Patchett Machine Carbine Mk I - BR III - Allied Tech Tree
Hello fellow forum dwellers, today is a long one so strap in!
Short summary:
Add the Patchett Machine Carbine Mk I (British 9×19mm submachine gun) to the Allied tech tree at BR III as a Commonwealth tech‑tree SMG alternative to the American .45 Thompsons. It would offer a controllable, moderate‑to‑fast firing 9mm option that fills a niche the Allies currently lack, whilst at the same time providing proper tech tree Commonwealth representation at higher BRs.
- Aye
- No
Weapon type:
- Submachine Gun (SMG) — Semi / Full‑auto, feeds from 9mm 32‑round magazines.
Proposed BR:
- BR III - Reasoning below.
Introduction:
- Tech Tree. This weapon would be a sensible tech‑tree unlock: not premium, not event‑locked - just a national solution to a balance and flavour gap.
Plausable Companion piece, a Premium squad releases along side a Tech Tree Patchett
There’s a rarer version of the Patchett, with a foldable bayonet, that can be added as a Premium Paratrooper squad later as a supplement (or at the same time as a TT Patchett, think of the “Type Hei-Automatic Rifle” and “Type Hei LMG” implementation, both came roughly at the same time, are essentially the same weapon but just with a slight gimmic).
Why the Patchett at BR III? (Justification)
- The Allied tech tree at higher BRs is dominated by .45‑cal Thompsons (hefty recoil, slow velocity, which lowers their mid‑range performance). The Patchett is a home‑grown Commonwealth 9mm SMG that would offer players a more controllable alternative for those who prefer stability and agility over big‑calibre raw punch.
- Comparable role to the German ZK‑383 at BR III: a 9mm SMG with a moderate‑to‑high rate of fire and good handling. The Patchett would be a slightly different flavour - a little slower in cyclic rate but also a little easier to control on the move, where the ZK-383 shines as a ultra-light stationairy LMG due to its bipod (a windowsill and open country at close-medium range and the ZK will deliver way better than any peer).
- Adds factional variety and authenticity: Commonwealth factions should have an indigenous tech tree SMG that fits historically and mechanically into higher BRs.
- All other alternatives for BR III and above weapons are proper prototypes, where as the Patchett was a succesful field trialed weapon that would have been adopted if the war didn’t end when it did. This is the best option for this spot on the tech tree.
Gameplay role & intended use:
- Close‑quarters skirmisher / aggressive objective are natural for all SMGs, but a controllable SMG alternative would give the Allies (or Commonwealth players specificly) that extra reach they sorely need. Excels in long corridors and close-to-mid urban street fighting where controllability matters more.
- Counters: players who dislike high recoil .45s will have a viable alternative; Allied squads benefit from a more balanced mix of SMG archetypes, indeed the best option might be to mix the two in the same squad for best performance.
- Not meant to outclass Thompsons at every range - rather it offers a different trade‑off (9mm controllability vs .45 stopping power at close range).
Proposed unupgraded stats (suggested):
- Muzzle velocity: 400 m/s (standard 9mm)
- Damage: 5.7 (standard 9mm in game)
- Rate of fire: 650 rpm (speculative; contemporary reports describe the Mk I’s rate as “excessive” from the intended 550 target - 650 makes a noticeable but balanced difference, and one I believe is closest to the truth)
- Magazine: 32 rounds (32/128 reserve)
- Reload: 2.6 s (standard for 32‑round Sten/Lanchester reloads)
- Shot deviation: 62 (noted for good mechanical accuracy, plus we are essentially making a ZK-383 clone here which is also very accurate)
- Vertical recoil: 30 (suggestion)
- Horizontal recoil: 9 (suggestion)
- Recoil control: 60% (standard SMG stat)
- Weight: 3.8 (lighter than Sten Mk II which is 4.0 in game; IRL design intent ca 2.7kg vs Sten Mk II 3.0kg)
- Firing modes: full‑auto / semi‑auto (or “repetition” in WW2 British terms)
Notes: the above numbers are tuned to be competitive but not overpowered. The 650 rpm stays as close to historical facts as possible (even if it is speculated), and gives it a satisfying tempo without turning it into a bullet hose.
Historical & contextual justification:
- The Patchett Machine Carbine Mk I was the direct predecessor to the later Sterling SMG. Designed by George Patchett (Sterling Armaments Company) to replace the Sten, the Mk I met a 1944 British General Staff specification calling for a light, accurate 9×19mm SMG. The specification emphasised weight (less than 2.7 kg), 9mm ammunition, and improved accuracy over the Sten.
- Patchett’s prototypes performed well in trials and were noted for markedly improved accuracy and reliability compared to the Sten. The Mk I later evolved into the Sterling design that saw post‑war service. A small number of trial examples (roughly 120) were produced and possibly saw limited action in late‑war operations (e.g. Arnhem/Walcheren) - while large‑scale WW2 adoption did not occur due to surplus Sten inventories and the war ending, the Patchett is nevertheless a genuine WW2 British/Commonwealth design with sound lineage, and it was formally accepted as the winner of the trials before the end of the war even if it was never adopted during the war.
- In short: it is historically British, it performed well in trials, and it is the natural Commonwealth SMG candidate for inclusion in Enlisted. It’s a good “what if” gun, had the war lasted longer these would almost certainly have begun rolling off the production lines, and they are way less speculative than the other prototypes we have in the game already.
Balance & comparable weapons:
- Closest analogue: German ZK‑383 (BR III) - a 9mm SMG with moderate‑to‑high RoF and good handling. The Patchett would be slightly slower (650 rpm vs ZK’s 700), but more controllable on the move and carrying 32‑round mags rather than 30, and of course without a bipod. ZK-383 would win out at greater ranges and when stationairy, due to bipod, but also at very close range due to higher RoF, Patchett would win out in that mid-range sweet-spot truly meant for this gun.
- Compared to the M1928A1 Thompson: the Patchett trades raw stopping power, reload speed, and a little less RoF for higher controllability, and better mid-range performance - meaningful trades that avoids simply adding a “better Thompson”.
- Result: a fair, role‑distinct option that diversifies Allied SMG playstyles without stepping on other weapons’ toes.
Why the Commonwealth needs the Patchett in the Tech Tree:
- Representation: Commonwealth forces deserve a domestic SMG in the tech tree rather than being reliant on lend‑lease Thompsons for high‑BR play.
- Gameplay variety: gives Allied players a 9mm option with better mid‑range behaviour and controllability, revitalising the otherwise monotone Allied squad loadouts and tactics at BR III.
- Historical plausibility: the Patchett passed trials and directly informed post‑war British SMG design; it is therefore a reasonable inclusion even if wartime service was limited, had the war lasted longer it would have sees major service. In this respect it is a lot like the M2 Carbine; it did exist, but mostly as a post-war gun.
The Patchett - The narrative arc and what it meant for British Small-Arms Engineering
The Patchett wasn’t just another gun - it was the culmination of Britain’s rather reluctant love affair with the submachine gun. At the outbreak of the war, the very idea was dismissed as a “gangster’s weapon,” something unsporting and unfit for His Majesty’s Army. Yet necessity, as ever, proved the better instructor, as Germany made effective demonstrations of the submachine gun in France, Norway, and the Low-Countries. Britain had to learn, and it had to learn quickly.
From the heavy Lanchester copy-paste, to the rough-and-ready Sten prototypes, through successive refinements of the Sten line, British designers learned (often the hard way) what made a good submachine gun. The Patchett represented the finale, a last (roughly) polished chapter of that wartime evolution - the moment when British engineering finally cracked the code of what a proper SMG should be. It would go on, in its later Sterling guise, to serve the United Kingdom and Commonwealth throughout the entire Cold War. Including the Patchett in Enlisted’s Tech Tree would not only enrich gameplay but pay homage to that very British journey from improvised necessity to refined excellence, closing the final chapter in the tech tree next to it’s two older brothers.
Images:
Example at the Royal Military Museum in Brussels, number 047 out of the roughly 120 trials guns made:
Unknown number of the Patchett, but visually conforms to the No. 047:
Markings of the No. 047 example:
Folding stock of the No. 047:
No. 047 with it’s stock folded (yes, the Patchett was the gun that Imperial Stormtroopers in Star Wars were using, well specificly the Sterling, but the Patchett was the first of the Sterling)
British Commandos and Free French partisans posing, the soldier fourth from the left is holding one, and another can be seen lying on the ground at far right. Image source unknown:
Pattents of the gun (US 1943 Pattent Office):
Patchett of unknown number, sporting a folding bayonet, for your consideration as a Premium weapon:
Sources and other resources used:
Forgotten Weapons article (and associated video), working with a example from the Royal Military Museum in Brussels: Patchett Machine Carbine MkI: Sten Becomes Sterling - Forgotten Weapons
NRA American Rifleman article on the Stirling: The Sterling: Britain’s Cold War Submachine Gun | An Official Journal Of The NRA
Imperial War Museum - London: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30029467?utm_source=chatgpt.com
And both (and certainly least) - Wikipedia article on the Stirling (useful if you want further reading, and looking up other sources): Sterling submachine gun - Wikipedia
Recomended futher reading: A History of the Small Arms Made by the Sterling Armament Company by Peter Laidler, James Edmiston, and David Howroyd.
Closing:
The Patchett Mk I gives the Commonwealth a proper, historically plausible 9mm SMG for BR III: a controllable, accurate, and well‑balanced alternative to the .45‑calibre options. It adds faction identity, diversifies playstyles, and slots neatly into the current balance picture - think of it as the Commonwealth’s answer to the ZK‑383, but with its own personality and British engineering sensibility (who puts bipods on SMGs anyway?).
Thanks for reading - and remember: don’t run with scissors.
Signed - Lt. Ogge King, 3rd Experimental Tea Infusion and Small Arms Appreciation Company, Home Guard (Reserve),
God save the King.
