De Lisle carbine

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De Lisle Commando Carbine
Pistol-caliber carbine
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1943–1965
Used byUnited Kingdom
Wars
Production history
DesignerWilliam G. De Lisle
Designed1942
ManufacturerFord Dagenham (17 prototypes)
Sterling Armaments Company
Produced1942–1945
No. built129
VariantsFord Dagenham Prototypes
Folding stock Parachute Carbine, only one example produced
Specifications
Mass7 lb 8 oz (3.74 kg), unloaded [1]
Length35.3 in [2]
Barrel length8.25 inches (210 mm)[1]
Cartridge.45 ACP (11.43×23mm)
Calibre.45
ActionBolt action
Rate of fire15–25 rounds/minute
Muzzle velocityabout 830 ft/s (250 m/s)
Effective firing range200 yd (185 m)
Maximum firing range400 yd (365 m)
Feed system7 or 11-round detachable magazine
SightsFord Dagenham: Winchester rifle sight at rear, simple ramp with modified P-14 front sight protector at front.
Sterling models: Lanchester Mk I rear sight (later changed to Lanchester Mk I*), windage adjustable front sight.
Airborne model: Lanchester Mk I rear sight, windage adjustable front sight

The De Lisle carbine or De Lisle

suppressor. That, combined with its use of subsonic ammunition, made it extremely quiet in action, possibly one of the quietest firearms ever made.[3][page needed
]

Few were manufactured as their use was limited to specialist military units.

History

The weapon was designed as a private venture by William Godfray de Lisle (known as Godfray), an engineer who worked for the

Sir Malcolm Campbell of Combined Operations with his prototype; this was informally tested by firing the weapon into the River Thames from the roof of the New Adelphi building in London. This was chosen to discover if people in the street below heard it firing – they did not.[5] Combined Operations officials were impressed with the weapon and requested De Lisle produce a 9mm version. However, this was a failure. A third prototype, using the .45 ACP cartridge that was favoured by de Lisle, was much more successful. Tests of this showed the weapon had acceptable accuracy, produced no visible muzzle flash and was inaudible at a distance of 50 yards (46 m).[2]

Subsequent official firing tests recorded the De Lisle produced 85.5 dB of noise when fired.[6] As a comparison, modern testing on a selection of handguns has shown that they produce 156 to 168 dB when firing without a suppressor, and 117 to 140 dB when firing with one fitted.[7] The De Lisle's quietness was found to be comparable to the British Welrod pistol. However, the Welrod was useful only at very short range and used fabric and rubber components in the suppressor that required replacement after a few shots. The De Lisle was able to fire hundreds of rounds before the suppressor required disassembly for cleaning.[8]

Combined Operations requested a small production run of De Lisle carbines and an initial batch of 17 were hand–made by

British Commandos.[6] In 1944, the Sterling Armaments Company was given an order for 500 De Lisle carbines, but eventually only produced around 130.[6] The Sterling version differed in a number of details from the earlier, Ford Dagenham model. Two prototypes of a further version, for Airborne forces, were made. These had folding stocks, similar to those fitted to the Sterling submachine gun.[9]

During the remainder of World War II, the De Lisle carbine was mainly used by the Commandos, although they also saw some use by the Special Operations Executive (SOE).[10] E. Michael Burke, the American former commander of a Jedburgh Team, stated that a De Lisle was used by them to assassinate two senior German officers in 1944.[10]

A number of De Lisles were shipped to the Far East and used during the

Burma Campaign. The De Lisle would also be used during the Korean War and the Malayan Emergency.[10]

US Army Special Forces - MACV-SOG used the weapon for many years in the Vietnam War, according to MSG Reinald "Magnet Ass" Pope in a 2024 interview. [11][timestamp needed]

It has been claimed the weapon was also used by the

Northern Irish Troubles.[10]

De Lisle's own .22 prototype was given to the National Army Museum in London, but it was subsequently lost and its present whereabouts are unknown.[8]

Design

suppressor

The De Lisle was based on a

suppressor, which made it very quiet in action. The suppressor reduced the sound of the firearm discharging to such a degree that working the bolt (to chamber the next round) produced a louder noise than firing a cartridge.[12]

The .45 ACP cartridge was selected as its muzzle velocity is subsonic for typical barrel lengths; consequently it would both retain its full lethality and not require custom-loaded ammunition to use with a suppressor. Most rifle rounds are supersonic, where the bullet generates a "

AS Val
are among other modern firearms that use the same concept.

The Lee–Enfield bolt was shortened to feed the .45 ACP rounds; the Lee–Enfield's magazine set-up was replaced with a new assembly that held a modified M1911 magazine. The bolt operation offered an advantage in that the shooter could refrain from chambering the next round if absolute silence was required after firing; a semi-automatic weapon would not have offered this option as the cycling of the bolt coupled with rearward escaping propellant gas and the clink of the empty case against any hard surface would produce a noise with each shot.[14] While the carbine was silent, it was not very accurate.[15]

A reproduction of the .45 caliber carbine is manufactured by the American company Valkyrie Arms.[16] Special Interest Arms for a time produced limited quantities of a De Lisle replica which incorporated an improved magazine adapter system that allows the use of unmodified M1911 magazines and also fully supports the barrel chamber in the action, later discontinued.[17]

See also

  • Sten—there were suppressed versions of the Sten, also used to shoot silently.
  • Welrod – British integrally suppressed pistol

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4402-2881-0. Retrieved 29 July 2013.[permanent dead link
    ]
  2. ^ a b Rome, p.28
  3. ISBN 0-949749-37-0
    .
  4. ^ Rome, p.31
  5. ^ a b Rome, p.27
  6. ^ a b c Rome, p.29
  7. ^ Silvers, Robert (2005). "Results". Silencertalk.com. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
  8. ^ a b "The De Lisle Silenced Commando Carbine". U.K. Historic Arms Resource Centre. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  9. ^ Rome, p.30
  10. ^ a b c d Rome, p.32
  11. ^ "Jungle phantom evading the NVA: MSG Reinald "Magnet Ass" Pope, MACV SOG". Jan 10, 2024.
  12. ISBN 978-0-85368-301-8
    .
  13. ISBN 978-1-58663-762-0
    .
  14. ^ "LRDG Weapons". The LRDG, Long Range Desert Group. BlindKat Publishers. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  15. ISBN 978-0-425-21542-5
    .
  16. ^ "DeLisle Commando Carbine". Valkyrie Arms. 22 September 2011.
  17. ^ "De Lisle Silent Carbine". Special Interest Arms. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.

Bibliography

  • Rome, Robert (June 1984). "WWII Silent Killer Still Lives" (PDF). Gung Ho: 26–32.
  • Skennerton, Ian (2001). Special Service Lee-Enfields: Commando & Auto Models. Small Arms Identification. Vol. 13. Arms & Militaria Press.
    ISBN 0-949749-37-0
    .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to De Lisle.
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