Another Lee Enfield Sniper

[Giove]

I apologize if I answer only now.

After the end of WW II, for Great Britain, Italy had to be a small power on whose military contribution G. B. could maintain, even in indirect form, some control.

In the immediate post war period, the U.S.A. took no interest in Italian military problems of which only G.B. was interested, at this point.

According to General Browning, the Italian military industry should have been dismantled, and the equipment for Italian Army should be provided by G.B. with the considerable amount of surplus materials it could have had in the post war period.

It was established that for 5 years, the Italian Army would have a maximum of 265,000 men, and the production of war materials would be limited to the strict minimum to fill the gap left by the supplies of Allies materials.

The Italian "Army of Transition", that is the Army from the armistice to the peace treaty, would have received the equipment and the war materials from three supply channels:

1 - from Italian national resources;
2 - from the surpluses put on sale by the Allied liquidation organizationa;
3 - from imports decided by the Italian Government.

Of all these sources, only the Allied surplus materials deposits, were able to contribute to the Italian Army reorganization. The Allied authorities also realized that most of the U.S.A Army stocks had already been taken out of Italy; it was, therefore, decided (Decembre 1945) to standardize the armament for the "Army of Transition" to the British Army. General Browning suggested that only British weapons be distributed to the Italian Army units and that the "Carabinieri" units would have been armed with Italian weapons.

All this lasted until the Summer/Fall of 1947.

By the end of 1947, the British position was supplanted by the U.S.A., also due to the severe economic crisis that Great Britain met in the 1947 Winter.

The U.S.A. aid was realized with a weapons supplu in the 1948 Spring.

The Treaty of Peace established a force of 185,000 men for the Italian Army. The article 53 prevented Italy from manufacturing or possessing war material in excess of the needs of the Armed Forces allowed; thus macking difficult to set aside the necessary stocks. However, Italy also lacked the necessary economic resources to buy stocks.

However, due to the persistent economic constraints, for the whole year 1949, extensive use of all materials provided by the Allied in previous years and not yet been exploited, was made.

In 1949 Italy joined the NATO, and so the M1 Garand were supplied. The Lee-Enfield passed to the Navy. Italy, also, received a number of M1 Garand sniper rifles.

A number of Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I (T) were used by the Italian Army (then Royal Army) in the last stages of the "Liberation war", in 1944 - 1945 years.

It seems that the Lee-Enfield sniper rifle has never been officially adopted by the Italian Army, but used to acquire the necessary capabilities awaiting the arrival of official sniper rifles.

The first sniper rifle officially adopted, in post W.W. II period, was the M1 Garand in 30-06 caliber. The Italian Army initially received some M1C version to, then, move on the M1D model from the second half of the '50s.

[Surpmil]

Thanks for that interesting context; this was Gen. "Boy" Browning I assume?

[Giove]

Major General Langley Browning, chif of "Land Forces Sub-Commission"