BSA Welgun

Welgun
Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	trials only
Used by	United Kingdom
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	F.T. Bridgman
Designed	1942
Manufacturer	BSA
Produced	1943
Specifications
Cartridge	9×19mm Parabellum
Action	Blowback, Open bolt
Rate of fire	~500 round/min
Muzzle velocity	365 m/s (1,198 ft/s)
Feed system	32-rd detachable box magazine
Sights	Iron

The Welgun was a prototype submachine gun developed by the British irregular warfare organisation, the Special Operations Executive. Although it performed well in tests, it was never adopted, and was produced in small numbers only.

When issuing arms to resistance fighters throughout Europe, SOE favoured short-range, rapid fire, cost effective weapons which required little training to use, or maintenance in the field. Initially, they favoured the British Army issue crude and cheap Sten sub machine gun, but this weapon perhaps went too far in the directions of cheapness and simplicity. Early marks were notoriously unreliable and prone to accidental discharges, and some were so badly manufactured that they were issued to resistance fighters with "burrs" in the barrel or working parts which might even cause the weapon to explode when fired.

One of SOE's research departments, the Inter Services Research Bureau at Station IX in The Frythe, a former hotel outside Welwyn Garden City, sought a weapon more suited to the organisation's needs in early 1942. They had already produced the prototype Norm Gun (named after its inventor, Eric Norman) but this was too expensive for large-scale manufacture.

A cheaper alternative was produced by F.T. Bridgman. Various other official bodies, and the Birmingham Small Arms factory also had input. In early 1943, Sir Charles Hambro, the Director of the SOE, sought permission to have the weapon put into large-scale production. Six pre-production models were tested against comparative weapons, such as the Sten Mk. IV. The Welgun was less reliable in poor operating conditions such as mud or dust, because the first models had been made with too close tolerances. It was however, more accurate and easier to use. Later pre-production models had more generous tolerances and were as reliable as the Sten under conditions of deliberate abuse. Various Allied commando and Army organisations were enthusiastic about the weapon.

In the event, the Sten Mk. IV was chosen for mass production over the Welgun, though it did not enter widespread service either. No official reason for the Welgun's rejection has survived.

Peter Kemp of SOE was parachuted into Albania with a Welgun, but its first use in battle (ambushing a German staff car) resulted in it jamming, which Kemp attributed to adjustments made previously by an armourer who inadvertently damaged the mechanism.

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Wikipedia