The Sten was a family of British 9 mm submachine guns used extensively by British
and Commonwealth forces throughout World War ll and the Korean War.
Over 4 million Stens in various versions were made in the 1940s.
The Sten MK (or Mark) ll was the widely produced version of the popular British Sten
series of submachine gun with over two million produced in just three years during
the war. The Sten-series as a whole was based on the principle of cheap design and
production - both affable factors during wartime production. The Sten was a no-frills
weapon system and designed for close combat. The Mk ll was a more refined version
of the Mk I and built to be lighter and smaller than it's predecessor. The entire system
was basically built around the tube barrel, with even the butt of the gun being simple
bent tubing.
Operation of the weapon was smooth and the weapon was simple enough to break
down quickly, which was important to special forces operatives and paratroopers
alike. The 30 round magazine proved sufficient (though it was engineered to accept 32
total rounds, this was generally disregarded to protect from excessive wear and tear
on the magazine spring).
Spam is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation. It
is made from chopped pork shoulder meat with ham meat added, salt, water, sugar,
and sodium nitrite to help "keep its color".
Spam was introduced into the state of Hawaii and the territories of Guam and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, in addition to other islands in the
Pacific such as Okinawa and the Philippine Islands, during the U.S. military
occupation in World War ll. Since fresh meat was difficult to get to the soldiers on the
front, World War ll saw the largest use of Spam. Gls started eating Spam for breakfast,
lunch, and dinner. (Some soldiers referred to Spam as "ham that didn't pass its
physical" and "meatloaf without basic training.") Surpluses of Spam from the soldiers‘
supplies made their way into native diets. Consequently, Spam is a unique part of the
history and effects of U.S. influence in the Pacific.
In the United Kingdom Spam gained popularity in the 1940s during World War ll. as a
consequence of the Lend-Lease Act.
