Lanchester Submachine Gun

The Lanchester Submachine Gun is a British copy of the Maschinen Pistole 28 (MP28). After the evacuation of Allied Forces at Dunkirk in 1940, the Royal Air Force decided that they needed a submachine gun to protect airfields. Because there was no time to develop a completely new weapon, it was decided to copy the German MP28. Serving alongside the Sten, the Lanchester was commonly used by guards overseeing prisoners and was used in naval landings and assault parties. It was primarily used by the Royal Navy, who used it until around 1970. Both the Sten and the Lanchester were officially replaced by the Sterling submachine gun, made by Sterling Armaments Company, the same company that produced the Lanchester.

The Lanchester is distinguished from the MP28 in that it has a mounting on the muzzle for a bayonet, and has rifling different than that of the German weapon.