Turning the Legendary Lee Enfield into Something Extra, Extra Special.
Putting the Cherry on the Cake...Twice!
As a British military history enthusiast I have a little rule of thumb to identify just what British weapons that are 'world class'. And that is, if the Americans think they are cool, or even better if the Americans adopted them, then that's a pretty good indication that they were something very special.
The Lee Enfield - whether SMLE or No. 4 - has always had a big fan based among American gun enthusiasts...
WW2 era rifles are very much sought after items in the U S of A and the Lee Enfield is consistently in the top 5 of most collectable. In it's basic service form the British infantry rifle that served throughout both World Wars is something of a legend in of itself, but it also has a number of variations which make the venerable rifle even more sought after...
1. The 'Jungle Carbine'...
As admirable as the Lee Enfield - and in fact all WW2 'long rifles' - were, it was becoming increasingly apparent that it's sheer length was becoming somewhat anachronistic. By the end of the war the writing was clearly on the wall with both Germany and the USSR moving to intermediate cartridge, and carbine length infantry rifles (the Gewehr 43 and the SKS), and then - finally - assault rifles.
The British - never ones to be the first to adopt 'new' ideas - chose to compromise and developed a shortened Lee Enfield based on the lessons learned from modern mobile combat. However, despite the label of 'Jungle Carbine' the shortened .303 rifle was not just a product of the fighting in the Far East but was a design that was eventually intended to replace *all* long versions of the rifle in all theatres. Hence it's proper military designation of the No. 5 Rifle, indicating it's intended role as the replacement for the - then standard - long No. 4 Lee Enfield.
As it turned out, by the time it was produced the war in Europe was coming to it's conclusion (so, the wrong time to introduce a replacement rifle) and so it eventual issue to those serving in the Far East - with the war against Japan still rumbling on - reinforced the idea that this shortened version of the service rifle was intended as a jungle expedient. And hence the (completely unofficial) nickname of 'jungle carbine'.
As it turned out the No. 5 rifle had a fairly short lived and troubled lifespan as weapon technology more forward at a greater pace and the 'battle rifle' format was itself giving way to the 'assault rifle'. The older No. 4 rifle saw it's last hoorah during the Korean War and the No. 5 was never replaced it and by the mid-1950s the L1A1 SLR (Self Loading Rifle, based on the Belgian FN FAL) saw the end of the British bolt-action service rifle.
Perhaps because of the limited numbers of the No. 5, which made the rifle somewhat rarer, the rifle because rather more attractive to the collector. But, it is also - I would argue - the very attractive look of the No. 5 - with it's rather sporting lines - that made it a firm favourite in the milsurplus collectors market, and a very popular collectors piece among our American friends (so much so, that these rifles sell at a premium which has encouraged a shady market for fake No. 5s made from cut-down No. 4s, which are far more plentiful).
2. 'Whispering Death' - De Lisle Carbine
While the No. 5 carbine can be seen as just a shortening of the standard No. 4 Lee Enfield and as such not a major departure from the format, other much more nefarious tinkering was afoot!
After the disastrous (or 'victorious', depending on you point of view) withdrawal from Europe at Dunkirk, Britain was in something of a 'holding pattern' regarding offensive operations while it decided what to do next (and while it rebuilt it's decimated stock of weaponry).
With moral at a low, hot to hit back and 'do something' was the burning question. The answer came in the form of the Commando raid. 'Ungentlemanly' cloak and dagger shenanigans were the ideal - low cost - alternative to conventional warfare and they had the added benefit of *really* annoying the Germans!
So successful was this 'new' (*arguable*) form of warfare that it spawned a whole innovative arm of the military that - today - were term as 'Special Operations'. And, of course, the covert and very specific activities of the Commandos meant that some very specialist tools were required for the job... Enter the De Lisle.
A particular - and rather nasty - aspect of this new form of operation was the need to silently eradicate sentries. Now, movies might lead you to believe that the much maligned 'German sentry' was a issue that was very easy to overcome, but in reality they posed a major hurdle that the Command had to deal with quickly and with the least fuss. This was achieved, initially, with the Fairburn Sykes dagger or garrot, then with the invention of the Welrod silenced pistol, and finally with the creation of the De Lisle silenced carbine.
The De Lisle was designed to allow the Commando to dispatch a sentry at a modest distance, ensuring no alarm could be raised. Firing a .45 ACP sub-sonic bullet - the same as used in the American Colt 1911 pistol - the system did still require some sharpshooting skill as a headshot was perhaps the most effective way to ensure a completely silent kill. And all done with rudimentary iron sights!
Despite the challenges the De Lisle carbine earn a reputation as one of the quietest military firearms deployed during World War 2.
As a very unique, effective and rather sinister firearm it has become much sought after by the historic collector and developed a somewhat legendary status.
Bonus Third Firearms 'Porn'....
Two examples of how to make the Lee Enfield even cooler not enough?
Well, there is one other legendary variation to the basic No. 4 that - again - has the firearm historian and collector frothing at the chops, and that is the No. 4 Mk. I (T) sniper rifle.
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| Above: Canadian sniper Sergeant Harold Marshall carries a No. 4 Mk. I (T) chambered in .303 British. Source: Wikipedia |
It's easy to go off into superlatives about this rifle, but I'll just point to the longevity of it's service as a indicator of it's ruggedness and effectiveness. First deployed in World War 2, the No. 4 (T) saw the change over from the .303 cartridge to the NATO standard 7.62x51 in the 1950s, but then continued in service - with the British Army designation of L42L1 - well into the 1970s!
Not to be outdone by either the Jungle Carbine or the De Lisle, the No. 4 (T) has become highly collectable and fetches some eye watering prices on the market. So much so -in fact - that, like the 'Jungle Carbine', t6here is something of a murky market for fake (T) rifles made from converted standard (and cheaper) No.4s.
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