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The Sten Machine Carbine By Peter Laidler The Sten was born of sheer necessity in the bleak, dark days after Dunkirk when Britain stood alone against Hitler’s Wermacht. Britian needed machine guns that were effective and inexpensive and needed them quickly. The idea for the Sten came to Harold Turpin, senior draughtsman in the design department at RSAF Enfield as he was in the process of reverse engineering a capture German machine gun. He realized that the resulting firearm was going to be far too expensive and complex to be made in the quantities needed. Turpin sketched out a simple, cheap trigger mechanism at his dining room table one night and the Sten was born. The initial simplicity spawned hundreds of clandestine copies and clones that were used by Resistance groups throughout Europe. The Sten became the most imitated machine gun in the world. This in-depth study includes clear photos of all models, markings, manufacturers’ codes and all components; plus chapters on How the Sten Works: Armourers’ Repair Procedures; Accessories and Ancillaries. Deluxe First Edition, 2000; Produced and edited by R. Blake Stevens; 404 pages, 368 illustrations. |