Not sure of an exact date, but from photos I have of the Italy campaign it seems to have appeared in front line units from mid-late 1943. Does anyone know of it being used in Tunisia?
TW/Paul, Weapons is not really my Hotspot but does this info help at all?? PAUL JOHNSON :ph34r: The Lee-Enfield No. 4 Rifle was a further development of the original 1895 Lee-Enfield (itself a refinement of the Lee-Metford Magazine Rifle Mk I introduced in 1888). The No. 4 Mk I was introduced November 1939, and a refined version still serves today as a sniper rifle. The No. 4 more directly evolved from the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) Rifle Mk III used in the First World War, often considered the best all-round combat bolt-action rifle ever made. The No. 4 employed a nine-inch (229-mm) spike bayonet instead of the traditional sword bayonet and exposed about three inches (7.6 cm) of barrel in front of the wooden stock onto which the hilt of the bayonet slid. The rear U-notch sight was replaced with an aperture sight to aid training. This sight was relocated to the rifle's receiver, which increased the distance between the sights. This change, together with the use of a heavier barrel, improved accuracy. No. 4 became accepted as an improved and reliable weapon, although the spike bayonet was never liked. Soldiers from almost every country in the Commonwealth used the No. 4, and production from 1939 to 1945 numbered over one million rifles in factories in the U.K., U.S., and Canada.
Although a pre-war design, the No.4 wasn't issued in quantity until 1942. I'm unsure of the exact date.
Originally posted by ypresman@Feb 24 2004, 02:45 PM I, too have one that says 1942, Prop. of US Govt.... You'll find that most of the WW2 dated examples are actually of US manufacture.
I have 3 No.4 rifles. 1942 Savage Arms Co U.S. made No.4 Mk2; 1943 Savage made No.4 Mk2* and a 1943 Enfield made No.4 Mk1. The Enfield is the most accurate rifle I own consistently shooting possible scores from 100-300 yards.
