The rifle
was the standard weapon of the infantryman in the Second
World War. Soldiers in the British Army
were issued with the Lee Enfield, a weapon
that had been used by the army in the First World
War. The rifle had a 25.19in barrel and weighed 8lbs 2oz unloaded.
The Lee-Enfield had the fastest-operating bolt action ever fitted
to a service rifle, and a trained soldier could fire up to 30 aimed
rounds in one minute.
In 1941
a new model was introduced. Although slightly shorter than the original
Lee-Enfield it was slightly heavier weighing 9lbs 1oz. It retained
the same bolt action and magazine but had a more simple stock design,
improved aperture sights, and a protruding barrel on which a spike
bayonet could be fixed.
A trained
soldier using the Lee-Enfield was able to put five shots into a four-inch
circle at 200 yards. When fitted with telescopes a good sniper could
hit his target at a distance of 1000 yards.
Lee
Enfield Rifle
Available from Amazon Books
(order below)
