NEW MACHINE-GUN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22224, 26 September 1935, Page 8

NEW MACHINE-GUN

THE "BEEN" AUTOMATIC r 1 ISSUE TO BRITISH ARMY REPLACING THE LEWIS I r ■■ Though we are a mechanically minded people, and for many year*-, until we taught other nations the triclc of it—made the best industrial machin. ery in the world, we have never been particularly good at inventing weapons of war, writes Captain E. H. Robinson in the Observer, London.

Wh 3n we wanted a bolt action rifle in the early lSßo's we adopted the design of an American, Lee. Now, being i m need of a new light automatic gun, w e have turned to G'zccho-Slovakia and adopted the "Bren."

The "Bren" is an adaptation to take British service ammunition of a g Utt known in several countries abroad as the Z.B. gun, a title derived from the initials of its constructors, Ceskoslo. venska Zbrojovka, a.s., of Brno, Czecho. Slovakia.

The Lewis, though it did excellent service during the war, is really too heavy for modern purposes, and, aia every man in the Army knows, it is very liable to stoppages. Modern ideas call for a considerable number of light auto, matio guns —in the British Army jij are issued to each battalion—which are boldly pushed forward as soon as the enemy has been-located, with the idea of keeping him pinned to one position while the rifle-armed troops get into the best position to deal with him. For such purposes a weapon is required that will be reasonably light, reliable nnd accurate, and capable of delivering a considerable volume of fire for short periods. With these conditions the ' Bren" conforms very much moro satisfactorily than the Lewis. I have seen it in action on two occasions recently, and have talker] to the men using it. One and all, they were loud in their praises. It is sonio 61b. lighter than the Lewis, 211b. against 271b., and is so easy to carry that it seems lighter than it really is. It !s very free from alb those jambs and ftep. pages which have reudered necessary a very complicated series of drills for getting the Lewis working when it suffers from one of its many complaints. It has been stated that the "Bren" can be fired from the shoulder, like a rifle; but this seems hardly possible unless firing over a trench without the mount, is intended. The gun is aircooled, and fitted with two barrels, so that one can be cooled while the' other is in use. The barrels can be changed over in a matter of 15 to 20 seconds.

The fact that the British Army's Lewis gun was to be replaced by a Czecho-Slovakian light machine-gun was >■

announced recently in the House of Commons by Mr. Douglas Hacking, Financial Secretary to the War Office. The "Bren" fires 550 rounds a minute and is operated by gas pressure.