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 list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Knives and bayonets

Small arms

Rifles
  • De Lisle Carbine - Specialist issue,129 made
  • Enfield Pattern 14 (P14) - Used as a marksman weapon until the No.IV Mk.I(T) was introduced, also issued in large number to the LDV.
  • M1917 Enfield - Issued to LDV.
  • Lee Enfield No.1 Mk.III* - Lee Enfield rifle in service at the beginning of the war, supplemented and replaced by the No.4 Mk.I by mid-war.
  • No.4 Mk.1 + No.4 Mk.I(T) - Lee Enfield rifle that replaced the No.I Mk.III* in larger numbers mid-war.
  • Lee Enfield No.5 Mk.I "Jungle Carbine" - Introduced in 1944 to replace the longer No.1 Mk.III* for service in the jungle.

SMG

Machine guns
  • Bren light machine gun - Light machine gun for infantry use introduced in 1930s and used throughout the whole of the war.
  • Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) - Issued to Home Guard
  • Lewis Gun - In service with some infantry at outbreak of war in small numbers, issued to British Home Guard for the rest of the war.
  • Vickers "K" machine gun also known as VGO - Fast firing aircraft machine gun, used in specialist roles on Long Range Desert Group and Special Air Service vehicles in North Africa, as well as a short-lived infantry machine gun with the Commandos.
  • Vickers machine gun - Standard medium machine gun of the British Army since 1912.
  • Vickers. 50 - Used as a mounted armament on fighting vehicles, as well as an anti-aircraft weapon by the Royal Navy and other allied ships.
  • Browning M1919 - Mounted on many lend-lease vehicles.
  • Browning M2 - heavy machine gun, mounted on many lend-lease vehicles.
  • Besa machine gun - in 7.92 mm BESA and 15 mm BESA forms used as armament on British-built tanks and armoured cars only.
  • Vickers-Berthier - Light machine gun adopted by British Indian Army before the war, and used until replaced by Bren guns around 1942.
  • Besal - Designed as a lighter, simpler, and cheaper to manufacture alternative to the Bren gun, never went into mass production.

Handguns

Grenades

Other

Infantry anti-tank weapons
  • Blacker Bombard - spigot mortar firing round. Issued for home defence only
  • Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55in, Boys "Boys Anti-Tank Rifle" - Infantry anti-tank weapon (prewar - 1943).
  • Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank (PIAT) - Infantry anti-tank weapon (1943 until end of war).

Artillery

Anti-tank guns

Guns and howitzers

Anti-aircraft artillery

Mortars
  • 2 Inch Mortar
  • 3 Inch Mortar
  • Ordnance ML 4.2 inch Mortar
  • Blacker Bombard
  • Northover projector - Home Guard use.

Vehicles
Main articles: British armoured fighting vehicles of World War II and British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II

see also List of World War II military vehicles by country, United Kingdom

Light tanks
  • Light Tank Mk VI - The main British light tank during the opening years of the war
  • Light Tank Mk VII Tetrarch - British produced light tank, most of which did not see service. A small number were supplied via lend-lease to the Soviet Union, and a small number were delivered by glider into Normandy to support British airborne forces.
  • M3 and M5 Light Tanks - US supplied tank, called the 'Stuart' in British service named after General J. E. B. Stuart. Despite the 'official' name of Stuart applied, most British primary sources refer to the tank as the 'Honey'.
  • Light Tank (Airborne), M22 -US supplied light tank called the 'Locust', was used in small numbers in 1945.
  • Light Tank, M24 - US supplied tank, called the 'Chaffee' in British service, named after General Adna R. Chaffee Jr.

Medium tanks
  • Tank, Medium, Mk.II - Dug into ground with turret protruding for defence, in North Africa, & Great Britain.
  • Medium Tank M3 - An American tank provided following purchase and later lend-lease. Standard production models were called the 'Lee', after Robert E. Lee. Tanks produced with a modified turret to British specification were called the 'Grant', after Ulysses S. Grant.
  • Medium Tank M4 - An American tank provided under Lend-Lease, labeled the Sherman by the British after General William Tecumseh Sherman.
    • Sherman Firefly - A Sherman rearmed with a British 17-pounder anti-tank gun, in addition to accompanying turret modifications.

Cruiser tanks
  • Tank, Cruiser, Mk.I (A9)
  • Tank, Cruiser, Mk.II (A10)
  • Tank, Cruiser, Mk.III (A13)
  • Tank, Cruiser, Mk.IV (A13 Mk.II)
  • Tank, Cruiser, Mk.V, Covenanter (A13 Mk.III) - training use only
  • Tank, Cruiser, Mk.VI, Crusader (A15) - Entered service in 1941, replacing earlier models in combat formations
  • Tank, Cruiser, Mk.VII, Cavalier (A24) - Not used in combat. Used as an observation post for artillery officers, and as an armoured recovery vehicle.
  • Tank, Cruiser Mk.VIII, Centaur (A27L) - Initial models were only used for training use. Latter models, equipped with howitzers, were used for close support with only the Royal Marines Armoured Support Group.
  • Tank, Cruiser, Mk.VIII, Cromwell (A27M) - First saw combat in 1944, and only used in North West Europe. The 7th Armoured Division was the only formation completely equipped with the Cromwell as its main tank. In the remaining British armoured divisions in France, it was used to only equip the armoured reconnaissance regiment.
  • Tank, Cruiser, Mk.VIII, Challenger (A30) - Derivant of the Cromwell, enlarged chasis and turret equipped with a 17-pounder anti-tank gun.
  • Tank, Cruiser, Comet I (A34) - Entered service in early 1945
  • Tank, Cruiser, Centurion I (A41) - Entered service too late to see combat service.

Infantry tanks

Other tanks
  • "Tank, Heavy Assault, A33 (Excelsior)" - prototype only
  • Tortoise heavy assault tank - prototype only
  • Tank, Heavy TOG 1 - prototype only
  • Tank, Heavy TOG 2 - prototype only

Self-propelled guns

Other armoured fighting vehicles
  • Universal Carrier
  • Loyd Carrier
  • Half-track Car M2 - Provided under Lend-Lease by US.
  • Half-track Car M3 - Provided under Lend-Lease by US.
  • Half-track Personnel Carrier M3 - Provided under Lend-Lease by US.
  • Half-track Personnel Carrier M5 - Provided under Lend-Lease by US.
  • 4-ton amphibian, Terrapin - amphibious personnel carrier

Utility vehicles
  • List of ships of the Second World War

Aircraft
Main article: List of aircraft of the United Kingdom in World War II

Radar

Ground

Aircraft
Main article: List of World War II British naval radar

Missiles & bombs

Aerial bombs

Cartridges and shells

See also

References
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