Interesting P1907 Adaptation

[Flying10uk]

It does seem like a lot of "faffing about" trying to attach the attachment at the end of your SMLE to the "mounds of barbed wire", one strand at a time, while the opposition is probably going to be doing something about it.

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[Alan de Enfield]

It does seem like a lot of "faffing about" trying to attach the attachment at the end of your SMLE to the "mounds of barbed wire", one strand at a time, while the opposition is probably going to be doing something about it.

Indeed - the rifle mounted 'wire cutter' was a far better idea than the' wire breaker', the problem was that **** Poor Preparation gives Poor Performance.

Whilst the wire-cutter worked fine on the British Barbed wire, no one had thought to check if the German barbed-wire was the same ............... It wasn't, it was much thicker and harder and could not be cut with the wire-cutters.


Rifle SMLE Mark.III, Cutters, Wire: 5,500 ordered under contract 94/C/1667 dated 11 May 1916 - Completed
Rifle SMLE Mark.III, Cutters, Wire: 39,300 ordered under contract 94/C/1667 dated 11 May 1916 - Completed
Cutters, Wire, S.A.No.1 Mark I: 60,000 ordered under contract 94/C/2849 dated 28 August 1916 - Completed
Cutters, Wire, S.A.No.1 Mark II: 50,000 ordered under contract 94/C/4625 dated 7 March 1917 - ongoing
Breakers, Wire, S.A.No.1 Mark I: 15,000 ordered under contract 94/B/2997 dated 21 October 1917 - Completed
Breakers, Wire, S.A.No.1 Mark I: Continuation ordered under contract 94/B/3486 dated 4 December 1916 - 2,000 per week.

Wire breakers were attached to the bayonet and trapped the wire at the muzzle which was then broken by firing the rifle, the bullet cutting the wire.

Wire cutters broke the wire by mechanical means after it was trapped in the jaws of the cutter.

Cutters, Wire, S.A., No.1 Mark I fitted the SMLE and P.'14 rifles,

Cutters, Wire, S.A., No.2 Mark I fitted the Ross Mark III

Cutters, Wire, S.A., No.3 Mark I fitted the Ross Mark IIIB (the British contract model)

All were introduced by List of Changes Paragraph 17,751 dated february 1916. These all pointed up and back when fitted to the rifle. The wire was hooked in the jaws and the rifle pulled sharply backwards to operated the spring mechanism and cut the wire.


Cutters, Wire, S.A., No.1 Mark II fitted the SMLE,

Cutters, Wire, S.A., No.4 Mark I fitted the Pattern '14,

These were introduced in LoC Para. 18,516 dated January 1917 and differed from the previous patterns in that they pointed forward, had longer horns and were operated by pushing forward against the wire. There was no corresponding pattern for the Ross as it had been withdrawn from front line service by then.

It was designed such that the wire ran along the top of the sword bayonet and entered the jaws of the cutter, rotated it and cut the wire


My wire cutters .....

Manufactured by C.H.Pugh Ltd, Whitworth Works, Tilton Road, Birmingham
Teleg: Accuracy, Birmingham.
Tel: Victoria 161

[RCS]

I found the photo that I was looking for that show a French Lebel rifle with a wire cutter using the fired bullet. This appears to be a very easy to manufacture device

[Alan de Enfield]

I found the photo that I was looking for that show a French Lebel rifle with a wire cutter using the fired bullet. This appears to be a very easy to manufacture deviceAttachment 128621

That could amost be a mK1 SMLE Grenade launcher