| Bren LMG |
 Early Mark Bren LMG, photo from a Canadian factory | | Type | Light machine gun | | Place of origin | United Kingdom | | Service history | | In service | 1938 - 1958 (Until 1991 as L4). Until 2006 by Irish RDF | | Used by | United Kingdom, Commonwealth, Republic of Ireland, Indonesia | | Wars | World War II, Korean War, Suez Crisis, Falklands War, Anti-guerilla operations in Indonesia, Gulf war, Northern Ireland, Mau Mau Uprising, 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Sino-Indian War, Indo-Pakistan Wars | | Production history | | Designed | 1935 | | Manufacturer | Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield, John Inglis and Company, Long Branch Factory, Ishapore and Lithgow. Image File history File links Source:Canadian Archives Finished Bren gun sitting on a table top at the John Inglis Co. ...
The M249 SAW, one of the most popular 5. ...
Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Reserve Defence Forces is the title given to the reserve components of the Irish Defence Forces. ...
The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, the majority of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom. ...
Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian...
Combatants United Nations: Republic of Korea Australia Belgium Canada Colombia Ethiopia France Greece Netherlands New Zealand Philippines South Africa Thailand Turkey United Kingdom United States Medical staff: Denmark India Italy Norway Sweden Communist states: Democratic Peopleâs Republic of Korea Peopleâs Republic of China Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee...
Combatants Israel United Kingdom France Egypt Commanders Moshe Dayan Charles Keightley Pierre Barjot Gamal Abdel Nasser Strength 175,000 Israeli 45,000 British 34,000 French 300,000 Casualties 197 Israeli KIA 56 British KIA 91 British WIA 10 French KIA 43 French WIA 650 KIA 2,900 WIA 2...
Combatants United Kingdom Argentina Casualties 258 killed [3] 777 wounded 59 taken prisoner 649 killed 1,068 wounded 11,313 taken prisoner The Falklands War (Spanish: ) was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. ...
Combatants UN Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf Saddam Hussein Strength 883,863 360,000 Casualties 378 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 dead, 75,000 wounded The Gulf War (2 August 1990 â 28 February 1991) was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of approximately 30 nations...
For the UK post-rock band, see Troubles (band). ...
The Mau Mau Uprising was an insurgency by Kenyan rebels against the British colonial administration from 1952 to 1960. ...
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...
1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
A UK government-owned rifle factory, which was to be later known as the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF), Enfield which has produced British military rifles and muskets since 1804. ...
Enfield is the name of several places. ...
John Inglis and Company was a Canadian firm which made weapons for the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth military forces during the World War II era. ...
Long Branch is a former village that is now part of the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ...
Ishapore is a town in India. ...
Lithgow is a city of approximately 12000 persons situated in central-west New South Wales, Australia. ...
| | Produced | January 1935 - 1971 | | Variants | Mk I, II, III, IV, L4 | | Specifications | | Weight | 22.82 lb (10.35 kg) | | Length | 42.9 in (1,156 mm), Mk IV | | Barrel length | 25 in (635 mm) | | Crew | 1 |
| | Cartridge | .303 British, 7.62 mm NATO | | Caliber | .303 in (7.7 mm) | | Action | Gas-operated, tilting bolt | | Rate of fire | 500–520 round/min | | Muzzle velocity | 2,440 ft/s (743.7 m/s) | | Effective range | 600 yd (550 m) | | Maximum range | 1,800 yd | | Feed system | 30 round detachable box magazine, 100 round detachable pan magazine | The Bren (from 'Brno (the Czechoslovakian town of design) and Enfield', the location of the British Royal Small Arms Factory), usually called the Bren Gun, was a series of squad automatic weapon/light machine guns adopted by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles into the 1980s. While it is best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces primary infantry light machine gun (LMG) in World War II, it was also used in Korea and saw service throughout the later half of the 20th century including the Falklands War and the 1991 Operation Granby / Gulf War. January is the first month of the year and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ...
1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ...
This article does not cite its references or sources. ...
This article does not cite its references or sources. ...
NATO 7. ...
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. ...
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. ...
The gas-operated system for implementing automatic reloading of a firearm is one of five such systems, the others being recoil-operated, gatling, chain, and blowback. ...
The Rate of fire is the speed at which a specific firearm or artillery piece can operate. ...
A guns muzzle velocity is the speed at which the projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun. ...
A 30-round STANAG magazine. ...
A 30-round STANAG magazine. ...
A UK government-owned rifle factory, which was to be later known as the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF), Enfield which has produced British military rifles and muskets since 1804. ...
A squad automatic weapon (SAW) is a light or general-purpose machine gun, usually equipped with a bipod and firing a 7. ...
The M249 SAW, one of the most popular 5. ...
The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ...
The M249 SAW, one of the most popular 5. ...
Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian...
Combatants United Nations: Republic of Korea Australia Belgium Canada Colombia Ethiopia France Greece Netherlands New Zealand Philippines South Africa Thailand Turkey United Kingdom United States Medical staff: Denmark India Italy Norway Sweden Communist states: Democratic Peopleâs Republic of Korea Peopleâs Republic of China Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee...
Combatants United Kingdom Argentina Casualties 258 killed [3] 777 wounded 59 taken prisoner 649 killed 1,068 wounded 11,313 taken prisoner The Falklands War (Spanish: ) was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. ...
1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The British named their particaption in the 1991 defense of Saudi Arabia (know to the Americans as Operation Desert Shield) Operation Granby. ...
Combatants UN Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf Saddam Hussein Strength 883,863 360,000 Casualties 378 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 dead, 75,000 wounded The Gulf War (2 August 1990 â 28 February 1991) was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of approximately 30 nations...
The Bren was a modified version of a Czechoslovakian design light machine gun, the ZB vz.26, which British Army officials had tested during a firearms service competition in the 1930s. The later Bren featured a distinctive curved box magazine, conical flash hider, and quick change barrel. In the 1950s the Bren was rebarrelled to accept the 7.62 x 51 mm NATO cartridge. Although fitted with a bipod, it could also be mounted on a tripod or vehicle-mounted. It was also comparable to the Vickers K Gun. Czechoslovakia (Czech: Československo, Slovak: Česko-Slovensko/before 1990 Československo) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1992 (except for the World War II period). ...
The ZB vz. ...
NATO 7. ...
A bipod is a support device that is similar to a tripod or monopod, but with only two legs. ...
203. ...
The Bren was replaced as the section LMG by the L7 GPMG, a heavier belt-fed weapon. This was in turn supplemented in the 1980s by the much maligned L86 LSW (Light Support Weapon) firing the 5.56 x 45 mm NATO round, leaving the L4 only in use on some vehicles. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
A general purpose machine gun (GPMG) in concept is a compromise weapon, a machine gun intended to fill the role of either a light machine gun or medium machine gun, while at the same time being man-portable. ...
A belt feeding into an M249 machine gun, from an Army training manual A belt feeding into a M1919A4 from a wooden ammo box A belt is an ammunition feeding device for a firearm. ...
L85A1 in use by C Company, 1 STAFFS, in a live firing exercise, during Operation GRANBY, 6 January 1991 As above SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a family of related arms that include the British Armed Forcess standard combat rifle. ...
U.S. Military 5. ...
Development
Mockup of Canadian soldier armed with Bren GPMG. The British Army adopted it in 1935 following extensive trials of the Czech ZB vz.26 light machine gun which was manufactured in Brno, although the ZB vz.26 was not actually submitted for the trials, a slightly modified model was submitted; the ZB vz. 27. A licence to manufacture was sought and the Czech design was modified to British requirements. The major changes were in the magazine and barrel. The magazine was curved in order to feed the .303 British rimmed cartridge, a change from the various rimless Mauser-design cartridges used to date, such as the 7.92 mm Mauser round. These modifications were categorised in various numbered designations, ZB vz. 27, ZB vz. 30, ZB vz. 32, and finally the ZB vz. 33, which became the Bren. The Bren name was formed as a contraction from "Brno" and "Enfield" (the Royal Small Arms Factory, or RSAF, in Enfield, where it would be manufactured). Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1794x955, 953 KB) Bren gun, displayed at the Royal Canadian Regiment Military Museum in London, Ontario. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1794x955, 953 KB) Bren gun, displayed at the Royal Canadian Regiment Military Museum in London, Ontario. ...
The ZB vz. ...
Coordinates: Country Czech Republic Region South Moravia Founded 1146 Area - city 230. ...
The 8 mm Mauser cartridge next to a United States 5 cent coin. ...
A UK government-owned rifle factory, which was to be later known as the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF), Enfield which has produced British military rifles and muskets since 1804. ...
The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. ...
Other weapons that were submitted for the trials were: the Madsen, Vickers-Berthier, BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle), and the Neuhausen KE7. The Vickers-Berthier was later adopted by the Indian Army and also saw extensive service in WWII. The Browning Automatic Rifle (commonly known as the BAR; properly pronounced bee ay are) is a family of automatic rifles (or machine rifles) and light machine guns used by the United States and other countries during the 20th century. ...
The Indian Army is the largest branch of the Armed Forces of India and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. ...
A gas-operated weapon, the Bren used the same .303 ammunition as the standard British rifle, the Lee-Enfield, firing at a rate of between 480 and 540 rounds per minute (rpm), depending on model. Each gun came with a spare barrel that could be quickly changed when the barrel became hot during sustained fire, though later guns featured a chrome-lined barrel which reduced the need for a spare. The Bren was magazine-fed, which slowed its rate of fire and required more frequent reloading than British belt-fed machine guns such as the .303 Vickers. However, the slower rate of fire prevented more rapid overheating of the Bren's air-cooled barrel, and the Bren was several pounds lighter than belt-fed machine guns. Because it was more easily portable, it could be fired on the move and from standing positions. The magazines also prevented the ammunition from getting dirty, which was more of a problem with the Vickers with its 50-round canvas belts. A bolt-action firearm is one that is manually operated (i. ...
Lee-Enfield No4 Mk1 with bayonet, scabbard attached The Lee-Enfield was the British armys standard bolt action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle from 1895 until 1956. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number chromium, Cr, 24 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 51. ...
Service
Bren carried by a Canadian soldier in 1945 In general, the Bren was considered a reliable and effective light machine gun, though in North Africa it was reported to jam regularly unless kept very clean and free of sand. [1] WW2 british machine gun This file has been listed on Wikipedia:Images and media for deletion. ...
WW2 british machine gun This file has been listed on Wikipedia:Images and media for deletion. ...
Its 30-round magazine was in practice usually filled with only 28 or 29 rounds to prevent jams and avoid wearing out the magazine spring, something that was common to other firearms as well. Care needed to be taken with magazine loading to ensure that the .303 cartridge rims did not overlap the wrong way, causing a jam. The rounds had to be loaded the correct way, each round ahead of the previous round. There was also a 100-round drum magazine available for the Bren used in the anti-aircraft role. A drum magazine. ...
American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ...
The Bren was officially operated by a two man crew: a gunner to fire and carry the Bren, and a reloader to reload the gun and replace the barrel when it overheated (the carrying handle in front of the magazine was used to rotate the barrel to unlock it so it could be replaced). The reloader carried extra ammunition and barrels. But during wartime the two man crew was abandoned and the weapon was commonly operated by one man, the gunner (such as picture to left). The Bren had an effective range of around 600 yards when fired from a prone position with a supported bipod. Initial versions of the weapon were sometimes considered too accurate because the cone or pattern of fire was extremely concentrated, resulting in multiple hits on one or two enemies, with other enemy soldiers going untouched. More than a few soldiers expressed a preference for worn-out barrels in order to spread the cone of fire among several targets. Later versions of the Bren addressed this issue by providing a wider cone of fire. [2] For a light machine gun of the interwar and early WWII era the Bren was about average in weight. On long marches in non-operational areas it was often partially disassembled and its parts carried by two soldiers. Writing about his experiences in the infantry during the Burma campaign[3], the author George MacDonald Fraser stated that one Bren gun was issued to each eight man section. One soldier would be the gunner and another would be his 'number two', who would carry extra ammunition and the spare barrel and change magazines in combat. The top-mounted magazine vibrated and moved during fire, making the weapon more visible in combat, and many Bren gunners used paint or improvised canvas covers to disguise the prominent magazine. [4] The Burma Campaign was a campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. It was fought primarily between Commonwealth, Chinese and American forces against the Empire of Japan. ...
George MacDonald Fraser (born 1926 in Carlisle, England) is a writer of Scottish descent. ...
The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...
Realising the need for additional section-level firepower, the British Army endeavoured to issue the Bren in great numbers, with a stated goal of one Bren to every four private soldiers. [5] On occasion, a Bren gunner would use his weapon on the move supported by a sling, much like an automatic rifle, though generally the Bren was fired from the prone position using the attached bipod. Each British soldier's equipment normally included two magazines for his section's Bren gun, and every man would be trained to fire the Bren in case of an emergency, though these soldiers did not receive a Bren proficiency badge. The Bren was also used on many vehicles as well, including Universal Carriers to which it gave the alternative name "Bren Gun Carrier", on tanks, and armoured cars. However, on tanks it was not used in the co-axial role but on a pintle mount (rarely used). The co-axial requirement was filled by the Vickers or the Besa, the latter being another Czechoslovakian machine gun design adopted by the British. The Universal Carrier, usually known as a Bren Gun Carrier (even when it was not carrying a Bren), was a small, tracked British-designed military vehicle, used widely by Allied forces during World War II. Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, or as machine gun platforms. ...
The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled . ...
The Machine Gun, BESA was a British version of the Czech ZB 53 (Model 37) machine gun and used by the UK for tank armament in World War II. BSA signed an agreement with Zbrojovka Brno in 1936 which allowed them to make the 7. ...
Czechoslovakia (Czech: Československo, Slovak: Česko-Slovensko/before 1990 Československo) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1992 (except for the World War II period). ...
It was popular with British troops who respected the Bren for its reliability and combat effectiveness; few would have swapped it for anything else. Many considered it the best light machine gun ever made. The quality of the materials used would often ensure minimal jamming. When the gun did jam or had some foreign object stuck in it, the operator could adjust the four-position gas regulator to feed more gas to the piston increasing the power to operate the mechanism. It was even said that all problems with the Bren could simply be cleared by hitting the gun, turning the gauge, or doing both. Note that the barrel needed to be unlocked and slid forward slightly to allow the regulator to be turned. Ironically, the Bren's direct ancestor, the Czech ZB vz.26, was also used in WWII by German forces, including units of the Waffen SS. Many 7.92 mm ZB light machine guns were shipped to China where they were employed first against the Japanese in WWII, and later against UN forces in Korea, including British and Commonwealth units. Some ex-Chinese Czech ZB weapons were also in use in the early stages of the Vietnam conflict. The 7x57 Mauser, also known as the 7 mm Mauser, 7 mm Spanish Mauser, and . ...
With the British Army's adoption of the 7.62 mm NATO cartridge, the Bren was re-designed to 7.62 mm calibre, fitted with a new barrel and magazine, and continued in service. The production of a .30-06 round model for the Far East meant that the Inglis tooling could be used. It was redesignated as the L4 Light Machine Gun and continued in British Army service into the 1990s. The change from a rimmed to rimless cartridge and nearly-straight magazine improved feeding considerably, and allowed use of 20-round magazines from the 7.62 mm L1A1 SLR (Self Loading Rifle). The conical flash hider was also lost in the transition, being replaced by the slotted type similar to that of the contemporary L1 rifle and L7 General Purpose Machine Gun. NATO 7. ...
NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[1] (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ...
FN FAL Type Service Rifle Nationality Belgium Era Post World War II History Date of design Production period 1953 - Service duration Operators (see text) War service Specifications Type Calibre 7. ...
The L7 machine gun general purpose machine gun is used by the British Army. ...
Completion of the move to a 5.56 mm NATO cartridge for all infantry firearms led to the Bren/L4 being removed from the list of approved weapons and then withdrawn from service. The fact that Bren guns remained in service for so many years with so many different countries in so many wars says much about the quality of the basic design. U.S. Military 5. ...
Variants Mark 1 From September 1937. The original Bren based on the Czech gun.
Mark 2 Introduced 1941. A simpler version of the Mk 1. Produced by the Monotype Group through a number of component manufacturing factories.
Mark 3 A shorter and lighter Bren made by Enfield for the war in the East from 1944.
Mark 4 From 1944
L4 From 1958. L4 Brens can easily be identified by their straighter magazine. All L4s are chambered for 7.62 x 51 mm NATO rimless ammunition. NATO 7. ...
| Designation | Description | | L4A1 | Bren Mk III conversion, with Mk I bipod and steel barrel | | L4A2 | Bren Mk III conversion, lightened bipod and steel barrel | | L4A3 | Bren Mk II conversion | | L4A4 | L4A2 variant with chrome barrel | | L4A5 | L4A3 with chrome barrel for Royal Navy | | L4A6 | L4A1 variant with chrome barrel | | L4A9 | Bren conversion with L7 dovetail | The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...
World War II Production - RSAF Enfield, UK: 400 per month.
- John Inglis and Company, Canada: A Contract was signed with the British and Canadian governments in March 1938 to supply 5,000 Bren machine guns to Great Britain and 7,000 Bren machine guns to Canada. Both countries shared the capital costs of bringing in this new production facility. Production started in 1940; and by 1943 John Inglis and Company was producing 60% of the world output of Bren machine guns.
John Inglis and Company was a Canadian firm which made weapons for the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth military forces during the World War II era. ...
Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Capital has a number of related meanings in economics, finance and accounting. ...
Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...
Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ...
Long Branch is the name of several places in the United States of America. ...
Ishapore is a town in India. ...
Lithgow is a city of approximately 12000 persons situated in central-west New South Wales, Australia. ...
Users - British and Commonwealth forces (Some still in use with Reserve Forces in New Zealand.)
- Irish Defence Forces (Some still in use with Reserve Defence Forces (RDF) in the Republic of Ireland) These have been replaced by FN MAG in 2006.
- Chinese National Revolutionary Army of Chiang Kai-shek
- Brigade Mobil Police of Indonesian Police still use Bren in services. After Independence War 1945-1950 TNI use Bren as machine gun squad.
- Hellenic Airforce [(HAF)]
- Both sides of the Nepalese Civil War
- Democratic Army of Greece (DSE) during the Greek Civil War (1946-1949)
Chiang Kai-shek (October 31, 1887 â April 5, 1975) was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the 1925 death of Sun Yat-sen. ...
Combatants Government forces Communist Party Commanders Prime Ministers of Nepal Prachanda Casualties 12,700+ deaths The Nepali Civil War was a conflict between monarchist government forces and Maoist rebels in Nepal which lasted from 1996 until 2006. ...
Books - Dunlap, Roy F., Ordnance Went Up Front, The Samworth Press, 1948
- George, John (Lt. Col.) Shots Fired In Anger, The Samworth Press, 1948
External links Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...
Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...
References - ^ Dunlap, Roy F., Ordnance Went Up Front, The Samworth Press, 1948.
- ^ Dunlap, Roy F., Ordnance Went Up Front, The Samworth Press, 1948.
- ^ George MacDonald Fraser, Quartered Safe Out Here (1992): The Harvill Press ISBN 0-00-272660-2
- ^ George, John (Lt. Col.) Shots Fired In Anger, The Samworth Press, 1948.
- ^ Dunlap, Roy F., Ordnance Went Up Front, The Samworth Press, 1948.
George MacDonald Fraser (born 1926 in Carlisle, England) is a writer of Scottish descent. ...
See also |