Weapons

The Belgian parachutists trained with a wide variety of standard and non standard issue weapons during their extensive training in the United Kingdom. As is quite common even today with special forces, the men were given quite some leeway in the choice of weapons that they took into combat. Due to the fact that they were more often than not operating in small groups against infinitely larger numbers of enemy troops meant there was a natural emphasis on weapons which were reliable and could provide a high rate of fire. It is generally accepted that the Americans produced the best small arms weapons during the Second World War so it is not surprising that many Belgian SAS men carried American weapons into combat. One weapon that was extremely popular with the Belgians was the US M1A1 Thompson Sub Machine Gun. The hard hitting calibre (.45) of its rounds were ideal for the close quarter combat one might expect in the claustrophobic wooded areas of France and Belgium. It was a sturdy and reliable weapon ideally suited to SAS needs and could employ 20 or 30 round magazines as well as larger drum magazines with a 50 round capacity.

US M1A1 Thompson SMG with 30 round magazine.

The British Lee Enfield rifle was not suited to most SAS operations but did see limited use with snipers once fitted with the appropriate scope (see photo below).

Belgian SAS man holds a Lee Enfield rifle fitted with sniper scope.

The British Sten Sub Machine Gun was a rather crude and at times unreliable weapon. However a number of the more reliable MKV Stens (shown below) were used by the Belgians. Previously I stated on this page that it was believed the Belgian SAS also used Sten MKII's. While this was the case in training, there is no evidence to support their use on operations. Lt. Renkin was issued a Sten Patchett for test purposes but his opinion/report is unknown.

British Sten MKV.

The British Bren Light Machine Gun was quite an effective support weapon that had a 30 round magazine. Bren guns were commonly used by the Belgians for section support and also as extra firepower on their jeeps. Photographs show they were specially rigged on the jeeps so that the driver could fire them from the side of the jeep while driving if necessary.

British Bren light machine gun.

The famous British Vickers 'K' machine gun was originally designed for aircraft use and not intended for the army. However due to limited resources they were pressed into SAS service during the North African campaign. They quickly proved their devasting effectiveness to the SAS men and as a result became standard issue. The twin mounted Vickers 'K' machine guns were usually mounted on the front of SAS jeeps while an American .50 calibre machine gun was fitted to the rear of the vehicle adding a little more punch to an already mighty level of firepower. US M1 Carbines with folding stocks were also quite popular with the Belgian SAS. Although using a smaller and therefore arguably less effective .30 calibre round, the M1 carbine was a very accurate weapon and due to its relative lightness and compactibility could be easily carried into combat by a parachutist whose biggest enemy was always the ungodly amount of equipment he needed to carry and jump with.

US M1 Carbine with folding stock.

The personal sidearms favoured by most Belgian SAS men were again American issue items. The US 1911A1 pistol was standard issue to both enlisted men and officers going into combat and proved very popular (example shown below). Well made and reliable the 1911A1 offered a hard hitting punch at close quarters and was therefore ideal as a last ditch close combat weapon. The effectiveness of these pistols is highlighted by the fact that they remained in service with the US army well into the 1980s.

US 1911 A1 pistol used by Captain W.M. Donnelly (D.Thomas Collection).

It is commonly perceived that all SAS men used the famous F&S commando dagger but this is not the case especially with respect to the Belgians. Many veterans will tell you that the F&S dagger while looking nifty and impressing women and small children was in reality not a great weapon. The US M3 dagger on the other hand was very robust and suited to a wide variety of uses which may explain its popular and wide use by Belgian SAS men.

US M3 fighting knife.

Explosives were used on a number of occasions by the Belgian SAS whether for sabotage purposes or to destroy large immovable targets. Depending on the mission an amount of plastic explosive would be carried along with a selection of time pencils and bobby traps. The time pencils had different colour codes which indicated various time delays and combined with plastic explosives were deadly in the hands of a trained SAS man.

Selection of grenades and explosive equipment used by the Belgian SAS (M.Backx Collection) .

Various hand grenades were also used by the Belgian SAS. The most commonly used was the standard British No.36 Mills grenade (shown below) but British No.69 and No.82 (Gammon) grenades were also carried. British 3" Mortars and the PIAT (Projector Infantry Anti Tank) were used by the Belgians in support roles later on in the war.

British No.36 Mills Grenade