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Before British production of 9x19mm started, the Design Department produced a drawing DD/L/11833 intended for use in all Sten, Lanchester and Smith & Wesson carbines, This drawing was based on American cases and had a Boxer primer so was modified to show the normal British Berdan primer, becoming DD/L/11833A. The design was finalised with minor modifications as DD/L/11833B. An identical drawing was produced for the Royal navy as NOD 5881.
Pilot Production
In September 1941 a limited pilot production of 9x19mm ammunition commenced at Woolwich. this was to be the only time Woolwich produced this calbre.
The case was of brass with a Berdan primer and the headstamp was "R/|.L 41 9M/M". the caps were not ringed or staked in.The bullet weighed 115 grains and had a gilding metal envelope over a lead core.
The propellant charge was 4.8 grains of Revolver Neonite to give a muzzle velocity of 1,100 to 1,150 fps at a pressure of 11 tsi.
In addition to loaded rounds, Woolwich produced dummy rounds also exist and are discussed on the following page.
9mm Ball Mark Iz
"Cartridge S.A. Ball 9mm Mark Iz" was approved in December 1941 to design DD/L/11833B and was shown in Lists of Changes Paragraph B.6041 dated April 1942. This design covered land and Air service but as mentioned above naval service was covered by the identical design NOD 5881.
Pilot production of the Ball Mark Iz took place at ROF Blackpole in late 1941 and was probably filled at Swynnerton.Like the Royal Laboratory production, these rounds had a brass cap which was not ringed in. There was no annulus colour.
It appears from the positioning of the headstamp that perhaps it was intended to include "IZ" in the four o'clock position as seen on the left. However, this was changed to the familiar three position headstamp shown below.
Also, at this point the purple annulus was added.
Ball Mark Iz was manufactured by ROF Blackpole, ROF Hirwaun and Crompton Parkinson Ltd,
Contract Ammunition
Meanwhile, large quantities of 9mm ammunition had been purchased in the United States from Winchester.and from Western Cartridge Company. Although issued for use in Stens and Lanchesters it did not comply completely with Ball Mark Iz specifications so was not given that nomenclature.
The great bulk of the ammunition was from Winchester and problems were experienced with the caps in the Western ammunition.
The contract ammunition had a Boxer primer and was headstamped "WRA 9MM" or "WCC 42". The caps were not ringed in.
Bullet weight was 115 grains and had either a gilding metal or GMCS envelope.
Two different packagings for Winchester 9mm contract ball.
Although most of the Western Cartridge Co. ammunition was brass cased, some steel cased rounds were supplied
Left: Western steel cased ball round, headstamp "WCC 43".
In addition to the American ammunition, from 1942 large quantities of 9mm ball were obtained from Canada, made by Defence Industries. This was also Boxer primed and was headstamped typically "DI 42 9MM". The primers were secured with three triangular stab crimps and some rounds had a green primer annulus despite being ball, not armour piercing.
Bullet weight was 115 grains.
In 1941 Britain purchased 30 million rounds of 9mm ball from Bolivia. This was German manufactured, probably by Geco/RWS and was packaged in 50 round boxes marked in Spanish. The cases were brass with unringed caps and the headstamp was "G B", standing for "Gobierno de Bolivia". (Government of Bolivia). Bullet weight was 124 grains.
Packet label for Bolivian 9mm
Further 9mm ball, manufactured by Hirtenberger in Austria and headstamped "* P * 1934" was probably obtained from the same source as the box labels are similar. It is known that this ammunition was issued for active service as rounds have been found at the site of a glider crash from the Telemark commando raid in Norway.
Left: Bolivian "G B" Ball round . Right: Hirtenberger Ball round.
Later in the war after large amounts of enemy ammunition had been captured in North Africa, both German and Italian 9mm was issued for practice in the UK. (See British SAA Pamphlet No.11.)
In January 1942 trials started to improve the performance of the Ball Mark Iz round. One type tested in both ball and tracer had the pointed bullet found on some Italian ammunition and known in Britain as the "Beretta" type, but neither was adopted.
Another had a similar pointed bullet but with only the forward portion of the lead core covered by a gilding metal envelope. Again this was not adopted.
In late 1942 two different routes were adopted, one to lead to an experimental semi armour piercing bullet (see here) and the other to the new Ball Mark IIz.
Ball Mark IIz
"Cartridge S.A. Ball 9mm Mark IIz" was approved in September 1943 to design DD/L/14046 and shown in Lists of Changes Paragraph B.9511 dated July 1944.
The brass case was Berdan primed and originally identical to the Ball Mark Iz case, but in 1948 the high and low tolerances of the rim were reduced slightly. Much 1943 production uitilised Mark Iz cases and there is no way of identifying whether these are Mark Iz or IIz once removed form the packet. The primers bore a purple annulus and were ringed in.
The headstamp of production from 1944 included the characters "IIZ" and from 1945 "2Z" or "MK2Z".
The bullet weighed 115 grains and was as for the Mark Iz. Both GM and GMCS envelopes were authorised.
The propellant charge was 6 grains of Du pont SR.4898, later changed to Nobel's parabellum Powder.
Velocity of early production was 1,250 fps at 60 feet but in 1944 this was increased to 1,300 fps at 60 feet. There is no marking on ammunition or packaging to identify the different loads.
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