Small arms commentators have been predicting the demise of the submachine gun ever since the assault rifle made its inception at the end of the Second World War. And yet the weapon is still here with us. While not part of the front-line military outfit of most modern armies, it nevertheless has a role in security work and with certain special forces units. In close quarters combat, few things are more effective than a submachine gun.
The Stoner 63 System was one of those “what ifs” of small arms weapons design. The basic concept behind the system was an attempt to make use of the modular idea of interchangeability: 17 core modular “units” could be assembled to produce various types of weapons for use in different roles.
Readers may know that I’ve written two previous articles here on General William Slim’s Burma campaign during the Second World War. His memoirs continue to provide me with gems of advice on morale, conduct, and taking action.
In 1942, military forces of the Empire of Japan entered Burma and expelled the British from the country. It was one of many disasters of the war’s early years. At the time, few believed that Allied forces in Burma would be able to reconstitute themselves.
Alexander the Great knew that if he were to embark on his great project, the conquest of the Persian Empire, he would first need to secure his flanks near the Mediterranean. This meant the bringing of Syria and Egypt under his control; and to this end he moved south after subduing Asia Minor.
Finland’s armaments industry quietly produced one of the very best submachine guns of the Second World War. This weapon was the KP/-31 (also known as the Suomi m/1931). The design is not well-known now, but in its day it was the weapon that everyone else wanted.
Little Portugal, located at the western-most tip of Europe, was not endowed by fortune with natural resources (save for its Atlantic proximity). Yet it did have the daring, tenacity, and vision of great men, and that proved to be sufficient to propel it to world prominence.
Like most of the belligerents of World War II, Japan found itself faced with an explosive demand for weapons of all sorts in the first few years of the 1940s. Existing supplies of small arms were simply not adequate, and Japan had to improvise as best it could.
Sicily had numerous Greek cities from very early times. These were colonial settlements that gradually grew into larger urban centers with the passage of years. But Sicily’s strategic position in the central Mediterranean meant that it was destined to become a battleground for regional powers. It was a pattern that would repeat itself down through the centuries.
The stories of forgotten weapons make for interesting reading. One such weapon was Britain’s “De Lisle carbine,” which remains one of the more obscure small arms stories of the Second World War. It is perhaps the most quiet weapon ever produced. Very few of them were made, and its full service record will probably never be fully known. But it does have an interesting story behind it and deserves more recognition than it has received.
Quintus Curtius 
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