The Sten Gun

A design and operational history of this iconic submachine gun of World War II that proved massively influential in the development of inexpensive, easy-to-produce close-combat weapons.

The Sten submachine gun – officially the 'Carbine, Machine, Sten' – was developed to fulfill the pressing British need for large quantities of cheaply produced weapons after Dunkirk, when German invasion was a very real possibility.

Over four million were built during World War II, and the Sten was widely used by airborne troops, tankers, and others who needed a compact weapon with substantial firepower. It proved especially popular with Resistance fighters as it was easy to conceal, deadly at close range, and could fire captured German ammunition – with a design so simple that Resistance fighters were able to produce them in bicycle shops.

Featuring vivid first-hand accounts, specially commissioned full-colour artwork and close-up photographs, this is the fascinating story of the mass-produced submachine gun that provided Allied soldiers and Resistance fighters with devastating close-range firepower.