The Owen was designed at the beginning of World War II when Australia was facing a severe shortage of arms. The Australian military did not have a positive opinion of the submachinegun, much as did Great Britain. But the looming demands of war, especially in the jungle terrain of the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia, demonstrated the need for portable automatic arms that could be operated by the individual. In short, submachineguns.
The United States had relatively few submachineguns available, most of these in the form of the Thompson submachinegun. Great Britain was just beginning to turn out the Sten submachinegun series and had supplied some to Australian. The supply of weapons to Australia from outside sources was strained by distance and the demands of early wartime production on the originating countries.
The Owen was designed by Australian Army Lieutenant Evelyn E. Owen. The original idea was in very poor form, drum fed by a fixed magazine and chambered in 22 Rimfire. It was refused by the military, but the basic idea was brought forward again, this time to be redesigned and chambered for 9x19mm. Additional specimens were tested in other calibers, including .45 ACP, but the 9mm version was finally chosen. One of the very distinctive characteristics of the Owen is the vertically mounted magazine on the upper part of the receiver., The magazine is a double-column, double feed design, which removes the single-feed source of problems noted in other weapons. The magazine also has the ejector integral with the body.
The accuracy and handling characteristics of the Owen were both considered excellent, particularly by the Australian troops who carried it. Thought heavy for the type, the Owen balanced above the rear pistol grip and was designed to work in dirty environments. The reliability of the Owen placed it above many of the other weapons available as the war progressed. The basic design remained in use with the Australian military well past World War II. The Owen served in both the Korean War and into Vietnam. Approximately 45,000 Owens of various types were built before production ended in September, 1944.
