By 1941 it was obvious that the Boys anti-tank rifle and the No. 68 Grenade, were no match against the German tanks, so some method of for launching a sizeable hollow-charge to a range of 100m (330ft) was needed. Additionally, the weapon had to be accurate enough to hit a moving tank, but in 1941 rocket technology was still in its infancy.

Before the war a retired officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Blacker, had made a number of cheap weapons in his own work shop, among which was a large spigot mortar, known as the Blacker Bombard. It was suggested that a smaller version of this could be used as an infantry launcher. So a few trial models were built, with the grenade being held in a trough on the front. This "grenade" had a hollow tail, flared to the rear and in the forward end a small cartridge was fitted. When the launcher was fired, a steel spigot was driven by a power spring to strike and detonate the cartridge, thus driving the grenade of the spigot. A cut away is shown below.

The spigot had to be cocked before the first shot, but thereafter the recoil from each firing re-cocked the weapon automatically, provided the user held the weapon firmly. There were a few snags with the PIAT, such as cocking for the first round being extremely difficult due to the strength of the spring. Also firing the PIAT the gunner held on to the trigger guard with his left hand, pulling back hard, and with the trigger being so stiff it took two fingers to operate it. After pulling the trigger there was a noticeable pause while the spigot shot forward. This could lead to unwary recruits loosening their grip and then receiving a massive blow to the shoulder as the grenade flew off. Then they found that the spring had not re-cocked. The gunner normally lay prone and despite stories it was never fired from the hip or shoulder while standing, although Fusilier Frank Jefferson (2nd Bn. The Lancashire Fusiliers) won the Victoria Cross whilst firing it from the hip in Italy from a distance of 20yrds against enemy armour. After he destroyed one tank, he re-cocked the spring, re-loaded the PIAT and started to attack a second tank which withdrew!

The bomb (shown left next to a PIAT), weighing 3lb (1.4kg) was capable of penetrating the armour of German tanks of its time and had a best fighting range of 100m (330ft) it was adequate. During the battle of Villers-Bocage the 1/7th Queens Regiment actually went "Tiger Hunting" with their PIATs in the town. The main benefit of the PIAT not surpassed for 40 years was that it could be used from an enclosed space without risk to the firer. Thus it was used innumerable street battles, including the defence of the Arnhem Bridge. It could also be fired as a crude mortar, by tilting on its mount.

Some 11500 PIATs were produced, with it serving in all theatres of the war, It remained the standard infantry anti-tank weapon in the British Army until 1950, with one being issued to each platoon.

  PIAT, Data:

Back

6-pdr Anti-tank Gun:

Back

Apart from the many lorries used by the British Army throughout the war (of which information on the Morris CS series is provided), there were two other key modes of transport used by the infantry to go about their business. These are the Universal Carrier and the Half-Track.

Universal Carrier:

At the start of the war there many different types of this vehicle in service, including some made by Loyd and what was to become better known as the Bren Gun carrier.

After the fall of France the British Army rationalised the equipment used by mobile infantry sections and settled up the Bren Gun carrier for use as an section transport or light gun tractor. Although it was called a Bren Gun carrier it was seldom actually armed with one, but rather it could carry a Vickers Medium Machine Gun (favoured by the Australians), a Boys Anti-tank rifle, a 2" or a 3" mortar. It served with the Carrier Platoons of the Motor Battalions with aim of providing and Infantry Battalion with the ability to move a small portion of its establishment under armoured protection. The men of the Rifle Platoons could not pile into the vehicles as they could do with half-tracks. Each Carrier had its own Bren gun team and was intended to operate in a fire support role for the walking infantrymen, rather than act as their transportation. In reality, the Carrier served in a host of other less offensive but equally vital roles. Where a Carrier Section of three machines was placed under the command of a Rifle Company, the Company Commander could utilise it in a number of ways.  Firstly, he could take advantage of the addition of three more Bren guns, a PIAT and a 2 inch mortar to ‘thicken the fire of his Fire Platoon’.  This unit provided a base of fire under cover of which the remaining two Rifle Platoons would advance.  The support weapons of the Carrier Section could literally double the firepower of this Platoon.

Later in the war, after the Normandy invasion a flame-thrower variant, called a Wasp, (shown right) was also produced, in which the flame gun was fitted in place of the MG and fuel tanks installed in the rear compartment, with a higher armoured box. Another Wasp variant (MK II), developed by the Canadian Army had the fuel tanks mounted at the rear outside a smaller modified rear compartment. This allowed a third crew man to return with his Bren, firing from the rear troop compartment though as the flame gun was still on the MG position. This improved Wasp MK II variant quickly took precedence over the earlier model. In another development a larger flame gun fitted to the left of the gunner's position. The 'Wasp' began to be issued to Motor Battalions in late 1944 and was used by the Rifle Brigade in the Division during the crossing of the Rhine in 1945.

The other carrier to be developed mainly as a small gun tractor was the Loyd carrier. The Loyd carrier was mainly used as an infantry transport upto 1943, until it was adopted as the standard vehicle for role of towing the 6-pdr and 4.2-in mortar. It was designed to have armoured plates attached; to improve protection, but this were rarely fitted. Unfortunately there was little carrying space inside (see below), that two carriers were needed to accommodate a 6-pdr anti-tank gun and crew, in one, and the ammunition, in the second.

As shown by the picture to the left one of the main drawbacks with all the Universal carriers was that they offered no protection from the weather, although some rudimentary covers were used by the crews.

Back

Morris CS series Trucks:

M3A2 Half-Track:

The development of the half-track was a major step in mechanised warfare as it allowed the infantry supporting the tanks to accompany them in a semi-tracked vehicle with armour protection.

The White M3A2 half-track was the most widely used half-track of the war, being developed from the M3A1 Scout car. It could carry 12 men, plus 2 crew and mounted either a 0.5-in Browning Machine Gun or 0.303 Bren Gun (with the latter favoured by the British) for self defence. Like the White Scout Car most models has an unditching roller or winch (10,000 lb capacity) attached to front. A development of variant of the M3A2 was the M5A1 and had an M49 ring mount for the machine gun and could carry 13 passengers. The M5 variant had bodies with rounded rear corners while the M2 and M3 were square and also had a different type of armour fitted, which provided less protection from small calibre AP rounds, due to how the armour plate was tempered.

 Specification:-

Back