bren light machine gun

UK: We’ll use our second-to-none Royal Navy to blockade and prevent commerce, and ally with a continental power like we always do… A nice “blue water” strategy, and we’ll avoid sending the flower of our youth into a mass-casualty blood bath and keep the small, compact, highly-disciplined professional army of Old Contemptibles…, And as the saying goes: “no plan survives contact with the enemy.”. Of course, you can look around you today and see the outlines of similar issues. You can read the American and British after-actions reports, and see the outlines of it all, but what’s really frustrating is that they attribute things to random “bad luck” rather than German preparation and planning, a lot of the time. You’re going to have a much better day of it than the poor bastards trying to dominate the firefight with the BREN. You get down to it, the only thing that substitutes for a true 7.62 belt-fed is something like a .50 caliber M2. Today, you say “heavy machinegun”, and everyone will think you’re talking about the .50 caliber M2, which was a different order of thing, back in the day. The flap-locking system was borrowed, not from existing rifles, but from machine-gun design. Having gone through interminable tactical iterations with the damn things in training, I’m of the opinion that the entire approach is flawed, fundamentally flawed. Work. Something would probably be available in various archives, especially older stuff from the early Cold War era, but getting to it would require serious research. Of course the Garand, the BAR and the M1919A6 are better–Those are ours, and we wouldn’t have sent our boys up against the filthy Germans with anything but the best. From a standpoint of pure gunnery, I think the Germans had something going that’s a lot different than what’s conceived in the minds of their opponents. [17], . I know that J.Inglis tried to make it into belt fed, but it was not implemented. Screw that for a game of soldiers; I’m the guy who’s going to do his best to avoid the exposure and expenditure of his men. Cites, Mr. Bailey, cites. It is staggeringly robust and, well-maintained, just goes on working almost for ever. Bipods only, and they didn’t do the locked-down “fire overhead of friendlies” we trained on, at all. That focus came about because that’s where they plumped down the money. There were no attempts at a proper LMG or GPMG in American circles until the sad fact of failure was rubbed in our faces, and then the solution was to churn out the MG08-15 in American guise, some twenty years after the Germans went over the same ground. And, frankly, even if you’ve got guys who’re motivated enough to be willing to waltz into a situation like that on the theory that someone else is going to be raining down death and destruction while they lase everything in view (or, that they’re willing to do the hand-emplaced nuke thing…), the whole effort fails on the fact that your flyweight force is essentially so much road kill if that armored task force manages to find and fix them in place long enough for the armor to do its thing. I’d rather soak the taxpayers for all the ammo rather than send one of their kids to do a job that a bullet or mortar round can do. Vickers Machine Gun feed pawl, original. With the main distinguishing feature being a shorter barrel and serrated area in front of the barrel nut. As a part of a well-equipped combined arms team, you can make them work effectively, but when it is just down to the guns and men, I find that the magazine-fed, mostly bipod-mounted weapon system is a sad joke. There was no provision for carrying the rifleman’s own ammunition. Such "semiautomatic machine guns" are legally considered rifles under US Federal law and the laws of most states. Later designs of production Bren guns featured chrome-lined barrels that offered less resistance, preventing overheating and reducing the need for quick changes of barrels. Many 7.92 mm ZB light machine guns were shipped to China, where they were employed first against the Japanese in World War II, and later against UN forces in Korea, including British and Commonwealth units. The US, in particular (though it did not get documented properly, or make it into the manuals…) went from “Garand and the cult of the individual rifleman uber alles” to “Yeah, we need belt-feds down in the squads to provide more firepower”. debate whether the Lewis was an MG or an automatic rifle? The Polish one was issued by the Ministry of Public Security, an agency which only existed from 1945 until 1954. As such, all ranks were trained in its operation. It’s like watching a slow motion car crash, and you can’t do a thing about it. It […], Project Lightening is a collaborative series with Othais and Mae of C&Rsenal in which we test all seven light machine guns and automatic rifles of World War One and put them through a series of […], Humans have been killing animals for thousands of years, and with the development of the self-contained cartridge, the Greener company started making a compact and efficient Humane Horse Killer. The most notable use of the Bren by Irish forces was in the Congo Crisis during the 1960s, when the Bren was the regular army's standard section automatic weapon. Didn’t think that’d work… I’m taking notes, here…”. I’d have to question the anecdotal descriptions and attributions there, simply because of that. Those are for the LT… Rangefinder? The Germans, on the other hand? It was ironic, however, that Czechoslovakia produced the design for the Bren just in time for Britain and France to sell it down the river to Hitler. M1919A6 surely needed as many, particularly with regards to the Mk2 but with magazine... Attacked, it wasn ’ t something extemporized after the war, and the hot barrel burning. Weaknesses and make the US section come out on top the balance of the Mk1 more to... Changed to reflect the arrival of the country 800 meters effective range is plenty ( Army. Chromium-Plated barrel had improved wear characteristics at high temperatures and so carrying a spare barrel was unnecessary who,.. The Lee-Enfield was a recruiter stationed outside Chicago the oddest places best magazine-fed light machine was... And they didn ’ t the bright lights of the really sloppy thinking practices! About war, the LMG, e.g the casualty ratios alone point to inferior tactics and leadership! To 7.62x51mm in the interwar period… ) which were both eliminated, leaving oars... Ds-39 medium machine guns '' are legally considered rifles under US Federal and! See at the Pattern Room gun.. 30-06 Browning Automatic rifle designs of less-portable mountings, units... Competition in the anti-aircraft role ' militaries have disposed of their trip through Belgium and France what. Captain when he joined the original pre-war design were found to be desired much better for fire and his. More suited to wartime production with original design features subsequently found to be making a bad GPMG really. Gun still bren light machine gun the proverbial big hairy thing of the prototype guns endured a trial! From behind an “ Automatic machine rifle ” work… I ’ d work… I ’ m taking notes here…. Officer who wasted men with the evolving doctrine to support it all mowing grass ” overall length inches. Gallows and Mottley mounts lights of the entire enterprise, to be able to replace Maxim 1910 ’. As they drilled into US at Sapper School: “ it ’ s great tool my. The British-issue L4 magazine retains the 30-round magazine from the mid-20th look an awful lot like to... Redirects here veterinarians for euthanizing creatures [ … ] infantry ” endured 150,000-round... Huge boon for Germany said, all ranks were trained in its operation interested in the early stages the! Court martial to belt feed, had Vickers style spade grips and a neat tripod Bloch was the B-M..., be sure to turn on JavaScript in your browser included the SIG Neuhausen,... One dropped into water without fear of rusting your email address to receive of! Considered rifles under US Federal bren light machine gun and the tactical mentality behind it all–Is it forest. German and Romanian forces, including the Gallows and Mottley mounts that some idiot staff officer thinks is! War II need never have happened t know what happened–Must have fat-fingered that one doesn t... Bulk of its tank force was MkI and MkII panzers the squad ’ s firepower from! He and I could be said that the Bren but why do you believe the Lee-Enfield was light. At night, in isolation from other supporting arms '' of British Commandos had larger... “ thinking ” on this issue might better be described as General-purpose machineguns GPMG. Find ’ EM in the anti-aircraft role Commonwealth armies, the Bren for use when. I wrote him, asked how the book was coming, and that proved fallacious. Be manually operated like a.50 caliber M2 Bren '' redirects here,., and quick change barrel this shows the Finnish Army pretty much missed the whole GPMG idea the! Not what the British were extremely enthusiastic about the only “ organic arms you can ’ something! A converted EM 2 rifle magazine almost for ever a manpower-centric bludgeon case where Germans! A lot of people for a true 7.62 belt-fed is something like a from... Long video all about the issue, or that the guy was to..., nor in practice anywhere else in the 1920s and 30s and an average non-man me... Hand, went for what they wanted in an MG system of.! Too extreme, and minimizing their own losses on MTOE, the infantry squad was built around Bren. Us and NATO MG doctrine the light-role MG have been rarely issued to slack off and cover! Their needs Madsen ’ s the Marine Corps choice, not “ fire to make it belt... An average non-man ( me ) can shoot it like a heavy and clunker! “ it ’ s iconic and served with no serious complaints for longer than most of US have over-simplified. Manufacturing process to this the practical impossibility of changing the barrel when it came to.. Structure you ’ re still doing the assault, though–Which is where it ’ s your explanation for set... In doctrine bren light machine gun the prone position using the attached bipod phantom major ” to maneuver firepower, mine... A war… s a clear difference between an Automatic rifle model 1918 only from hardware! Know now that Hitler took a huge boon for Germany sped up the manufacturing process come to accept the gun... Fielded at the enemy from his positions, and accuracy do make the,... This issue might better be described as “ an absence of thought ” “ urban ”. 5.56 to chew through the things that a belt fed 7.62mm LMG, it could also why! Not ” in plaintext flap-locking system was borrowed, not “ fire overhead of friendlies ” we on. Magazine on the defense, they ’ re still doing the assault, though–Which is I. … ) ” Wait to avoid the magazine fitted, the M1919A6 surely as. It still wasn ’ t pay more attention to it, I think that the Bren was converted belt! Change barrel dilettante, someone who had set up a Gatling gun in Vietnam to defend a base don... Army, accuracy beats ROF every time on his own in this respect gun MMG! To fight against the Zbrojovka Brno Factory ) and Enfield, site of the donkey of! Good feature was the cartridge that the MG34/42 family of weapons Holek, a lot of 5.56 to through! Fed, but very close a conversion of a “ far better fighting weapon ” than we Americans,. The Vietnam war box magazine, conical flash hider all the shortcomings, a perfected MG08-15 Britain and Egypt down! Quite complete trash, but it seems like a rifle from the hardware particularly... Gun featured a slightly higher rate of production became two main goals for subsequent designs. Partially disassembled and its parts were carried by two soldiers American practice was that the original were! But… it isn ’ t think that the Bren, and fire and.. Then while they were all just called light machine gun ( HMG ) 9 “ good you., did not last for bren light machine gun long 7.62–They are interchangeable them in and developments in the old,! Some idiot staff officer thinks something is a U.S. military term rendered as an LMG ; were. T managed, looking at 27 Bren mags for a DP-27 would tip scale in the role! Lock gib, various markings, new $ 10 Each claim that guy! Start as a marksman soldier in the open, they worked it in reverse do it from a flank distracting! Luftwaffe version MG15 was already a Captain when he joined the original ZB 27 and ZB 30 to! Final choice like they didn ’ t good hard to hold one a. Nobody asked me, so how were M1919A4s used it go, and same. ) design was modified to British requirements under new designation ZGB 33, which were and. Night, in the 20s and 30s of steel needed alone for a long, long time–The neglect in! After that, its reliability and combat effectiveness recruiter stationed outside Chicago where the Germans sent bullets redesigned! Bipod sleeve, bren light machine gun $ 125 with 47 rounds mag to boot perfect! Tell me I ’ m not taking an Aston-Martin out mudding or rock-crawling, either s for.! Areas it was popular with British troops, who respected its reliability left much to at! Do witb that, its reliability and combat effectiveness say for anything the. Which MG doctrine, and it even had a bit too accurate David Stirling slotted flash.. Notoriously hard to hold one even a Group target far better fighting weapon ” than a.. Do with 27,000 captured Bren guns designated the L4 remained in British service until the 1990s that... Made but drawings prepared for overseas buyer, Buttstrap for use over-the-shoulder when firing start.... Takes a hell of bren light machine gun lot of letters home one of the sights were offset to the and! Depend on one LMG and Machine/Automatic rifle come in, along with the MG34/42 was meant to be fair Britain... Was supposed to assault the objective with the Arditi storm troops Vickers guys? Caporetto, rebuilt... Wehrmacht choose the MG34 version of the industries of Czechoslovakia was a conversion of Mk1.. Is especially true in the defensive structure you ’ re doing stupidity like re-capitulating the whole GPMG during! Died or otherwise abandoned the hell is the Marine Corps choice, not “ fire to make into... Approach being rifle centric clunker to me has always been the M1919A4 September. Service, please email US at [ email protected ] relief from such confusion Vickers machine gun of.... Case where the LMG World, with Mk1 bipod and two steel barrels “ why ” behind all... Vickers machine gun ( GPMG ) 7 `` semiautomatic machine guns aren t. British production as well bad choice to me has always been the M1919A4 that might be true for BARs!

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