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Canadians and the Thompson SMG


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Originally posted by Fluf:

Wow! Thank you Mr.Dorosh for the in depth review of the Sten situation. I stand enlightened on the subject now, having previously based my opinions on anecdotal stories I had read. I'd also never heard before that they were using steel casings on Thompson .45 rounds. Sounds expensive!

Steel may have been expensive, but where would the Canadian Army be without its beloved brass cap badges? :D There actually was a move afoot to limit the use of brass, at least in shoulder titles on service dress uniforms. The British started issuing plastic cap badges, and a few regiments in the Canadian Army did the same, but by and large metal badges (including brass) remained on issue to war's end. Priorities!!

The anecdotal stories you've read about the Sten are very widespread, and you are every bit correct when you say that many, perhaps even most, soldiers in the field despised the Sten. It does seem a bit odd that the advice the Army gave would be to throw away the weapon once a defect occurred. If that defect occurred in action, what would you do then? The obvious solution of course was to provide a gun that didn't have defects expected to occur...but as stated, these were in short supply.

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Originally posted by flamingknives:

Steel is cheaper than brass, last time I looked.

I'll bet your country wasn't involved in a world war last time you looked, either. ;) Apologies in advance if I am incorrect.

Nonetheless, brass was considered a precious commodity - precious enough to bother with the horror of plastic cap badges for proud British regiments.

[ December 17, 2003, 02:50 PM: Message edited by: Michael Dorosh ]

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Originally posted by CRSutton:

IIRC, there was a general shortage of M1 in the Pacific with the bulk of the weapons shiped to Europe.

I'm not sure what you mean by "shortage". I don't have any statistics on the issue, I'm afraid, but most photos by far I've seen of soldiers and Marines in the Pacific show them carrying Garands. Next most seen in photos is the Thompson, followed by carbine and BAR. FWIW.

Michael

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Originally posted by Michael Emrys:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by CRSutton:

IIRC, there was a general shortage of M1 in the Pacific with the bulk of the weapons shiped to Europe.

I'm not sure what you mean by "shortage". I don't have any statistics on the issue, I'm afraid, but most photos by far I've seen of soldiers and Marines in the Pacific show them carrying Garands. Next most seen in photos is the Thompson, followed by carbine and BAR. FWIW.

Michael </font>

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Originally posted by flamingknives:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Michael Dorosh:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by flamingknives:

Steel is cheaper than brass, last time I looked.

I'll bet your country wasn't involved in a world war last time you looked, either. ;) Apologies in advance if I am incorrect. </font>
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Originally posted by flamingknives:

The point is that the materials for brass are needed for war materiel in their own right.

Copper was in such short supply in the US during the war that not only were pennies stamped from zinc-coated steel, several tons of silver had to be borrowed from the Treasury to make the electrical windings for some of the isotopic separation equipment at the Oak Ridge nuclear facility.

Michael

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