Just prior to WW II the British Army began experimenting with the use of 9mm
Para tracers for night fighting to include the use of 100% tracer loads in Suomi
submachine guns. These early loads were made by Kynoch are reportedly had
108gr bullets with a red tip and were loaded in commercial Kynoch cases. The
night fighting trials were not particularly successful, but Army continued to
experiment with tracers during the war. Quite a few different types of tracers were
tested but none appear to have entered full production.
Para tracers for night fighting to include the use of 100% tracer loads in Suomi
submachine guns. These early loads were made by Kynoch are reportedly had
108gr bullets with a red tip and were loaded in commercial Kynoch cases. The
night fighting trials were not particularly successful, but Army continued to
experiment with tracers during the war. Quite a few different types of tracers were
tested but none appear to have entered full production.
The series of pointed-bullet tracers evolved as companion rounds to the series of
pointed-bullet ball cartridges which were under development in the 1942 time frame
in an attempt to improve the penetration of British 9mm Mk 1Z ammunition. The
pointed-bullet ball cartridges will be treated elsewhere on the website. The
pointed-bullet ball cartridges are relatively rare, but the tracers are extremely rare
with only a single loaded round and a single bullet cutaway known to the author.
pointed-bullet ball cartridges which were under development in the 1942 time frame
in an attempt to improve the penetration of British 9mm Mk 1Z ammunition. The
pointed-bullet ball cartridges will be treated elsewhere on the website. The
pointed-bullet ball cartridges are relatively rare, but the tracers are extremely rare
with only a single loaded round and a single bullet cutaway known to the author.
In parallel with the development of the pointed bullet tracers in mid-1942, the
British were developing tracers of similar design using the standard ball ogive.
This development continued into 1943.
British were developing tracers of similar design using the standard ball ogive.
This development continued into 1943.
DD(L) 14022A Tracer. Loaded round weighing 139gr and cutaway.
This is a specimen of the DD(L) 14021 bullet. The bullet weighs 89gr and is loaded in a
commercial Kynoch case headstamped KYNOCH 9mm.P which is a common pre-WWII
commercial headstamp. This cartridge was originally identified as the round used in the 1939
night fighting trials with the Suomi submachine guns using 100% tracer ammunitions but more
recent data indicates the 1939 tracers used 108gr bullets. No specimens of the 1939 test
rounds have been identified. There is a specimen on a card which may be from these trials
commercial Kynoch case headstamped KYNOCH 9mm.P which is a common pre-WWII
commercial headstamp. This cartridge was originally identified as the round used in the 1939
night fighting trials with the Suomi submachine guns using 100% tracer ammunitions but more
recent data indicates the 1939 tracers used 108gr bullets. No specimens of the 1939 test
rounds have been identified. There is a specimen on a card which may be from these trials
Photo courtesy of Tony Edwards
