Editing Lanchester submachine gun (section)

==History==
Following the [[Battle of Dunkirk|Dunkirk]] evacuation in 1940, the [[Royal Air Force]] decided it required a [[submachine gun]] for [[airfield]] defence. With no time available for the usual research and development of a new weapon, it was decided to create a gun based on the German [[MP 18#Evolution|MP 28]], after looking at two examples from Ethiopia.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/mp-28-hugo-schmeisser-improves-the-mp18/ | title=MP-28: Hugo Schmeisser Improves the MP18 | date=22 August 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|user=Royal_Armouries|number=1460579437649539075|title=The GB military's view on submachine guns in 1939 was that they were a 'gangster' weapon. }}</ref> The [[British Admiralty]] decided to join with the RAF in adopting the new weapon, and played a key role in its design. Ultimately, it was within the Royal Navy that most of the Lanchesters that were produced went into service.<ref name="Atlas-fr">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Lanchester|language=fr | encyclopedia =Encyclopédie des armes : Les forces armées du monde|publisher=Atlas|year=1986|page=26|volume=I|number=2. Les pistolets-mitrailleurs 1939-1945}}</ref>

It was given the general designation of Lanchester after George Herbert Lanchester, who was charged with producing the weapon at the [[Sterling Armaments Company]], the same company that later produced the [[Sterling submachine gun]].<ref name="Atlas-fr"/>

The Lanchester was envisioned as a weapon used for guarding prisoners and accompanying naval landing and assault parties. It was a very solid, well-made submachine gun of high-quality materials, in many ways the complete opposite of its direct contemporary, the [[Sten gun|Sten]].<ref name="Atlas-fr"/>

The Lanchester had a heavy wooden butt and [[Stock (firearms)|stock]], which was for simplicity copied from the British [[Lee–Enfield#Short Magazine Lee–Enfield Mk I|SMLE service rifle]], a machined-steel action and breech block, a [[Magazine (firearms)|magazine]] housing made from solid [[brass]]<ref name="Atlas-fr"/> (later steel) and a mounting on the muzzle for use of a long-bladed [[Pattern 1907 bayonet|1907 bayonet]]. The rifling differed from the German original in details to accommodate various lots of 9mm ammunition then being acquired for service use.

Produced in two versions, Mk.1 and Mk.1*. The Mk.1* was a simplified version of the original Mk.1, which omitted the fire mode selector (full automatic only) and used simplified sights.<ref name="Atlas-fr"/>