Its name originated as an acronym from Brno, where the Czech gun was made, and Enfield, where the British adaptation was made. Later versions of the Bren addressed this issue by providing a wider cone of fire. The Bren Light Machine Gun was one of the most highly acclaimed weapons of its category throughout WW2. It proved itself reliably even under the worst external conditions and was the standard suppressing weapon of the British infantry group. The Bren was a modified version of Czechoslovak-designed light machine guns, the ZB vz. The bipod was simplified in design as well as not having extending legs. Machine gun, Bren light machine gun The concept for the Bren gun started in Czechoslovakia in the 1920s. The Bren gun was a series of light machine guns made by Britain in the 1930s and was actively used until 1992. The large ammunition pouches on the 1937 Pattern Web Equipment were designed around the Bren magazine. Using the sling, Australian soldiers regularly fired the Bren from the hip, for instance in the marching fire tactic, a form of suppressive fire moving forward in assault. This would make a fabulous ‘semi’ build, or display gun. It was replaced in the British Army as the section LMG by the L7 general-purpose machine gun (GPMG), a heavier belt-fed weapon. As tensions in Europe became more and more important on the political scene, the British wanted to have a new machine-gun of modern support for its infantry from 1937 onwards. 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 larger .303 Vickers machine gun. The Bren Light Machine Gun is a British light machine gun used during World War II. The 30-round magazine was in practice usually filled with 27 or 28 rounds to prevent jams and avoid wearing out the magazine spring. In 1930, when the British Army set out to find a replacement for the Lewis Gun, and despite holding trials on several different weapons, the British military attaché in Prague sent in a report on a new weapon being built in Czechoslovakia by Brno; the Zb26. 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 larger .303 Vickers machine gun. Soldiers often expressed a preference for worn-out barrels in order to spread the cone of fire and increase suppressive effects. The Bren, usually called the Bren Gun, was a series of light machine guns adopted by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1991. The Bren Gun was the main light machine gun used by British Commonwealth forces throughout the Second World War. It had a cyclic rate of fire of 520 rounds per minute, weighed 19 pounds (9 kg), and had an effective range of about 2,000 feet (600 metres). Some ex-Chinese Czech ZB weapons were also in use in the early stages of the Vietnam War. [3] The 66-man "Assault Troop" of British Commandos had a nominal establishment of four Bren guns. 32, and finally the ZB vz. A twin barrel variant of the Bren was manufactured in China during the 1950s from ZB26 light machine guns. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. [9] It came with side by side barrels and was chambered in the 7.62x39mm round fed from AK47 magazines. By 1938, the Bren became the standard light machine gun of the British and their commonwealth allies. Produced by Inglis of Canada and the Monotype Group through a number of component manufacturing factories. [5] On occasion, a Bren gunner would use his weapon on the move supported by a sling, much like an automatic rifle, and from standing or kneeling positions. The weapon creation studies began the same year and the first prototype of the Bren Mk I machine gun was produced at the end of 1937. Among the weapons that were submitted for the trials were the Madsen, Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), the Neuhausen KE7 and the Vickers-Berthier. Jamaica: still used by the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force. Bren gunner of the Royal Scots in the Netherlands, 1944. The Bren was a licensed version of the Czechoslovak ZGB 33 light machine gun which, in turn, was a modified version of the ZB vz. ), Indian troops man a Bren gun on an anti-aircraft tripod, Western Desert, April 1941, The Bren was also employed in the anti-aircraft role. A derivative of the Czech ZB26 Machine Gun (much like the Japanese Type 97 light machine gun) designed by Václav Holek, the name is a hybrid of those of the two manufacturers, Brno and Enfield.During WW2, Brens were also manufactured by John Inglis and Company and Long … However, the slower rate of fire prevented more rapid overheating of the Bren's air-cooled barrel, and the Bren was much lighter than belt-fed machine guns which typically had cooling jackets, often liquid filled. All L4s are chambered for 7.62×51mm NATO rimless ammunition. Netherlands: The Netherlands Royal Army during World War II and thereafter until 1964, the Netherlands Royal Army Reserve Corps from 1948 until 1989 and the Royal Netherlands Air Force from 1945 until 1964. The name is a shortening of "Brno-Enfield". SARCO has obtained the Model L4A3 Bren Light Machine Gun and had the receivers cut to BATF specifications. [citation needed], The Bren had an effective range of around 600 yards (550 m) when fired from a prone position with a bipod. The conical flash hider was replaced by the slotted type similar to that of the contemporary L1 rifle and L7 General Purpose Machine Gun. The Bren is a light machine gun (LMG) that was used by the British military during World War II. The Bren Light Machine Gun .303. At the close of the First World War in 1918, the British Army was equipped with two main au­to­matic weapons; the Vick­ers medium ma­chine gun (MMG) and the Lewis light ma­chine gun (LMG). Following these trials, the British Army adopted the Czechoslovak ZB vz.26 light machine gun manufactured in Brno in 1935, although a slightly modified model the ZB vz. This was a conversion of the Mk1 whose main distinguishing feature was a shorter barrel. Replaced both the Bren light machine guns are designed to fire more bullets that a... 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