Browning wz.1928
Type	automatic rifle
Nation(s) of Origin	Poland
Era	WW2
History
Date of design	1928
Production period	1930 to 1939
Service duration	1930 to 1945
Operators	Poland, Germany, USSR
War service	WW2
Variants
Number built	~24,000
Specifications
Type
Caliber	7.92 mm
Barrel length	611 mm
Ammunition	7,92 x 57 Mauser
Magazine	20 rounds
Action	gas operated
Length	1110 mm
Weight	9,5 kg (empty)
Rate of fire	300 to 650 round/min
Muzzle velocity	853
Effective range

The Browning wz.1928 is a Polish version of Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). It was a light machine gun used by the Polish infantry in World War II. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (848x392, 193 KB) Part of image Image:Westerplatte wartownia nr 1 1. ... The word calibre (British English) or caliber (American English) designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. ... The 8mm Mauser cartridge next to a United States nickel. ... In firearms terminology, an action is the system of operation that the firearm employs to seal the breech (in a breech-loading firearm), and to load consecutive rounds. ... Gas-operation is one of the firearm actions used in automatic firearms. ... The Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) was family of automatic rifles (or machine rifles) and light machine guns used primarily by the United States and other countries during the 1900s. ... A Home Army (Polish resistance) soldier equipped with an Brno ZB26 LMG during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ...

History

After Poland regained her independence in 1918, the Polish Army was equipped in all sorts of machine guns inherited after the armed forces of the partitioners, as well as after the French and British armies that equippped the Polish Blue Army during the Great War. The large variety of light machine guns used, as well as the fact that each of them used a different calibre, made the troop training and logistics a difficult task. 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Polish Army (Polish Wojsko Polskie) is the name applied to the military forces of Poland. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... General Józef Haller in front of the troops Blue Army or Hallers Army are informal names for the Polish Army formed in France during the later stages of World War I. The army was created in June of 1917 as part of the Polish units allied to the Entente. ... World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machine guns, and poison gas World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, the War of the Nations and...

After the Polish-Bolshevik War, in 1923 a competition was opened for a new, standard light machine gun for the Polish army that was to replace all previously used types of LMG. The competition ended without a winner and the following year the Polish ministry of war purchased 12 pieces of Browning M1918, Lewis wz. 1923 and Hotchkiss wz. 23 each. The tests proved the supperiority of the American construction, and during the 1925 competition a Belgian FN-made Browning was chosen. Although extensive tests of all the constructions were continued, the Polish army ordered a series of Belgian-made BAR machine guns, modified to better suit the Polish needs. Among the most notable modifications were the calibre (modified from .30-06 Springfield to standard Polish 7.92 Mauser), the bipod's construction and mounting and the iron sights (peephole changed to v-notch type). Also, the barrel was lengthened for greater accuracy and a pistol grip was added for easier aiming. Apart from the 10,000 pieces ordered in Fabrique Nacionale, Poland also bought a licence to construct the weapon at home. The first wz.28 LMGs were officially commissioned in 1927 and were officially named 7,92 mm rkm Browning wz. 1928, which is a Polish designation for 7.92 mm hand-held machine gun of Browning mark 1928. Polish-Bolshevik War Conflict Polish-Bolshevik War Date 1919–1921 Place Central and Eastern Europe Result Polish victory The Polish-Soviet War (also known as the Polish-Bolshevik War or the Polish-Russian War) was the war (February 1919 – March 1921) that determined the borders between the Russian Soviet Federated... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR, usually pronounced bee a are) was family of automatic rifles (or machine rifles) and light machine guns used primarily by the United States and other countries during the 20th century. ... The Lewis Gun was a pre-WWI era American design of machine gun most widely used by the British and Imperial armies that continued to see service all the way through to WWII. It is visually distinctive because of the wide tubular cooling shroud around the barrel, and the top... The Hotchkiss machine gun was the standard machine gun of the French Army during World War I. It was made by the French arms company Hotchkiss et Cie, which was set up by American engineer Benjamin B. Hotchkiss after he moved to France in the 1860s. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... FN has several meanings; did you mean: an acronym for Front National, a French right wing political party. ... Eight . ... The 8mm Mauser cartridge next to a United States nickel. ... Looking down the iron sight of an M15A4 Carbine With regard to firearms, the term iron sights refers to the open unmagnified sighting system which comes as standard with most weapons. ... Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, more often known as Fabrique Nationale and abbreviated simply as FN or FN Herstal, is a well-known firearm manufacturer that originated in the Belgian city of Herstal, near Liège. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Due to serious flaws in license documentation purchased from Belgium, the production in Poland was not started until 1930. Until 1939 approximately 14,000 pieces were built. Also, additional modifications were introduced during the production. Among them was replacement of the iron sights with a smaller version and reshaping the butt to the fish tail. There were also extensive works on spare, replaceable barrels for the weapon, which however were never completed due to the outbreak of World War II. 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ...

During the Polish Defensive War of 1939, the rkm wz. 1928 was the standard LMG used by all Polish infantry units. The German Wehrmacht captured a number of Polish-made Browning guns and used them until the end of World War II under the designation of IMG 28 (p). A number was also seized by the Red Army and used during the war. Polish September Campaign Conflict World War II Date 1 September - 6 October 1939 Place Poland Result Decisive German and Soviet victory The Polish September Campaign — also known as Polish-German War of 1939, in Poland often as Wojna obronna 1939 roku (Defensive War of 1939), in Germany as Polish Campaign... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Wehrmacht ▶(?) was the name of the armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. ... A Red Army is a communist army. ...

References

1. Zbigniew Gwóźdź, Piotr Zarzycki (1993). Polskie konstrukcje broni strzeleckiej, Warsaw, SIGMA NOT. ISBN 8385001697.
2. Tomasz Nowakowski (1996). Ręczny karabin maszynowy Browning wz. 28, Nowa Technika Wojskowa, 5: ISSN 1230-1655.
3. Adam Jońca, Andrzej Zasieczny (2003). 7,92 mm ręczny karabin maszynowy wz. 1928 Browning, Bellona & CB. ISBN 831109687-2.