What is Sten Mk II?
[[File:20080809 mokotow 44 reenactment IMG 2675.jpg|thumb|[[Polish Underground State|Polish]] re-enactor with Sten]] {{One source|date=May 2020}} '''The Sten Mk II''' was the main [[submachine gun]] of the [[British]] [[military]] in [[World War II]]. [[World War II|Early in the war]], the [[United States|US]] [[Lend-Lease|lent many weapons]] to the British to fight [[Wehrmacht|German forces]], including the [[Thompson submachine gun]]. However, since the Thompson was expensive to make in large numbers, the British made a [[submachine gun]] of their own, that would be cheap and quick to make. They made 100,000 Sten Mark I and millions of Sten Mk II. The weapon was only made of 47 parts, making it relatively fast to put together and take apart and therefore easy to ship and hide. This feature made it popular among [[resistance fighter]]s, including the [[Free French]]. It was also the first SMG to have a [[Suppressor|silencer]] made for it, making it useful for [[stealth]] and surprise. <ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/weapons/smgs/sten.htm|title = Sten Gun|publisher =canadiansoldiers.com }}</ref>However, due to its low quality, it was not a very reliable weapon as it tended to [[Malfunction|jam very frequently]] and fire entire [[Magazine (firearms)|magazines]] without pulling the [[Trigger (firearms)|trigger]]. British soldiers who captured German [[MP-40]] would often abandon the Sten and use the MP-40 instead. The switch was not difficult since both weapons fired the same type of bullet, the [[9x19mm Parabellum]], with the same type of magazines (which meant that they could use the enemy's [[ammunition]] to load their Stens or vice versa). ==References== {{reflist}}{{Military-stub}} [[Category:Submachine guns]]