Page from the Magazine popular science from 1943, who shows how the editor imagine the partisan war in Europe. To me, it looks like a bunch of old drunken bums(French i Guess) shooting the hell out of the local German garrison. I find the picture funny, considering what we know today about partisan warfare.
Looks and reads like an advertisement for the Sten, to be honest…
I wouldn’t consider it an advertisement, more of an article about the Sten.
Still, its a good drawing of the resistance!
The article wasn’t all that far off…
There were mass uprisings that took place in conjunction with Allied advances. The French Resistance virtual take-over of Paris would be a prime example of this…
The article is mostly propaganda obviously that was for the consumption of both sides of the War…
Yeah, but I think the old farts on the photo are not really sticking to to conducts of combat?, that why I found the picture funny.
Nor did the infamous Milice in southern France “stick to the codes of combat”.
While the role of the Maquis and various other “resistance groups” in France has to a degree been historically over-lauded, in a similar way, organisations such as the Milice have within Europe been downplayed, with regard to the savagery they conducted upon their own populace.
The simple truth was expressed by George Millar in his books on various events and units of those times. I quote: “It was in many ways a “dirty war” and little civility or humanity was rendered or spared by either side.”
The same can be said regarding Holland, Poland, and other parts of Europe, including the Balkans.
And frankly, combat in any of those places was a simple fight to the death, regardless of which side the persons were on. Neither side can be said to have “Fought by the ‘Rules of War’,”. Nor, in my opinion should they have done so. Often each side was in combat against perceived traitors to the nation, and in such cases, humanity but rarely records merciful or even decent conduct between perceived enemies.
Regards, Uyraell.
Has anyone ever tried to fire a Sten like the one in the picture with a full 30+ round magazine sticking out the side?
As for the picture, I doubt an ambush in a French city in '43 would have been a wise idea as the Germans were well known for their reprisals.
Deaf
I’ve not fired a Sten, as doing so in this country is very illegal, outside of being a member of the Armed Forces or Police.
However, I have handled one, magazine attached.
If one grasps the weapon correctly, with the left palm upturned and supporting the mag at the receiver end, rather than holding the mag as a bicycle handle bar, the weapon is quite comfortable to hold and would be very easy to use.
Nor is its’ weight an issue. If held correctly it is, like the MP40, almost too light, especially when compared to the Thompson, which I held the same day.
Regards, Uyraell.
And where might we find the rules for ‘conduct of combat’ for guerrillas and other irregular forces, in WWII or any other war?
Many people did, and quite successfully.
Then again, Stens had a reputation for firing themselves. http://www.canuck.freehosting.net/sten.htm
Their “conducts of combat” is one of ambush. And and “old fart” can just as easily fire a weapon as a 14 year old can -that’s the beauty of automatic weapons- they’re the great equalizers…
I imagine the authors/artist was under the impression that most of the young male population was still in German internment…
Guerrilla warfare in WW2 occupied Europe, was mainly sabotage actions where the Sten was carried as self defence, or to hold up guards protecting a factory, or a rail yard, while placing the explosives.
Direct encounters with German troops where mostly avoided, apart from the last days of the war, as far as I know.
The Danish resistance produced it’s own sten guns. Due to the simplicity of the design, any smith could make one, apart from the barrels. However, one raid on the rifle syndicate(rifle factory near Copenhagen), provided the Danish ressistance with hundreds of barrels.
Picture of a home made Sten
http://www.thm-online.dk/perioder/31/52/52-b2128/
I can understand them firing themselves. Just about any open bolt submachinegun has the problem of the bolt going back just far enough to catch a round but not the sear if dropped. MP40s had a notch to help stop this a bit, and the Uzi had cuts I think to help with this.
Ok, I can see using the forarm of the off hand to keep the mag steady (unless you are left handed… that must have been fun.)
Deaf
Are you aware of the fact that almost the entire Soviet territories afflicted by WW2 are on European soil? So is former Yugoslavia by the way.
Direct encounters with German troops where mostly avoided, apart from the last days of the war, as far as I know.
If you consider June '44 (in France that is) as “the last days of the war” you’re probably right.
right I should have been more specific, what I wrote does relate to the City partisans in western Europe, especially the Danish resistance.
For sure it must have been “fun” to fire on of those. The Danish resistance used to test fire them in the neighboring park, close to the shooting ranges
used by the Germans, using it as a cover up for the noise.