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 would have been British as they were at that time part of the British Empire. However commonwealth countries did make their own unique weapons like the Owen gun and Vickers–Berthier.

Uniforms/protective equipment

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

Naval ships

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

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

Cartridges and shells

.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

References

^ 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.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Dunstan, Simon (1984). Flak jackets : 20th Century Military Body Armour. Volstad, Ron. London: Osprey. ISBN 0-85045-569-3. OCLC 12519792.
^ "Steel Helmet, MKIII (with net): British". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
^ "Green Beret". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ Reynolds, David (1 September 1998). Paras: an illustrated history of Britain's airborne forces. Sutton. ISBN 978-0-7509-1723-0. pp. 1, 34, 121. {{cite book}}: templatestyles stripmarker in |title= at position 105 (help)
^ "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.
^ "Beret, Royal Tank Regiment". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
^ "British soldiers in France in 1939(in WW2) wearing service dress".
^ Jewell, Brian (1981). British Battledress, 1937-61. Men At Arms. illustrated by Mike Chappell. London: Osprey. ISBN 0-85045-387-9. OCLC 9732793.
^ Burns, Michael (1992). British combat dress since 1945. Arms & Armour. ISBN 0-85368-984-9. OCLC 26310051.
^ "Page 2 of 1937 Pattern Web Equipment". www.diggerhistory.info. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
^ Brayley & Chappell 2001, p. 39.
^ "Battle Jerkin - Combat vest". 19 February 2016.
^ Fighting Knives: Illustrated Guide to Fighting Knives and Military Survival Weapons of the World by Frederick J. Stephens (1985), ISBN 0853683441, page 105

[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.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

[5] Reynolds, David (1 September 1998). Paras: an illustrated history of Britain's airborne forces. Sutton. ISBN 978-0-7509-1723-0. pp. 1, 34, 121. {{cite book}}: templatestyles stripmarker in |title= at position 105 (help)

[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

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