Developed during World War II at "Station IX", the SOE's research and development center near Welwyn Garden City, the Welrod was designed from the start as a clandestine weapon, to be used for sentry elimination and assassinations by resistance forces. Reportedly, a plan was conceived to mass drop the Welrod in occupied territory to be used in a month-long assassination rampage against the SS; it is believed that the mass retaliation following the SOE's hit on Reinhard Heydrich deterred this plan. Welrods are believed to have been used in the Falklands, Ireland, and by Special Forces units deployed for Desert Storm in the early 90s. The main body is cylindrical, with most of the length taken up by the silencer, a set of fixed sights, and a manually rotated bolt mechanism. The grip section consists of the magazine well and the magazine, the latter bulked up with black plastic, and the latter also serving as the mounting point for the trigger and a grip safety. This arrangement allowed the overall profile of the pistol to be altered for concealment or storage. The underside of the silencer bears appropriate registration marks, with the serial number behind the grip safety.