List of British military equipment of World War II

The following is a list of British military equipment of World War II which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels. This also would largely apply to Commonwealth of Nations countries in World War II like Australia, India and South Africa as the majority of their equipment was British as they were at that time influenced or controlled by the British Empire. However commonwealth countries did make their own unique weapons like the Owen gun and Vickers–Berthier.

Uniforms/protective equipment

Two British soldiers in battledress with 1937 webbing wearing "Steel Helmet MKll" helmets

• MKl*, and MKll “steel or bowl style helmet” ^{[1] [2]} - both the MKl* and Mkll helmet were introduced in 1938
• Mk III "Turtle" helmet ^[3] - introduced in 1944
• Helmet Steel Airborne Troop - for airborne forces
• Denison smock - for airborne forces
• Beret - the beret was introduced in place of the Field service cap for some units with specific colours for some units
  • Green beret ^[4] - worn by British Commandos
  • Maroon beret ^[5] - from 1942 by airborne forces
  • Tan beret ^[6] - Special Air Service from 1942 till 1944
  • Black beret ^[7] - by armoured units, including the Royal Tank Corps from 1924
• Service Dress ^[8] - the field uniform at the start of the war until replaced by battledress
• Battledress ("Uniform No. 5") ^{[9] [ page needed ] [10]}
• 1937 pattern web equipment ^{[11] [12]}
• Battle Jerkin ^[13]

Knives and bayonets

• 

  Pattern 1907 bayonet which was the standard bayonet for the SMLE No 1 mk III which was the standard British rifle in WWII till 1941 when the SMLE No 4 mk I was introduced which replaced it.

  Pattern 1907 bayonet

• 

  No. 4 Bayonet which was the standard bayonet for late war Enfield No. 4 mk I rifle.

  No. 4 Bayonet
• Sten bayonet mk I-Sten mk II
• No. 5 Bayonet
• No. 7 Bayonet-Sten mk V
• Push dagger
• BC-41

• 

  Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife made famous by British special forces.

  Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife
• Smatchet
• Dickinson commando knife ^[14]
• Bayonet
• Kukri

Weapons

• List of World War II weapons of the United Kingdom

Vehicles

• British Commonwealth armoured fighting vehicles of World War II
• British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II
• See also: List of World War II military vehicles by country#United Kingdom

Naval ships

• List of Classes of British ships of World War II
• List of requisitioned trawlers of the Royal Navy (WWII)

Naval equipment

• List of Royal Navy and other British naval forces military equipment of World War II

Aircraft

• List of aircraft of the United Kingdom in World War II
• Naval aircraft
  • List of Fleet Air Arm aircraft in World War II
• Equipment of RAF bombers
  • List of equipment of RAF Bomber Command aircraft of World War II

Radar

• Ground
  • Chain Home, early warning radar
  • Chain Home Low
  • AMES Type 7
  • GL Mk. I radar, gun laying radar for anti-aircraft batteries
  • GL Mk. III radar, gun laying radar for anti-aircraft batteries
• Aircraft
  • Monica (radar), tail warning radar fitted to bombers
  • H2S (radar), ground scanning radar fitted to bombers
  • AI Mk. IV radar, airborne interception radar fitted to fighters
  • AI Mk. VIII radar, airborne interception radar fitted to fighters
  • ASV Mark II radar
  • ASV Mark III radar
• Naval
  • List of World War II British naval radar

Missiles and bombs

Aerial bombs

British aerial bombs: 2000lb, 4000lb and 12000lb blockbusters, 1000lb and 500lb GP bombs

• Fire balloons
• "Bouncing bombs"
  • Upkeep
  • Highball
• Gas bombs
• Smoke bombs
• Tallboy bomb
• Grand Slam bomb
• Blockbuster bombs
• Disney bomb

Cartridges and shells

.303 British cartridge for British rifles and machine guns

• .303 British for standard issue rifles and light machine guns
• .38 S&W for standard issue revolvers
• 9×19mm Parabellum for standard issue submachine guns

See also

• List of equipment used in World War II
• List of common World War II infantry weapons
• List of secondary and special-issue World War II infantry weapons

References

1. Edwards, Nina (Freelance writer) (27 October 2014). Dressed for war : uniform, civilian clothing and trappings, 1914 to 1918. London. ISBN   978-0-85773-511-9. OCLC   895162723.
2. Dunstan, Simon (1984). Flak jackets : 20th Century Military Body Armour. Volstad, Ron. London: Osprey. ISBN   0-85045-569-3. OCLC   12519792.
3. "Steel Helmet, MKIII (with net): British". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
4. "Green Beret". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
5. Reynolds, David (1998). Reynolds, David (1 September 1998). Paras: an illustrated history of Britain's airborne forces. Sutton. Sutton. pp. 1, 34, 121. ISBN   978-0-7509-1723-0.
6. "Special Air Service (SAS) beret belonging to Ronald Grierson, 1970s (c) | Online Collection | National Army Museum, London". collection.nam.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
7. "Beret, Royal Tank Regiment". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
8. "British soldiers in France in 1939(in WW2) wearing service dress".
9. Jewell, Brian (1981). British Battledress, 1937-61. Men At Arms. illustrated by Mike Chappell. London: Osprey. ISBN   0-85045-387-9. OCLC   9732793.
10. Burns, Michael (1992). British combat dress since 1945. Arms & Armour. ISBN   0-85368-984-9. OCLC   26310051.
11. "Page 2 of 1937 Pattern Web Equipment". www.diggerhistory.info. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
12. Brayley & Chappell 2001, p. 39.
13. "Battle Jerkin - Combat vest". 19 February 2016.
14. Fighting Knives: Illustrated Guide to Fighting Knives and Military Survival Weapons of the World by Frederick J. Stephens (1985), ISBN   0853683441, page 105