Sten

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Stendhal :: Stenciling :: Stenudd,_Stefan :: Stenhousemuir_F.C. :: Stenness :: Stennis_Space_Center :: Stendal :: Stenhousemuir :: Stenotaphrum :: Stenogyne

The Sten (or Sten gun) was a family of British, 9 mm submachine guns used extensively by the British Empire and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War. They were notable for their simple design and comparatively low cost of production. The name STEN is an acronym, deriving from the names of the weapon's chief designers, Major Reginald Sheperd and Harold Turpin, and ENfield, the location of the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) at Enfield Lock in London. 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 of full caliber.

History

The Sten was designed at a time when Britain was engaged in the Battle of Britain and other fighting throughout the world, and facing the danger of being invaded by the Nazis. Weapons had been lost during the evacuation from Dunkirk and the army was being expanded. Prior to 1941 (and even later) the British were purchasing all the Thompson submachine guns they could from America, but this did not begin to meet demand. 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 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. Harold John Turpin, Senior Draughtsman of the Design Department of the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) Enfield.

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 guns assembled at the Enfield site. Over the period of manufacture the Sten 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 horizontally-oriented magazine. The initial 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 phased out of British service in the 1960s; replaced by the Sterling SMG. The other Commonwealth nations developed their own replacements.

Design

The Sten gun was chambered for the 9 x 19 mm Parabellum pistol cartridge, which was useful in that captured German ammunition supplies could be used. 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. Guerrilla fighters in western and eastern Europe became adept at repairing, modifying and eventually scratch-building clones of the Sten (over 2000 Stens and about 500 of similar Błyskawica SMGs were manufactured in occupied Poland).

The Sten was often disparaged by soldiers for its inaccuracy, due to very basic sights, and stoppages due to the poorly designed magazine. 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 in to complement the taper of the cartridges. While other staggered magazines fed from both the left and right positions, the designers of the Sten magazine (and German magazine from which it was copied) chose to have the rounds gradually merge at the top of the magazine to form a single column. Any dirt or foreign matter in this critical taper area was sure to cause a jam. Additionally the walls of this lip had to endure the full stresses of the rounds being pushed in. This often resulted in deformation of the lips and thus resulting in misfeeds. Modern 9 mm magazines like that of the Sterling SMG are curved and feed both sides to avoid this problem.

The slot on the side of the body where the cocking knob ran was a target of criticism, as the opening allowed plenty of opening for foreign objects to enter.

Additionally, the Sten was prone to accidental discharge if dropped or knocked. The design was continually improved throughout the war, and the Mark V version, introduced in 1944, remained an issue weapon in the UK until well into the 1960s. The Sten was replaced with the Sterling SMG which started to be phased into service in quantity in 1953.

Such was the ease of manufacture that the Germans also produced their own version of the Sten, the MP 3008, late in the war. This was an ironic move as the weapon which had inspired the Sten was the German MP28.

Variants

Sten guns were produced in several basic marks, although the fourth was never issued and nearly half of the total produced were of the Mark II. All combined, approximately 4.5 million Stens were produced during the war.

Mark I

This rare weapon had a conical flash hider and finest finish. 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:

Overall Length: 35.3 inches (896 mm)
Barrel Length: 7.8 inches (198 mm)
Weight: 7.2 pounds (3.8 kg)

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.

Mark II

The Mark II was the most prolific, at 2 million units. It was a much rougher weapon than the Mk I. The flash eliminator, hand guard (grip), of the Mk I were eliminated. The barrel sleeve was shorter, and rather than have small holes on the top, it had three on the side on the lower part of the shroud. Sten Mk.II's in German possession were designated MP.749(e).

There were some MkIIs that were fitted with a wooden stock, and there was also a silenced version (see below).

Regular Mark II:

Overall Length: 30 inches (762 mm)
Barrel Length: 7.8 inches (197 mm)
Weight: 6.7 pounds (3.0 kg)

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. This was very similar to the regular Mark II, but was of a little better quality and it had a different stock. It was produced in Canada at the Long Branch factory. It was first used in combat in the Dieppe Raid in 1942.

Mark III

This simple design was the next most commonly produced after the Mark II. It was, like the MkII, a simplification of the MkI. It was made both in Canada and the U.K. with the latter's Lines Brothers the biggest manufacturers. The biggest visual difference from the Mark II, was that the barrel shroud extended farther up the barrel. Its main differences technically were that the barrel was fixed and the body was welded shut along the centre of the top. Sten Mk.III's in German possession were designated MP.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

This was commonly issued to paratroopers and was used in Normandy and at Arnhem. Changes included wooden pistol grips including a fore grip, a stock, a fore sight and a bayonet mount. The Sten bandolier, which paratroopers carried, held 7 full magazines.

Mark VI

Overall Length: 35.8 inches (908 mm)
Barrel Length: 7.8 inches (198 mm)
Weight: 9.8 pounds (4.45 kg)

Silenced models

Mark IIS and Mark VIS models (sometimes recorded as 6(s)) were produced which incorporated an integral "silencer" (supressor). This would heat up rapidly when fired and a canvas cover was laced round for some protection. The Mark 6 had a lower muzzle velocity than the others; 305 m/s (1000 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. Sten Mk.IIS's in German possession were designated MP.751(e).

The weapons were usually used on semi-, rather than full-automatic because of the silencer's rapid heat build up in full-automatic firing.

The silenced models were produced at the request of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) for use by their teams in occupied Europe.

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. The same was done to some extent in Denmark.

Polish Sten

The Polish resistance was provided with numerous Stens of various models by the SOE and the Cichociemni. 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 exact 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 Sten was produced in Poland under the name Błyskawica.

Gerät Potsdam In late 1944, the Mauser works started a series of exact copies of British Mk II Sten for diversion and sabotage purposes. The series was nick-named the Gerät Potsdam and amounted to roughly 28,000 pieces made.

MP 3008

In 1945, Germany was seeking a cheap machine pistol for the Volkssturm. For that purpose a modified Sten was designed by the Mauser and named the MP 3008. The main difference was the magazine attached below the weapon. Altogether, roughly 10,000 pieces were produced until the end of World War II.

Service

The Sten, especially the Mark II, tended to attract affection and loathing in equal measure, its distinctively crude design appealing to fans of the underdog, whilst its questionable reliability and durability did not endear it to front-line troops. It gained nicknames such as "Plumber's Nightmare" or "Plumber's Abortion". Its main benefit was not a fine finish or even the safest design, but an availability in the numbers desired by troops, resistance groups, and support services.

However, a famous engagement involving a Sten - the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich - was almost thwarted when the Sten jammed. This problem also occurred with the German MP40 magazine, which was copied by the designers for the Sten.

The Sten saw continued use even after the economic crunch of World War II, replacing the Royal Navy's Lanchester submachine guns into the 1960s and was used in the Korean War including specialist versions for British commandos. It was slowly phased out in the 1960s replaced by the Sterling SMG in British Army service.

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).

Stens were so cheap and plentiful that deactivated Sten guns can be acquired for less than £200 and have become a popular military collectable.

An interesting tidbit: George VI carried a Sten Mk. II in his car for self-defence purposes in case of a paratrooper attack. This gun can be seen in the Imperial War Museum.

Trivia

The Sten Mk III (or a similar-looking gun) is used by Doctor No's patrols on Crab Key in the first James Bond movie, Dr. No
Holding and firing the Sten using the magazine as a grip, a method made popular by various movies and video games (ex: Call of Duty), is incorrect. The weapon should be fired holding the barrel shroud. Holding the magazine and firing can cause the rounds to feed incorrectly, jamming the weapon.
Due to quality issues with the spring in the magazine, soldiers would commonly load 28 to 30 rounds instead of the full 32. This was done in an attempt to maintain the strength of the spring and reduce jamming.

External links

British cultural icons | Submachine guns | World War II British infantry weapons | World War II submachine guns | Military Equipment of the British Empire

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