The Lee-Enfield Rifle

Osprey Weapons #17

by Martin Pegler, Peter Dennis (Illustrator)

The Lee-Enfield is one of the 20th century's most recognizable and longest-serving military rifles. It was adopted by the British Army in 1895 and only replaced by the L1A1 SLR in 1957; even then a sniper variant, the L42A1, was used until 1989, giving a service life of nearly a century. It saw combat from the Boer War onwards, and thousands are still in use today, notably by the Taliban in Afghanistan; it is estimated that 17 million have been produced.

The Lee-Enfield featured an innovative detachable ten-round magazine; this large capacity, together with the weapon's revolutionary bolt-action operation, made it possible for well-drilled shooters to fire 20 to 30 rounds in 60 seconds (the 'mad minute'). This extraordinary speed gave rise to mistaken German reports of being opposed by massed machine guns in 1914. The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE), introduced in 1903, set a new precedent in military rifles, being neither a carbine nor a full-length rifle but an ingenious compromise that was soon copied by other countries.

The Lee-Enfield equipped British, Commonwealth and other forces throughout the world wars and well into the 1960s, giving excellent service in every kind of terrain and weather. Soldier's recollections of the rifle are overwhelmingly affectionate (it was known as the Smellie); today it remains a very popular target rifle for competitive shooting, and modern copies are being manufactured to meet demand.

Featuring first-hand accounts, brand-new full-colour artwork and close-up photographs, many in colour, this is the story of the Lee-Enfield, the innovative, reliable and long-lived rifle that equipped British and other forces through the world wars and beyond.

Genres: Military History, Nonfiction

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Martin Pegler has a BA Hons in Medieval and Modern History and an MA in Museum Studies, both from University College, London, and was for many years the Senior Curator of Firearms at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds. Martin has established The Somme Historical Centre (www.martinpegler.com), where visitors can see the technology used in the 1914-18 trench warfare. Martin enjoys shooting historic firearms and has participated in many shooting competitions. He is currently an author and firearms consultant, and he also lectures at local Great War museums. In his spare time Martin runs motorcycle tours of the battlefield. He is the author of a number of books including The Military Sniper since 1914 (Osprey, 2001), Firearms in the American West 1700-1900 (The Crowood Press, 2002), and the highly acclaimed Out of Nowhere: A History of the Military Sniper (Osprey, 2004), and he has also contributed to a number of magazines. In the 1980s he had the privilege of interviewing many World War I veterans about their wartime experiences, and the recordings are now part of the sound archives of the Imperial War Museum, London

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief history of the Lee-Enfield rifle and also an accounting of how well it served commonwealth and, surprisingly, US troops in the field. So effective is this ancient arm that some small numbers are still being captured from Taliban fighters in the Middle East.

Mr Pegler gets his message across clearly and effectively, and has seen to it that the pages are illustrated with diagrams, photos, and artwork that portray the practical use of this fine rifle. Of course, with such a thin publication there is little room for extensive ballistic tables and reloading data, so don't look for them here. What you will find is a solid general history of the rifle in question.

[Benjamin Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short book does an adequate job giving a "30,000ft view" of the history of the Lee-Enfield rifle. It should not be mistaken as a collectors book as it is barely 80 pages long and lacks the finer details needed for serious collecting. The anecdotes of soldiers found throughout this book are especially fascinating and are well worth the read. However, the author contradicts other noticeable experts in the field and neglects some notable variants of the rifle. The Indian 7.62X51mm variant and .410 shotgun conversions missing from this book are disappointing to say the least. All in all, a 3 star book.

[James Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

Recommended for anyone interested in the SMLE and or British rifle development from colonial to modern rifles. Plenty of comparisons to other rifles and Brotish soldiers thoughts and use of their rifles. A good read.

[Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very abridged

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and readable. This book covers specifications and technical details as well as the practical effectiveness of the rifle in the field.