The Bren Light Machine GunIn 1930 the British Army held trials to adopt a new light machine gun. Ma
The Bren Light Machine GunIn 1930 the British Army held trials to adopt a new light machine gun. Many different firearms were submitted but the gun that held the most attention was the Czech ZB-26. Over the next decade the British Army experiment with the design, creating successive models until finally it was adopted as the Bren Light Machine Gun in 1938.A gas operated air cooled weapon, the Bren is best known for its top mounted curved magazine which held thirty .303 British cartridges. As a result the sights were mounted on the left hand side of the weapon. While the original ZB-26 had a straight magazine, a curve was added to better accommodate the .303’s rimmed cartridge. The weapon fired both in fully automatic mode and semi-automatic. Typically the Bren came with a bipod and a carrying handle. The barrel was also detachable and came with a spare barrel in case of overheating.By the outbreak of World War II in 1939 the Bren was the premier light machine gun of Britain as well as the Commonwealth forces. Thousands were produced in Britain but many were also produced in Canada and Australia as well. Throughout the war the Bren saw action in Europe, Africa, and Asia, earning the respect of the soldier and gaining a reputation for sturdiness, accuracy, and reliability. However, the Bren had some functioning problems in extreme environments such as the Sahara Desert and the jungles of Southeast Asia. As a result five successive models were produced during the war, each with improvements which minimized functioning issues, made the weapon more reliable, and also made the weapon lighter and more compact. Commonly soldiers also tended to load the magazine with 27 or 28 rounds to ease tension on the spring when used in harsh conditions.After World War II the British Army and military’s of the Commonwealth continued to use the Bren. While production ended in 1971 the Bren continued to see service (converted to 7.62 NATO), even being used by British forces in the Falkland Wars and the Gulf War. In addition dozens of countries around the world have adopted and still use the Bren today. -- source link
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