Special Operations Executive?

Have a look here

http://books.google.com/books?id=hqQ83v ... ls&f=false.

Or search Special operations executive weapons.

Some did, either a 1911 or a Browning 9mm
http://www.pathfindergroupuk.com/2009%20Part%201.htm(about third of the way down the page)

This is my silenced 1911

Sorry, what part on that page is your 1911 on? sorry, yeah i was thinking about the WE 1911, what silencer did you use on the pistol?

My 1911 isn`t on that page, there`s a point on there that the group reenacated a drop carrying the same type of pistols issued to SOE people. My 1911 is a springer, the silencer I made myself out of 6mm id ali tube, some steel outer tube and two tap washers....and it works surprisingly

oh sorry the picture just loaded up on my screen, earlier on it didnt, yeah i wanted to go for an SOE look, would it be a denison smock they wore as well?

Not normally. The idea was to blend in with the locals. There was a camo overall that they jumped in, very rare bit of kit [as it was dumped and buried with the chute after landing]with no current repro.
There are some good threads on SOE kit and weapons on WWii re-enacting forum. http://www.wwiireenacting.co.uk/forum/

Did they have supressed .45's in ww2?

Short answer Webby is - Yes.

There were a whole host of suppressed weapons in WWII - Sten, M1911, Hi Standard, Webley & Scott Automatic to name 4 - But by far the most common was the HiStandard Model H-D MS which carried over into the Vietnam era and is still used today in covert operations. It works particularly well as it is .22 calibre and uses subsonic ammunition to achieve nearly complete suppression.
The Welrod was a specialist weapon developed BY SOE! it came in two calibres, .32 and 9mm. It had a 8 or 9 round mag (Can't remember without looking it up) but was a single shot, manually operated firearm. This was in order to eliminate completely the sound of the action reciprocating as on self loading pistols...... (I've fired a suppressed H-D MS and the slide makes more noise than the round disharge!)

The Jerries did a whole range of Steyr, P38, P08 and PPK pistols with "Schalldampfers" as a silencer/suppressor was known. They preferred detachable suppressors and these usually held in place by being clipped behind the foresight (except in the case of the PP range of pistols where they were threaded into the barrel) - Again - having had the opportunity to handle a suppressed P.38 (but not fire it sadly) they are impressive with the usual German efficiency in design and build.

Not really SOE but the Americans built and fitted a suppressor to the M1903 Springfield..... And did you know (cue no1sonuk) Hiram MAxim is credited with the "invention" of the suppressor - 1910 rings a bell but againw ithout checking I'm not sure.....
We (Das Britisch) suppressed the Delisle Carbine - an uber rare cut down Enfield hybridised with Thompson parts and using a Colt 1911 .45 magazine (still bolt action) - how queer!

Sory for the info overload - Just that I have always been fascinated with the mechanics of suppressing a firearm - Now suppressing a .50 cal - that's a trick!!!!!

Cheers PD, I knew of the others, just wasn't sure about the colt .45.

High standards are very nice though, very old school medal of honour on the PS1

Very CIA hitman The must have tool for a wet job.

For some unknown reason, my latest two projects are a Welrod and a Delisle carbine.

IIRC, standard .45 ACP ammo is sub-sonic anyway, so suppression is far easier than for 9mm parabellum which would need special subsonic rounds for most weapons (though I read somewhere MP5 SDs are so effective they can use standard 9mm ammo).
I assume that's partly why the DeLisle uses .45 rather than 9mm - no special ammo required.

I've just done some reading - I was mistaken (partly) and so wish to correct it - The Colt pistol that was suppressed as a piece of issue kit was the Colt Woodsman - which is in effect a HiStandard HD (same gun different manufacturer) So I apologise for that error - But there were examples of armourer made Threaded Suppressors fitted to individual M1911As which were never sanctioned or went through trails/issue process..... Substansive documentary evidence is scant for these 1911s and consist mainly of veteran accounts and heresay.

So on the face of it - the best we can say is - It could have been done and probably was done in very rare cases....... but no official proof exists.
There ye go - If I give wrong info I correct it..... got to really haven't yer?

Also got a list of Supressed weapons know in WWII....... makes interesting reading - Not sure about the Thompson though!

Australia:
-silenced Austen Mk1: Austen Mk1 submachinegun equipped with a silencer and a new folding stock

Czechoslovakia:
- CZ 1927 pistol with silencer; not sure if this silenced version was used by the Germans after occupation; according to Fritz Hahn´s book "weapons and secret weapons of the German army 1933-1945" the suppressor was quite effective; one source claims the use of silenced (?) CZ 1927 by the Westgerman intelligence agency BND (BundesNachrichtenDienst) after the war, I don´t believe this source because officially BND agents aren´t allowed to carry any weapons

Finland
- Mosin & Nagant m/91-30 with silencer: captured Russian S-40 and its Finnish copies were attached to Finnish Nagant rifles; very rare use
- silenced Suomi KP-31: modern day builts by firearms enthusiasts, no use in WW2

France
- silenced Erma EMP: built by the Germans for the special police of Vichy; not used by the Germans

Germany
- P-08 pistol with silencer;some pictures prove that it existed;unfortunately no more information
- Walther PP with silencer (?)
- Walther PPK with silencer (caliber 5.6mm);some pictures prove that it existed;unfortunately no more information
- P-38:no silenced version existed in WW2; all silenced P-38 (P-1) were built after the war
- Revolver 612(r) [Nagant 1885]: a silencer was developed by the "SS-Waffenakademie"; prototype only (?)
- Steyr M12/M16 machine pistol with silencer (thx varjag); used by the Brandenburger
- silenced Erma EMP: not used by theGermans (see France)
- silenced Mp-40:prototype only
- Mp 751(e) [Sten Mk2(s)] said to be the most used silenced weapon by the Germans; Otto Skorzeny was said to have a Mp 751(e) as his personal weapon; some sources claim the Mp751e) wasused during the operation "Greif" in 1944
- G43: all G43 from the mid-1944 to 1945 production were able to use a suppressor, but these silencers seem to be very rare
- K98K: some K98K got a German rebuilt of the Soviet S-40 silencer; no other information
- Kommando-Karabiner: special rifle with the silencer of the Mp 751(e); only four Karabiner were built
- Stg-44: several of my sources claim that some silencers for the Stg-44 and its versions (Mp-42 etc.) existed and were used by the Brandenburger

Italy
- Beretta 1934 pistol with silencer; this suppressor was also quite effective removing 80% of the noise of the shot according to "Infantriewaffen Gestern" by Reiner Lidschun and Gunter Wollert;this gun was used by the fascist special police OVRA; (also see UK)

Russia
- Nagant 1885 revolver with silencer; said to be used by the NKWD partisans and special troops; I´ve seen two versions of the gun: one with integrated suppressor and one with a removeable suppressor; for some pictures see here:
link (also see Germany)
- Nagant 91/30 rifle with S-40 silencer; used by special troops and partisans (i´m very interested in pictures of these Nagant rifles) (also see Germany)
- Tokarev TT-33 with silencer; used by SMERSCH

UK
- silenced Welrod Mk.1 pistol used by SOE (also see USA)
silenced Sleeve pistol used by SOE
- .22 caliber Winchester M74 rifle with silencer tested by the British home guard in 1940; the guns didn´t prove to be a success, becaus under croud conditions the scope was prone to be damaged (also see USA)
- silenced De Lisle carbine used by commandos in Northern France and South-East Asia; according to some information the folding stock version was just a prototype, other articles claim it was the only version used in South-East Asia; said to be the most quiet rifle ever built
- silenced Sten Mk2(S) smg;said to be the most used silenced weapon of WW2; issued mainly to commandos and partisans (also see Germany)
silenced Sten Mk6(S) smg; used by commandos(?)
- Webley & Scott .25 pistol with silencer; used by the SOE in France
- silenced Wel-Wand .25 rifle; one shot silenced rifle; special design for undercover operations; prototype only (?)
- Beretta 1934 with silencer; according to "Der perfekte Spion - Die Welt der Geheimdienste" Berettas 1934 with silencers were used by hunting teams of the SAS to assassinate murderers of SAS/SOE-agents after the war; can anyone confirm this claim and/or provide more information?

USA
- silenced Welrod Mk2 pistol ; used by OSS; also used by the CIA after the war
- silenced High Standard H-D pistols; some sources claim the High Standard to be the most used silenced weapon of the OSS; also used after the war (e.g. Garry Power had one as he was captured by the soviets)
- Thompson M1 with silencer; I saw a picture of it, I have no other information
- silenced M3 submachinegun; used by the OSS(?);versions with an US-produced silencer and with the silencer of the Sten Mk2(S) exist; the gun wasn´t a great success, because the US-produced suppressor wasn´t very effective
- Winchester M74 with silencer; the rifles of the British homeguard are said to be issued to the OSS later in the war

Hey.

Essentially, they attempted to use the right tools for the right jobs, this did on occasion mean a fairly eclectic selection of weapons an kit. Different types of agent or saboteur meant different tools.

From what i read, practicality was the order of the day combined with what might be available when the time came!for instance, can the four foot nothing woman we are about to drop behind enemy lines to take on the entire German counter-intelligence network actually hold a colt or webley 45, hmm, probably not, better give her a smaller framed pistol then !

Practicality and availability

As an aside, did you know (generically speaking) that Christopher Lee (famous British actor) was an SOE staff officer?

Cheers.

SOE.

Yeah he was issued with poison tipped fangs

wow, sorry i wasn't expecting that kind of reply.

personally, i have to respect people like that, not to labor a point, but i wouldn't be able to voice my views without people like him.

Cheers.

SOE.

Funnily enough I have met Christopher Lee, and he's not a very nice man at all.

Hey.

I confess, never met him, i just respect what he and all the others were willing to do.

Cheers.

SOE.

Funnily enough I have met Christopher Lee, and he's not a very nice man at all.

Really? he was great when i met him. Though i have to admit i didn't ask him about LotR or Dracula, and only about the Wicker man, which was one of his personal favourites.