the rieder automatic rifle attachment · 2018. 6. 12. · ibs), simple construction and fitting,...

THE RIEDER AUTOMATIC RIFLEATTACHMENT

LT CDR W. M. BISSET*

In March 1981, Mrs H. J. R. Rieder donated herhusband's presentation British .303 SMLE RifleNo 1 Mark III (number M-45374) with the RiederAutomatic Rifle Attachment to the MilitaryMuseum at the Castle in Cape Town. With it werea number of photographs, letters, documents andplans concerning this once secret invention whichwas tested outside the Castle during the SecondWorld War. Fortunately, the documents donatedby Mrs Rieder include a list of the numbers of the18 rifles to which Mr Rieder's automaticattachment was fitted and it is hoped that thepublication of this information will lead to thediscovery of some of them and be of considerableinterest to their present owners.

France surrendered on 17 June 1940 and tomany a swift German victory seemed inevitable.In July 1940, Mr H. J. R. Rieder discussed thesimple conversion of a standard .303 rifle to a fullautomatic rifle with Lt Col M. E. Ross, the StaffOfficer A11 at Cape Command Headquarters inthe Castle.1 Mr Rieder, a radio and televisionexperimenter and inventor, was employed in theMechanician Department of the General PostOffice in Cape Town. Although of Germanancestry he had served in the Royal Corps ofSignals during the First World War.2

On 22 July 1940 Mr Rieder wrote to the OfficerCommanding Cape Command requesting theloan of 'one standard service rifle for minoralterations and fitting of conversion unit fordemonstration purposes only'. Mr Rieder addedthat the normal operation of the rifle would not beimpaired and that an old used rifle would be quiteadequate.

In a reply dated 3 August 1940 a Lieutenant-Colonel wrote on behalf of the Director-Generalof Technical Services that Mr Rieder should beasked 'to explain the principle which he proposedto adopt and submit drawings or sketches of hisdesign'. The writer doubted whether an automaticrifle was of much value, since none had beenadopted to any great extent by any of the powers.He added that the ammunition supply was onedifficulty.

On 23 September 1940 the Deputy Director ofCoast Artillery, Lt Col H. E. Cilliers, authorised Mr

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Rieder to 'hold in his possession one rifle Mk 111No 45374' for experimental purposes, but on 18November 1940 he wrote that the Senior StoresOfficer was 'pressing for its return' and requesteda progress report.

Mr Rieder manufactured his automatic rifleattachment in his home, Windyways, 37, UpperGlengariff Road, Three Anchor Bay and wassupplied with blanks with which to test it. Akingsize silencer deadened the noise whichwould otherwise have aroused the suspicions ofthe neighbours3 Mr P. D. Rieder, the youngestson of the inventor, recalls that his father was latergranted a temporary transfer to the UDF and worearmy uniform. All subsequent work on theinvention took place in an upstairs workshop inthe Castle and a sergeant was assigned the taskof assisting Mr Rieder.4 A detailed description of

Mr H. J. R. Rieder.

Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 11, Nr 3, 1981. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za

British .303 SMLE Rifles No 1 Mark III fitted with the Rieder Automatic Rifle Attachment and mounted on tripods.

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the Rieder Automatic Rifle Attachment andphotographs of the invention were forwarded tothe Senior Naval Officer, Simonstown on 2January 1941 and to the Director-General of WarSupplies, Dr H. J. van der Bijl, the following day.

A letter from the only cameraman permitted to bepresent, mentions that separate demonstrationsfor the Admiralty and Director-General of WarSupplies were arranged. Fortunately, the AfricanFilm Productions cameraman, whose name is notrecorded, has included the familiar stone walls ofthe Castle in some of the photographs of thedemonstrations. The cameraman advised hisGeneral Manager on 14 January 1941 thatpermission for him to photograph the rifle hadonly been granted on condition that the companywork through a Mr Wilson who was responsiblefor the arrangements concerning the release ofthe story. However, a telegram from DEOPSPretoria to DECHIEF Cape Town dated 22January 1941 stated that the negatives of films ofthe invention were being returned at once, care ofCapt Stodel and that neither copies nor negativeshad been made.

Mr Rieder's automatic rifle attachment made itpossible for the ordinary service .303 rifle tooperate as an automatic weapon by using the gasor pressure generated by the fired cartridge. MrRieder considered that the merits of the rifleattachment were its lightness (approximately 2!Ibs), simple construction and fitting, relativefreedom from stoppages, low production costsand ease of loading. The attachment did notprevent the rifle from being used as an ordinaryrifle and 'single shots could be fired withautomatic loading'.

The only disadvantage listed by Mr Rieder wasoverheating after about 100 rounds had beenfired but this he expected to overcome. In a letterto the Director-General of War Supplies,Director-General of Technical Services and MrRieder dated 31 January 1941, the OfficerCommanding the Technical Services Workshopsat the New Drill Hall, Maj E. P. Edwards, wrote thatduring demonstrations the extractor and loadingsprings had caused problems because they weremade from piano wire which did not retain thecorrect length and weight. 'This problem and anincorrectly designed check spring were over-come in a new model of the attachment. MajEdwards considered that this invention might beas free from defects as the ordinary machinegun'. Another advantage was that scarcely any oil

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was required and although it had a dust cover itstood up well to field conditions.

Under the heading 'remarks' Maj Edwardssuggested that the eye-guard could be used forfitting an adjustable aperture sight to offset thepossible difficulty of aligning the service sightcaused by the rapid vibration of the rifle. Singleshots could be fired by releasing the triggerquickly or alternatively the rifle could be broughtto service conditions by closing the gas vent.

Although Maj Edwards wrote that it was essentialthat a type of elongated ring foresight be fitted, hepointed out that the introduction of tracer bullets(1 in 3) and using the hose pipe method would beuseless because of the speed of modern enemyaircraft upon which the .303 bullet had 'very littleeffect other than the moral aspect'. 5

In a letter to OC Technical Services dated 16June 1941 Mr Rieder requested a furtherextension of his temporary transfer to theDefence Department because it had provedimpossible to obtain a suitable type of steel springin the Union and this and other small improve-ments had impeded progress. Nonetheless, hehoped that 'perfection would be accomplished inthe near future'.

On 18 June 1941 Mr Rieder advised the OfficerCommanding Technical Services Workshops inwriting that his experiments had reached finalityand that it would now be possible to complete theremaining sixteen rifles for demonstration pur-poses. He requested a further period of about sixweeks to complete the task.

On 10 October 1944 Cdr H. S. Gracie, RNpresented Mr Rieder with the first .303 rifle(Number M-45374) to be fitted with the RiederAutomatic Rifle Attachment on behalf of theAdmiralty.6

Although three rifles fitted with Mr Rieder'sinvention were sent overseas, it was neveradopted.? Nonetheless, Mr Rieder's ingenuity andindustry in one of the darkest hours of the SecondWorld War, deserve the highest praise. MrsRieder's gift, now displayed near the scene of thetwo demonstrations outside the Castle and thedocuments and photographs relating to it, havealso helped fill another gap in the history of ourmost important national monument.


A .303 rifle fitted with the Rieder Automatic RifleAttachment, extra handles and a larger magazine.

The Rieder Automatic Rifle Attachment dismantled.

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'u Cdr W. M. Bisset is SO Military Musea, WP Command

.303 Rifles fitted with the Rieder Auto.matic Rifle Attachment

Number RemarksM-45374 Obtained by Mr Rieder. Presented

to Mr Rieder by the Admiralty on 10October 1944. Now in the MilitaryMuseum The Castle.Eighteen rifles received from SSOT

8134 }F26776F59724

Rifles sent overseas

Converted to original planConverted to new plan 25.8.41,8ertha'. (Taken to Pretoria byMcClelland on date not recorded).

892462239133F59817G47054892868N8109236139S48250

F53065F68561H43785F45222H86891250675

Listed as being 'partly convertedto original plan and now at CapeTown' on 20 September 1941.

Rifles completed and convertedto new plan now at Cape Town

'Susie'. (Taken to Pretoria byMcClelland).Sent to Pretoria

Endnotes(1) Letter from Mr Rieder to OC Cape Command dated 22 July 1940.(2) Information provided by Mr P. D. Rieder and obituary in The Cape

Times 23 November 1954.(3) Information provided by Mr P. D. Rieder.(4) Ibid.(5) Letter TSW 840/1 dated 31 January 1941.(6\ Letter from Cdr H. S. Gracie (Office of Commander-in-Chief, South

Atlantic) dated 10 October 1944.(7) Letter TSW 840/1 dated 20 September 1941.

Mr Rieder shows his invention to Royal Naval officers,an army officer and a civilian after a demonstration

outside the Castle in Cape Town.

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the rieder automatic rifle attachment · 2018. 6. 12. · ibs), simple construction and fitting,...

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