Not sure on the exact date, but the Mk.I was introduced in early 1941 and superceded by the Mk.II shortly after. It's first combat use was during the Dieppe raid.
Bayernwald, Thanks. I had a feeling that they were not in use in 1940 - and therefore wondered why there was a brief glimpse of some infantry carrying them in the recent BBC production Dunkirk. Regards, David
June 1941. Did you also notice the clip of the Russian planes? Well, it was a WWII clip wasn't it? No.9
Originally posted by David Seymour@Feb 23 2004, 05:13 PM Bayernwald, Thanks. I had a feeling that they were not in use in 1940 - and therefore wondered why there was a brief glimpse of some infantry carrying them in the recent BBC production Dunkirk. Regards, David If it's the same clip that I am thinking of, it actually showed British troops fighting in the Reichswald in early 1945 (the other soldiers in the clip were armed with No.4 rifles with the "pigsticker" bayonets). An innacuracy in the reconstructions that I noticed was a scene showing a dispatch rider wearing a style of helmet that wasn't issued until 1942. Anyway, that's just getting picky about what was otherwise an excellent production B.
No9, I spotted the Sturmoviks and, as I have said on another forum, these may be small points but they aren't difficult to get right. There are people out there who can spot these things - us for example! Regards, David
Originally posted by David Seymour@Feb 24 2004, 12:45 PM as I have said on another forum, these may be small points but they aren't difficult to get right. There are people out there who can spot these things - us for example! Then again, I'm still waiting to see a documentary, whether its WW1 or 2 that is 100% accurate for the footage they use. It's just one of those things you've got to live with, I suppose. <_< B.
Steve. I'm pretty sure that, somewhere in the world, production continues. The last time I saw any in the hands of modern soldiers was at a parade in the late '80s. If memory serves me correctly, these were Belgian soldiers (the parade was in Belgium, anyway!) and they were equipped with the Mk.V Sten. B.
Originally posted by SteveB@Mar 4 2004, 04:14 PM Talking of stens, anyone know when production of them stopped? Not production, but issue of the various STENs (6 official Mks, including the unissued prototype Mk.IV) ceased in the British Army in 1953 when it was replaced by the L2A1 Sterling (itself, a late WW2 design, when it was known as the "Patchett"). The Sterling went through several "marks" - the L2A2 being issued from 1955 and the L2A3 from 1956. Like the STEN, the Sterling had a shortened version and a silenced version. Production within the UK of the Sterling family was between 1953 and 1988. B.
Evening all. My Dad did National Service in 1954/55. I know they were still in service then,as he said he had trained on them. From what he said,you had to be carefull,when firing them,as the odd index finger went missing! I believe that the Sten later became the Sterling,and was in service during the Falklands war. The most unusual version of this weapon,that i have seen,was the Austen,used by the Australian army for many years. A Sten Gun,turned on it's side! As far as i know,not in service until at least 1941,and a little bit of an unknown weapon,not being your usual British Army,service,piece. It was pretty basic,pressed steel,and the action was very simple as well. It was supposed to be very inaccurate,but if you can fire 450 rounds a minute,inaccurately,it is a a little more scary,than an Enfield. A good,stopgap,that survived for many years. All the best. Smon.
Originally posted by Simon Furnell@Mar 7 2004, 02:56 PM The most unusual version of this weapon,that i have seen,was the Austen,used by the Australian army for many years. A Sten Gun,turned on it's side! Simon. Wasn't this actually called the "Owen"? B.
The Austen was the fore runner to the Australian Owen. It's recorded that British observers were attached to Australian troops to learn about jungle fighting and then go and instruct the troops in Burma. Many an offer was made to swap their Stens for Owens but the Australians wouldn't part with their Owens. The Stens had a tendency to jam at the most inappropriate times, e.g the assassination of Heydrich in Prague in 1942 and in the mud and rain in Burma were regarded as more of a nuisance than anything else. The Indian Army continued to use their Stens well after WW2 and the Indian magazines were considered the best made of all and virtually eliminated jamming because of the extra length and under loading the capacity of the magazine. Instead of 32 rounds only 30 were loaded.
I don't know what date they were first issued, but my Father's Home Guard unit was equipped with Mark II Sten guns -- If I recall, it was pretty early in the war. He kept his at the house (no ammunition -- I believe that was standard practice). I used to play with it, pretending I was defending against invading Nazis. I do remember clearly that one night I had it in bed with me -- after I fell asleep I awoke with a severe burning sensation around my eyes. When we turned the light on, my eyes were red and there was a rash around them (everything returned to normal after flushing with water). My Father said that was from the flux residue at the welds -- I must have rubbed my eyes after handling the gun. The Stens were somewhat crudely fabricated in the hurried wartime environment.
here is a link to an article on a site which I have always found to be reliable: http://www.wwiitech.net/main/britain/weapons/sten/index.html
