WWII British Semi Automatic Battle Rifle

[Balaur]

Basic results, higher Axis infantry casualties,not much effects in Asia right away, but serious effects in the European theatre of operations,shorting the war in Europe by a few months.
The shift of forces into Asia a few months earlier would have serious effects on post war Asia.

Why would a slightly better infantry rifle for only one of the major powers shorten the war by a few months? It'd have butterflies from individual soldiers being saved by their faster rate of fire, but it wouldn't effect the war on a large scale.

 

[wtw]

Not exactly a battle rifle but if I was on point in the Burmese jungle a semi automatic 12 bore would be hard to beat when you don't know what's behind the next bush, or up the next tree.

At that time most shells were made of cardboard at that time, and many shotguns used by US forces jammed, the US had to make metallic shells for use in the pacific.

I'd rather have an owens

You are on the right track, jungle warfare at that time a battle rifle would have been a bad idea, I would like to have something in 45acp, but an M1 carbine if need be.

 

[James Ricker]

Why would a slightly better infantry rifle for only one of the major powers shorten the war by a few months? It'd have butterflies from individual soldiers being saved by their faster rate of fire, but it wouldn't effect the war on a large scale.

Fewer British causalities more German casualties and lot of close battles go the British way.Those will add up. World War 2 was still basically an infantry war,Germany was running out of infantry in 1945.

 

[jsb]

That's something which has always seemed a little odd to me, if you're initiating a shadow factory programme for aircraft on the increasing possibility that war might break out then considering that any fighting almost certainly will involve the army why they never decided to increase the small arms manufacturing capacity in a similar shadow programme.

Shadow program was started in 36 at the time the army was not going to fight another land war in Europe, yes it doesn't make any sense but that's what HMG had told it and HMT was willing to pay for... (rearmament wants actually true preparing for war until very late its more a deterrent that obviously didn't work due to a lack of understanding of AHs personality)

 

[Cryhavoc101]

At that time most shells were made of cardboard at that time, and many shotguns used by US forces jammed, the US had to make metallic shells for use in the pacific.

You are on the right track, jungle warfare at that time a battle rifle would have been a bad idea, I would like to have something in 45acp, but an M1 carbine if need be.

.45 had poor barrier penetration in Jungle warfare while the 'Hot' 9mmx19 Para+ the aussies where using in the Owens did not suffer from this as much

The M1 Carbine was a great jungle weapon - particularly as its ammo did not corrode like .45 and 30-06 in places like New Britain which had amazingly high humid conditions

 

[wtw]

.45 had poor barrier penetration in Jungle warfare while the 'Hot' 9mmx19 Para+ the aussies where using in the Owens did not suffer from this as much

The M1 Carbine was a great jungle weapon - particularly as its ammo did not corrode like .45 and 30-06 in places like New Britain which had amazingly high humid conditions

well that make sense from what I have read in the early years of the Malaya Emergency that M1 carbines followed by Brens and Stens where popular in the later stages of the war. Still as a sidearm I would have preferred the 1911, I am ok with using say a Sten or Owen in that case.