28th May : The Sterling L2A3 Sub-machinegun

Name      :     Sterling SMG L2A3


A.K.A.     :     C1 Sub-machinegun, the Sterling, the Patchett

Caliber      :     9x19mm Parabellum


Capacity    :     34 Rounds


Weight      :     5.9lbs or 2.7kg (unloaded)


Length      :     27.16in or 690mm


Action       :     Blowback, semi and fully automatic Sub-machinegun


Origin        :     United Kingdom 


Motorcycle racer and enthusiast George Patchett spent much of his early life engineering motorcycles and later during the outbreak of World War Two worked under Gorge Lanchester, designer of the Lanchester sub-machinegun, at the Sterling Armaments Company in Essex, England.  Patchett was assigned his own design team to build an sub-machinegun for a Royal Army Trial, he patented his first design and built his first prototype in 1942.  In September of 1942 Patchett demonstrated his design to members of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps as "A Lanchester with no butt or sights", the trigger mechanism was however completely of Patchett's own design.  Though results were generally favorable, the military officials advised Patchett to take it away and put a butt and sights on it and resubmit the weapon.


Patchett did as the military officals requested and again submitted the weapon in February of 1943 were the design was put up against other hopeful entrants.  Unfortunately the Patchett weapon didn't meet expectations with accuracy being abysmal and more seriously it failed the mud test, becoming jammed almost immediately after being submerged in mud then quickly wiped off.  Upsetting as this set back may have been for Patchett, he was not deterred and still saw merit in his design, and the fix he would institute in the  weapon would become one of its greatest features.  Patchett added grooves to the outer surface of the bolt which pushed and foreign objects like dirt or mud out of the weapon through a special slot in the receiver with the cycling of the weapon.  With this new modification the sub-machinegun was put forward for troop trials in 1944, were it was carried by airborne troops during the Arnhem offensive of Operation Market Garden where the weapon praised universally by troops.


After the war, the British military showed little interest in replacing the STEN gun in service, though some trials were eventually held in 1947 with the Patchett design and others from BSA and Australia were trialed, after a few inconclusive results and and re-submissions the Patchett Machine Carbine was chosen in 1951 as the official replacement of the STEN gun in British service.  Eventually after further fine tuning in 1953 it was issued to troops as the Submachine gun L2A1.  Various modifications were made to the L2 during it service life with the L2A3 becoming the final successor.  A silenced version of the L2 was produced as the L34, though it generally only ever saw service with the Special Air Service (SAS).  


Though it was originally known by troops as the 'Patchett' the L2 became known to troops as the 'Sterling' due to the company that manufactured the weapon.  Many Commonwealth nations would follow England's lead and eventually opt to acquire the Sterling, such as Canada who made there own version of the weapon under licence as the C1 9mm Submachinegun.  The Sterling was sold to more than 60 countries throughout the world and as of 2012 it can still be encountered.  


INTERESTING FACT :  The Sterling with some cosmetic alteration was used as the "E-11 Blaster Rifle" used by the Imperial Stormtroopers in Star Wars Episodes IV, V and VI.

Star Wars E-11 Blaster Prop

PRO's   :   Reasonably Accurate, Extremely Reliable, Easy to Stow, Very Well Made


CON's   :   Side Mounted Magazine was a concern for some.