104-514: The Universal Carrier , a development of the earlier Bren Gun Carrier from its light machine gun armament , was one of a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and other companies. The first carriers – the Bren Gun Carrier and the Scout Carrier which had specific roles – entered service before the war, but a single improved design that could replace these,
208-531: A 2-inch mortar . By 1943, each Universal Carrier had a crew of four, an NCO, driver-mechanic and two riflemen. The Boys anti-tank rifle was also replaced by the PIAT anti-tank weapon. The Universal Carrier's weapons could be fired from in- or outside the carrier. A carrier platoon had a higher number of light support weapons than a rifle company. To allow the Universal to function as an artillery tractor in emergencies,
312-409: A 4-6-0 with a Belpaire firebox was rated at 190 tons for this line, with three of them required to lift a heavy Melbourne Express - two at the front and one banking from the rear. The 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) broad gauge system was the main focus of Webb rehabilitation scheme. The 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow gauge systems north of Terowie and on
416-661: A 5.56 mm NATO cartridge led to the Army removing the Bren/L4 from the list of approved weapons and then withdrawing it from service. The Mark III Bren remained in limited use with the Army Reserve of the Irish Defence Forces until 2006, when the 7.62 mm GPMG replaced it. The Bren was popular with the soldiers who fired it (known as Brenners) as it was light and durable, and had a reputation for accuracy. The most notable use of
520-403: A chrome -lined barrel, which reduced the need for a spare. To change barrels, the release catch in front of the magazine was rotated to unlock the barrel. The carrying handle above the barrel was used to grip and remove the hot barrel without burning the hands. The Bren was magazine-fed, which slowed its rate of fire and required more frequent reloading than British belt-fed machine guns such as
624-541: A 15-cwt GS truck). Each Universal Carrier had a non-commissioned officer (NCO), a rifleman and a driver-mechanic. One Universal Carrier in each section was commanded by a sergeant, the other two by corporals. All the Universal Carriers were armed with a Bren gun and one carrier in each carrier section also had a Boys anti-tank rifle . By 1941, the carrier platoon had increased in strength to contain four carrier sections; one carrier in each carrier section also carried
728-455: A Mk2. Overall length 42.9 in (1.09 m), 22.25 in (0.565 m) barrel length. Weight 19 lb 2 oz (8.7 kg). The Bren was converted to 7.62×51mm NATO in the 1950s, and designated the L4. L4 Brens can easily be identified by their straighter magazine and cylindrical flash hider. The British-issue L4 magazine retains the 30-round capacity and has a slight curve. The L4 magazine
832-558: A further development of the 700/710 class locomotives, and the 520 class , a 4-8-4 locomotive, externally styled after the Pennsylvania Railroad T1 ; it had the same light axle load as the 620 class but a 30% higher tractive effort, achieving higher speeds on all mainline passenger services. In 1949, the diesel era started, tentatively, with two Bo-Bo 350 class shunting locomotives, designed and built by Islington Works and incorporating British components. Two years later,
936-590: A great number of automatic weapons during the disastrous campaigns against the Japanese in Malaya and Burma; 17th Indian Infantry Division , for example, found itself with only 56 Bren guns after fleeing out of Burma in 1942 . A tripod mount with 42 degrees of traverse was available to allow the Bren to be used on "fixed lines" of fire for defensive shooting at pre-determined areas in the dark or if obscured by fog or smoke. The Bren
1040-504: A greater issue when it was discovered that only 2,300 of the 30,000 Bren guns issued to the British Expeditionary Force came back to Britain after the defeat of France. As the result, cost savings and increased rate of production became two main goals for subsequent variant designs. The Bren Mk II design simplified production by replacing the drum rear sight with a ladder design, making the bipod legs non-adjustable, simplifying
1144-531: A large explosive charge, these would be driven up to enemy positions under remote control and detonated, destroying both themselves and the target. Twenty-nine of both kinds were deployed in 1942 during the Siege of Sevastopol . They achieved some success in destroying Soviet trenches and bunkers, but a significant number were destroyed by artillery. Others were disabled by land mines before reaching their target or were lost because of mechanical breakdowns. A difficulty for
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#17330861915961248-470: A long time 20 rounds to avoid wearing out the magazine spring. Care needed to be taken when loading the magazine to ensure that each round went ahead of the previous round, so that the .303 cartridge rims did not overlap the wrong way, which would cause a jam. The spent cartridge cases were ejected downwards , which was an improvement on the Lewis gun, which ejected sideways, since the glint of them flying through
1352-484: A low-silhouette vehicle that could still fire over obstacles. A one-man design based on Carden Loyd suspension was not adopted, but the inventor was encouraged to design a two-man version. This version was built in 1943, based on the Universal Carrier. The hull was replaced with an enclosed metal-box structure with enough room for a driver and a gunner lying prone. This box, pivoting from the rear, could be elevated. At
1456-472: A rarity in South Australia. The massive locomotives were unloaded at Port Adelaide and taken off the pier by horses (the locomotives weight alone exceeding the dock's maximum loading capacity). Apart from some initial teething problems (mainly to do with overheating bearings and rough riding due to excessive play allowed on driving axles) the new locomotives settled in nicely to their assigned positions. After
1560-439: A significant increase in productivity. Lightly patronised passenger trains would be replaced by self-propelled rail cars, enabling faster, more frequent and more efficient services. He recruited Fred Shea as his Chief Mechanical Engineer and had him prepare specifications for this new equipment. This resulted in orders being placed for 1,200 wagons of four types from American Car and Foundry , 12 petrol mechanical railmotor cars from
1664-510: A simple A-frame and were more 'soldier proof'. The Mk2 also featured a slightly higher rate of fire than the Mk1. The woodwork on the Mk2 was simplified by being less ornate and ergonomic, which sped up the manufacturing process. The barrel was also simplified by means of a non-stepped removable flash hider and, in some cases, a barrel fore-end that was matte instead of highly polished. The buffered buttplate of
1768-476: A single model came to be preferred and the Universal design appeared in 1940; this was the most widely produced of the carriers. It differed from the previous models in that the rear section of the body had a rectangular shape, with more space for the crew. Production of carriers began in 1934 and ended in 1960. Before the Universal design was introduced, the vehicles were produced by Aveling and Porter , Bedford Vehicles , Ford of Britain , Morris Motors Limited ,
1872-708: A total of 220,000 Mark I Bren guns, 57,600 in Mark III, and 250 in Mark IV. John Inglis and Company received a contract from the British and Canadian governments in March 1938 to supply 5,000 Bren machine guns to the UK 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; by August 1942, the Inglis plant
1976-687: A towing attachment that could allow it to haul the Ordnance QF 6 pounder anti-tank gun was added from 1943. Normally the Loyd Carrier – which was also used as a general utility carrier – acted as the tractor for the 6-pdr. In Motorised Infantry Battalions in the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in the early 1950s the Universal was issued one per platoon carrying the Platoon Commander, driver, signaller and
2080-483: The 1937 pattern web equipment were designed around the Bren magazine. The Bren was regarded as the principal weapon of an infantry section, providing the majority of its firepower. As such, all ranks were expected to be "experts in its use". The Bren had an effective range of around 600 yards (550 m) when fired from a prone position with a bipod . It could deliver a beaten ground of 115 yd (105 m) by 12 m (39 ft) at 1,000 yd (910 m) on
2184-514: The Adelaide Casino . When the two shiploads of new locomotives arrived in 1926 they caused a sensation with the public and throughout the railway industry in Australia. The 500 class "Mountain" was over twice the size of the biggest pre-Webb engine, and was the most powerful locomotive in Australia. Henceforth double heading 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) broad gauge trains became
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#17330861915962288-516: The Beardmore–Farquhar rifle , and the Lewis itself. Although the BAR was recommended, the sheer number of Lewis guns available and the difficult financial conditions meant that nothing was done. Various new models of light machine gun were tested as they became available, and in 1930, a further set of extensive trials commenced, overseen by Frederick Hubert Vinden . This time the weapons tested included
2392-509: The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France during 1939–1940 were equipped with Scout Carriers – 44 carriers and 28 light tanks in each regiment. There were 10 Bren Carriers in each infantry battalion in the same period. The Reconnaissance Corps regiments – which replaced the cavalry regiments in supporting Infantry divisions after 1940 – were each equipped with 63 carriers, along with 28 Humber Scout Cars . Universal Carriers were issued to
2496-711: The Eyre Peninsula remained untouched, as did the 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge South Eastern division (although it was subsequently converted to 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) broad gauge in the early 1950s). Webb decided not to extend his contract in 1930 and returned to the US, having revolutionised the SAR. In 1936, the SAR owned 365 locomotives, 51 railcars, 408 passenger carriages, 38 brake vans and 8,219 goods wagons. The following year, ten 620 class 4-6-2 Pacific type locomotives, designed and built at
2600-546: The Federal Government on 1 July 1975, although the SAR continued services until operations were formally transferred on 1 March 1978 to the Australian National Railways Commission . The penultimate head of the SAR, commissioner Ron Fitch , reflecting on the end of the railway administration, wrote: "The merging of the major part of the SAR into the Australian National Railways Commission , and
2704-539: The Lithgow Small Arms Factory in New South Wales began building Bren guns in 1940; a total of 17,249 were built. In India, the factory at Ishapore began building Bren guns in 1942 (it had produced Vickers-Berthier machine guns prior to this time), and would continue producing them for decades long after the end of World War II. Many of the Bren guns produced at Ishapore went to Indian troops, who had lost
2808-575: The SIG Neuhausen KE7 , the Vickers–Berthier and the Czechoslovak ZB vz. 27. The last did not meet high requirements for durability and reliability, mainly because gunpowder residue from British cordite was obstructing the gas tube (ZB vz. 27 was also sent in 7.92 Mauser instead of .303 British, but ZB already held a patent for a staggered magazine for rimmed rounds). The Vickers–Berthier
2912-589: The Sentinel Waggon Works , and the Thornycroft company. With the introduction of the Universal, production in the UK was undertaken by Aveling-Barford , Ford, Sentinel, Thornycroft, and Wolseley Motors . By 1945 production amounted to approximately 57,000 of all models, including some 2,400 early ones. The Universal Carriers, in different variants, were also produced in allied countries. Ford Motor Company of Canada manufactured about 29,000 vehicles known as
3016-766: The South Australia / Victoria Border. With the metropolitan systems being broad gauge, the mid north and south east of the state were originally laid with 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow gauge track. These systems were closely based on British practice, as was the broad gauge system prior to 1926. Locomotives and rolling stock were bought from the United Kingdom and United States, from builders such as Beyer, Peacock & Company , Dübs and Company , North British Locomotive Company , and Baldwin Locomotive Works . Nine broad gauge tank locomotives plus
3120-540: The State Transport Authority . The SAR had three major rail gauges : 1600 mm (5 ft 3 in); 1435 mm (4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in); and 1067 mm (3 ft 6 in). The first railway in South Australia was laid in 1854 between Goolwa and Port Elliot to allow for goods to be transferred between paddle steamers on the Murray River and seagoing vessels. The next railway
3224-449: The Vickers light tank series using Horstmann springs . Directional control was through a vertical steering wheel which pivoted about a horizontal axis. Small turns moved the crosstube that carried the front road wheel bogies laterally, warping the track so the vehicle drifted to that side. Further movement of the wheel braked the appropriate track to give a tighter turn. The hull in front of
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3328-692: The Zbrojovka Brno Factory ) and Enfield , site of the British Royal Small Arms Factory . At the close of World War I in 1918, the British Army was equipped with two main automatic weapons; the Vickers medium machine gun (MMG) and the Lewis light machine gun . The Vickers was heavy and required a supply of water to keep it in operation, which tended to relegate it to static defence and indirect fire support. The Lewis, although lighter,
3432-477: The "Garage hands" model. Overall length 45.5 inches (1.16 m), 25 inches (0.64 m) barrel length. Weight 23 lb 3 oz (10.5 kg). Features: The Bren Mk2 was much simplified in the body, which although still being milled from a solid billet of steel, required significantly fewer milling operations than the Mk1, resulting in a much cleaner appearance. The bipod was simplified in design as well as not having extending legs. Most Mk2 bipods resembled
3536-501: The "Light Dragon Mark III". One was built as the "Carrier, Machine-Gun Experimental (Armoured)", carrying a machine gun and its crew. The decision was made to drop the machine gun and its team and the next design had a crew of three—driver and gunner in the front, third crew-member on the left in the rear and the right rear open for storage. Fourteen of this design were built in mild steel as "Carrier, Machine-Gun No 1 Mark 1" and entered service in 1936. Six were converted into pilot models for
3640-504: The 1920s, and specifically the Mk VI tankette. In 1934, Vickers-Armstrongs produced, as a commercial venture, a light tracked vehicle that could be used either to carry a machine gun or to tow a light field gun . The VA.D50 had an armoured box at the front for driver and a gunner and bench seating at the back for the gun crew. The War Office considered it as a possible replacement for their Vickers "Light Dragon" artillery tractors and took 69 as
3744-545: The 1950s, railcars were introduced: the 250 and 100 class "Bluebirds" for regional services and the 300 and 400 class "Red Hens" for Adelaide suburban services. A major change occurred in 1970, when the remaining 400 kilometres (250 miles) length of the Sydney-Perth rail corridor that was not built to 1435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge, the Port Pirie-Broken Hill line ,
3848-707: The 1970s, when they were largely replaced by the FN MAG . A few were captured and re-issued by the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA). Some examples were still in service with reservists of the British South Africa Police in 1980, and were inherited by the Zimbabwe Republic Police upon the country's internationally recognised independence. Zimbabwean policemen continued to deploy Bren guns during operations against ZIPRA dissidents throughout
3952-596: The 1982 Falklands War . Although fitted with a bipod , it could also be mounted on a tripod or be vehicle-mounted. The Bren gun was a licensed version of the Czechoslovak ZGB 33 light machine gun which, in turn, was a modified version of the ZB vz. 26 , which British Army officials had tested during a firearms service competition in the 1930s. The later Bren gun featured a distinctive top-mounted curved box magazine, conical flash hider, and quick change barrel. The designer
4056-613: The 1990s. The Besal or Faulkner light machine gun was a Bren-inspired emergency design developed in the aftermath of the French campaign and the Dunkirk Evacuation in which the British Expeditionary Force lost almost 30,000 Brens and given the vulnerability of a single, well known, manufacturing site for the Bren at Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield. Developed in 1940 by Harry Faulker of the Birmingham Small Arms Company ,
4160-641: The 2-inch Mortar group Nos 1 & 2. Universal and the earlier Bren carriers were used by Australian Army units in the Western Desert campaign . Australian Universal Carriers were deployed to the Western Desert, Egypt during August 1942 serving as command vehicles for the 9th Divisional Cavalry Regiment . Captured Universal Carriers were used in various roles by German forces. A total of around sixty Bren No.2 Carriers and Belgian Army Vickers Utility Tractors were converted into demolition vehicles. Carrying
4264-481: The Anti-tank platoon. The 66-man "Assault Troop" of British Commandos had a nominal establishment of four Bren guns. 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. The Bren was operated by a two-man crew, sometimes commanded by a Lance Corporal as an infantry section's "gun group",
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4368-460: The Besal looks much like a Bren, but was developed with much simplified machining operations in mind to allow it to be produced in any machine shop. Unlike the Bren, the Besal was full automatic only rather than select fire and lacked a cocking handle, using the pistol grip instead. In Mark 2 format the Besal had no interchangeable parts with the Bren, but was designed to use Bren magazines. The Taden gun
4472-603: 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. Bren guns were in service with the Rhodesian Security Forces during the Rhodesian Bush War , including a substantial number re-chambered for 7.62 mm cartridges similar to those examples in the British Army. The Rhodesian Bren guns continued to see frequent action until
4576-677: The Bren for use in the anti-aircraft role. The Bren's direct ancestor, the Czechoslovak ZB vz. 26, was also used in World War ;II by German and Romanian 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 World War II, and later against UN forces in Korea, including British and Commonwealth units. Some ex-Chinese Czech ZB weapons were also in use in
4680-479: The Bren was about average in weight. On long marches in non-operational areas it was often partially disassembled and its parts were carried by two soldiers. 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. The 30-round magazine was in practice usually filled with 27 or 28 rounds to prevent jams and for magazines kept full for
4784-566: The British Army Bren light machine gun The Bren gun was a series of light machine guns (LMG) made by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1992. While best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces' primary infantry LMG in World War II , it was also used in the Korean War and saw service throughout the latter half of the 20th century, including
4888-461: The British Army, on a limited scale, was in the First Gulf War in 1991. When the British Army adopted the 7.62 mm NATO cartridge, the Bren was re-designed to 7.62 mm calibre, fitted with a new bolt, barrel and magazine. It was re-designated as the "L4 light machine gun" (in various sub-versions) and remained in British Army service into the 1990s. A slotted flash hider similar to that of
4992-724: The Ford C01UC Universal Carrier. Smaller numbers of them were also produced in Australia (about 5,000), where hulls were made in several places in Victoria and by South Australian Railways workshops in Adelaide, South Australia. About 1,300 were also produced in New Zealand. Universal Carriers were manufactured in the United States for allied use with GAE and GAEA V-8 Ford engines. About 20,000 were produced. The Universal Carrier
5096-527: The Germans using these foreign-built vehicles was the lack of spare parts. The widespread production of the Carrier allowed for several variants to be developed, manufactured and/or used by different countries. An attempted conversion to self-propelled artillery consisting of a single T16 carrier fitted with a six- Model 1968 recoilless gun mount was developed in the late 1960s or early 1970s. American production of
5200-477: The Machine gun Carrier No.2, Cavalry Carrier and Scout Carrier designs – the remainder were used for training. The carrier put the driver and commander at the front sitting side by side; the driver to the right. The Ford V8 sidevalve engine with four speed gearbox was placed in the centre of the vehicle with the final drive (a commercial Ford axle) at the rear. The suspension and running gear were based on that used on
5304-702: The Mk1 was omitted and replaced with a sheet metal buttplate. A small number of Inglis-made .303 Bren Mk 2 were converted post-war to fire the .280 in (7 mm) Mk 1Z round used by the EM-2 rifle . The Inglis version of the Bren Mk 2 chambered for the .30-06 (7.62 mm) cartridge and known as the M41 was also manufactured in Taiwan after the end of the Chinese Civil War . A shorter and lighter Bren made by Enfield from 1944 for
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#17330861915965408-532: The SAR's Islington Works – were introduced. Their axle load enabled them to traverse the many rural lines laid with 60-pound rail, but they were also usefully deployed on the East-West Express between Adelaide and Port Pirie following the extension of the broad gauge line north from Redhill to Port Pirie in 1937. Other additions to the locomotive fleet after the Depression included the 2-8-4 720 class ,
5512-422: The SAR's first mainline diesel-electric locomotives entered service: the 900 class , also designed and built by Islington Railway Workshops. Their styling closely followed that of the Alco PA diesels in the United States. Subsequently, and coincidentally, the SAR exclusively purchased American Locomotive Company products made under licence in Sydney by AE Goodwin : the 930 , 830 , 600 and 700 classes. In
5616-399: The Service Motors Corporation, Wabash, Indiana , and 30 locomotives based on American Locomotive Company plans but built by Armstrong Whitworth & Co in the United Kingdom. These were of the Mountain , Pacific and Mikado wheel arrangements , 10 of each type, which became the 500 , 600 , and 700 class locomotives. To carry the heavier trains, the rehabilitation plan included
5720-459: The United States for sale to collectors, but due to US gun laws restricting the importation of automatic weapons such guns must be legally destroyed by cutting up the receivers. A number of US gunsmiths have manufactured new semiautomatic Brens by welding the pieces of destroyed receivers back together, with modifications to prevent the use of full automatic parts, and fitting new fire-control components capable of only semiautomatic fire. The balance of
5824-473: The Universal followed the same design as the British Marks I to III In 1942, at the request of the Italian Army ( Regio Esercito ), Fiat produced a prototype carrier copied from a captured Universal Carrier; it was known as the Fiat 2800 or CVP-4. It is uncertain whether production vehicles were manufactured. Bren carriers captured by the Italians in the field were often fitted with Breda M37 machine guns. The Praying Mantis came from an attempt to produce
5928-403: The Universal, was introduced in 1940. The vehicle was used widely by British Commonwealth forces during the Second World War . Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or as machine gun platforms. The origins of the Universal Carrier family can be traced back generally to the Carden Loyd tankettes family, which was developed in
6032-405: The ZGB 33, which was licensed for manufacture under the Bren name. The Bren was a gas-operated weapon using the same .303 ammunition as the standard British bolt-action rifle , the Lee–Enfield , firing at a rate between 480 and 540 rounds per minute (rpm), depending on the model. Propellant gases vented from a port towards the muzzle end of the barrel through a regulator (visible just in front of
6136-415: The air could compromise a concealed firing position. 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 or dirt. It was popular with British troops, who respected its reliability and combat effectiveness. The quality of the materials used would generally ensure minimal jamming. When
6240-452: The bipod) with four quick-adjustment apertures of different sizes, intended to tailor the gas volume to different ambient temperatures (smallest flow at high temperature, e.g. summer desert, largest at low temperature, e.g. winter Arctic). The vented gas drove a piston which in turn actuated the breech block. Each gun came with a spare barrel that could be quickly changed when the barrel became hot during sustained fire, though later guns featured
6344-418: The bipod. A 'rapid' fire rate of 120 rounds per minute (four magazines a minute) was sustainable with a barrel change after ten magazines (or reduction in fire rate) to limit wear but doctrine was to fire in 4-5 round bursts. Soldiers were instructed to fire single-shot in imitation of rifle fire to conceal the presence of an automatic weapon. For a light machine gun of the interwar and early World War II era,
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#17330861915966448-405: The class was modified by the addition of a booster engine which required replacement of the two-wheel trailing truck with a four-wheel truck. This altered the wheel arrangement from 4-8-2 to 4-8-4 , but the term "Mountains" stuck with the locomotives. Reclassified 500B class, their maximum load to Mount Lofty was increased to 600 tons , or eleven passenger cars. In the pre-Webb era the Rx class -
6552-477: The commander's position jutted forward to give room for the Bren light machine gun (or other armaments) to fire through a simple slit. To either side of the engine was an area in which passengers could sit or stores could be carried. Initially, there were several types of Carrier that varied slightly in design according to their purpose: "Medium Machine Gun Carrier" (the Vickers machine gun ), "Bren Gun Carrier", "Scout Carrier" and "Cavalry Carrier". The production of
6656-410: The contemporary L1 rifle and L7 general purpose machine gun replaced the conical flash hider. 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 Self-Loading Rifle . Bren gunners using the L4A1 were normally issued with the 30-round magazine from the SAW L2A1. Completion of the move to
6760-409: The early 1980s. The South African Defence Force deployed Bren guns during the South African Border War alongside the more contemporary FN MAG as late as 1978. Introduced September 1937; the original Czechoslovak designed ZGB 33. Overall length 45.5 inches (1.16 m), 25 inches (0.64 m) barrel length. Weight 22 lb 2 oz (10.0 kg). Features: An Enfield-made .303 Bren Mk 1
6864-436: The early stages of the Vietnam War . Production of a 7.92 mm round model for the Far East was carried out by Inglis of Canada. The Bren was also delivered to the Soviet Union as part of the lend-lease program. The British Army, and the armies of various countries of the Commonwealth , used the Bren in the Korean War , the Malayan Emergency , the Mau Mau Uprising and the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation , where it
6968-417: The frame of a tenth were bought second-hand from the Canterbury Provincial Railways in New Zealand when it converted to narrow gauge. In 1922, after the SAR's worst financial deficit, the government appointed American railroad manager William Webb , from the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad as Chief Commissioner. When Webb arrived in Adelaide with his young family, he found a railway system unchanged since
7072-423: The gun butt, reducing the use of stainless steel , among other steps that reduced the cost by 20% to 25%; Mk II was approved in September 1940 and entered production in 1941. While the Bren Mk III design also aimed at reducing cost, it also had the concurrent goal of being lightened for jungle warfare; the final product weighed 19 lb 5 oz (8.8 kg), 3 pounds lighter than the original Bren Mk I design; it
7176-424: The gun did jam through fouling caused by prolonged firing, the operator could adjust the four-position gas regulator to feed more gas to the piston increasing the power to operate the mechanism. The barrel needed to be unlocked and slid forward slightly to allow the regulator to be turned. It was even said that all problems with the Bren could simply be cleared by hitting the gun, turning the regulator or doing both. It
7280-438: The larger 7.62×51mm NATO round. The X11 was a belt-fed Bren derivative developed by RSAF Enfield after the cancellation of the EM-2 rifle and Taden machine gun, adapting the Taden concepts to a Bren derived weapon in the new 7.62x51mm NATO standard round. It came second in trials behind the FN MAG . Many nations' militaries have disposed of their Bren guns as surplus to their needs. Surplus Brens have been imported to
7384-412: The larger .303 Vickers machine gun. 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. The magazines also prevented the ammunition from getting dirty, which was more of a problem with the Vickers with its 250-round canvas belts. The sights were offset to
7488-501: The late 19th century. The locomotives and rolling stock were small, wagons and carriages were of wooden construction, the track and bridges were unsuitable for heavy loads, the workshops had antiquated machinery and the signalling system was inflexible. These attributes drove up the ratio of operating costs to revenue. Webb introduced a rehabilitation plan based on American railroad principles of large, standardised locomotives and steel bodied freight wagons, with automatic couplers to enable
7592-435: The left, to avoid the magazine on the top of the weapon. The position of the sights meant that the Bren could be fired only from the right shoulder. In the British and Commonwealth armies, the Bren was generally issued on a scale of one per rifle section. An infantry battalion also had a "carrier" platoon, equipped with Universal Carriers , each of which carried a Bren gun. Parachute battalions from 1944 had an extra Bren in
7696-563: The lower pistol grip assembly which went from a swivelling grip frame pivoted on the front of the trigger guard to a sliding grip frame which included the forward tripod mount and sliding ejection port cover. The magazine was curved in order to feed the rimmed .303 inch SAA ("Small Arms Ammunition") cartridge, a change from the various rimless Mauser -design cartridges such as the 7.9-mm Mauser round previously used by Czech designs. These modifications were categorised in various numbered designations, ZB vz. 27, ZB vz. 30, ZB vz. 32, and finally
7800-621: The move supported by a sling, much like an automatic rifle, and from standing or kneeling positions. 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. A Victoria Cross was awarded to Private Bruce Kingsbury for such use at Isurava , New Guinea, in 1942, during the Australians' fighting retreat from Kokoda. Each British soldier's equipment normally included two magazines for his section's Bren gun. The large ammunition pouches on
7904-625: The need for quick changes of barrels. Bren guns were produced outside of Britain as well. In Canada, the John Inglis plant in Toronto began tooling its facilities for production in 1938; the first of 186,000 examples was completed in March 1940. Some of the Inglis-built Bren guns were chambered for the 7.92-mm Mauser ammunition; these were destined for export to Nationalist Chinese forces rather than for British and Commonwealth forces. In Australia,
8008-696: The parts are surplus Bren parts. Such "semiautomatic machine guns" are legally considered rifles under US Federal law and the laws of most states. Bren guns were produced at the Royal Small Arms Factory , in Enfield, London . The first Bren guns were built in September 1937, and by December, a total of 42 had been produced. Weekly production was 300 Brens a week in July 1938, and 400 a week in September 1939. The Monotype Group produced Mark 2 Brens. Enfield produced
8112-496: The remainder into the South Australian State Transport Authority, cannot but tend to consign the former state railway system into eventual oblivion. But posterity should not be allowed to forget its achievements: In June 1965, Rail News was launched as a quarterly staff newsletter . It was published monthly from January 1970. The last edition was published in March 1973; Keeping Track superseded it
8216-436: The remainder of the section forming the "rifle group". The gunner or "Number 1" carried and fired the Bren, and a loader or "Number 2" carried extra magazines, a spare barrel and a tool kit. Number 2 helped reload the gun and replace the barrel when it overheated, and spotted targets for Number 1. Generally, the Bren was fired from the prone position using the attached bipod. On occasion, a Bren gunner would use his weapon on
8320-452: The strengthening of track and bridges, and the conversion of the mid north 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow gauge system (the Western division) to 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) broad gauge . The antiquated Islington Railway Workshops were demolished and replaced with a thoroughly modern railway maintenance and manufacturing works, a large new round house
8424-494: The success of the original locomotives, ten more 700 class locomotives, with larger tenders, were locally built using the facilities of the new Islington Workshops. These were the 710 class . The 500 class was rated to haul 400 tons over the Mount Lofty Ranges immediately east of Adelaide, where a 19-mile (31 km) continuous 1-in-45 (2.2%) gradient faced trains heading for Victoria. Two years after their introduction,
8528-419: The support companies in infantry rifle battalions for carrying support weapons (initially 10, 21 by 1941, and up to 33 per battalion by 1943). A British armoured division of 1940–41 had 109 carriers; each motor battalion had 44. A British Carrier platoon originally had ten Universal Carriers with three carrier sections of three Universal Carriers each plus another Universal Carrier in the platoon HQ (along with
8632-702: The top end was a machine-gun turret (with two Bren guns). The intention was to drive the Mantis up to a wall or hedgerow, elevate the gun, and fire over the obstacle from a position of safety. It was rejected after trials in 1944. An example of the Mantis is preserved in The Tank Museum . Many variants of the British Universal Carrier have been fielded and used by the armed forces of the following countries, amongst many others: Background: British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II , Tanks in
8736-409: The variants was selected, designated ZGB 33 (for Zbrojovka, Great Britain, 33), and 10 samples were sent to England in autumn 1933. After additional trials in early 1934, more samples were ordered during the summer of 1934, and on May 24, 1935, the licence for British manufacture was finally acquired, and the design was adopted under the Bren name. The major changes were in the magazine and barrel and
8840-502: The war in the East and for Airborne Forces. This was similar to the Mk2 but with the light weight features of the early Mk1, with the main distinguishing feature being a shorter barrel and serrated area in front of the barrel nut. Overall length 42.9 in (1.09 m), 22.25 in (0.565 m) barrel length. Weight 19 lb 5 oz (8.8 kg). As with the Mk3 but this was a conversion of
8944-538: Was Václav Holek , a gun inventor and design engineer. In the 1950s, many Bren guns were re-barrelled to accept the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge and modified to feed from the magazine for the L1 (Commonwealth version of the FN FAL ) rifle as the L4 light machine gun. It was replaced in the British Army as the section LMG by the L7 general-purpose machine gun (GPMG), a belt-fed weapon. This
9048-536: Was gauge-converted . In the 1972 election , the Whitlam Federal Government made a commitment to invite the states to hand over their railway systems to the federal government. The Government of South Australia took up the offer, but elected to retain the Adelaide metropolitan services , which were transferred to the State Transport Authority . Financial responsibility for the remaining services passed to
9152-438: Was "by general consent the finest light machine gun in the world of its period, and the most useful weapon provided to the (French) "maquis" ... accurate up to 1,000 meters, and (it) could withstand immense maltreatment and unskilled use. "Resistants" were constantly pleading for maximum drops of Brens". Although they were generally well-liked, the high cost of £40 each gun was an issue for the British Army leadership. This became
9256-557: Was a post-war development of the Bren to use with the .280 British (7 mm) intermediate round proposed to replace the .303 in British service. The Taden was belt-fed with either spade grips for MMG use or a butstock and pistol grip for LMG use and would have replaced both the Bren and the Vickers machine gun. Although reliable it was not accepted due to the US-driven standardization within NATO on
9360-493: Was also used on many vehicles, the Universal Carrier also known as the "Bren Gun Carrier", and on tanks and armoured cars. The Carrier was intended to use its "armour, speed and cross country performance" to bring the gun team into position from where it would fire dismounted; firing from the vehicle only in an emergency. The Bren could not be used as a co-axial weapon on tanks, as the magazine restricted its depression and
9464-552: Was averaging 10,000 Brens per month, and produced 186,000 Bren guns of all variants by the end of the war, including 43,000 chambered in 7.92×57mm Mauser for export to the Chinese National Revolutionary Army . In 1942, the Ishapore Arsenal began to produce Bren guns, and continued to do so long after the end of World War II, also manufacturing variants in 7.62×51mm NATO . A shadow factory for Ishapore
9568-479: Was awkward to handle in confined spaces, and it was therefore used on a pintle mount only. (The belt fed Vickers or Besa , the latter being another Czechoslovak machine gun design adopted by the British, were instead used as co-axial weapons.) An unfortunate problem occurred when the Bren was fired from the Dingo Scout Car ; the hot cartridge cases tended to be ejected down the neck of the driver, whose position
9672-417: Was built at Mile End , near Adelaide, and several 85 foot turntables were installed throughout the state to enable the much larger locomotives to be turned. Efficient train operations were facilitated by the adoption of American train order working on country lines, and Adelaide railway station was replaced with an imposing new building, opened in 1927. This grand building has been partially taken over by
9776-503: Was converted to 7.92mm in 1938 due to the suggestion of a possibility of a British Army change over to a rimless cartridge for machine guns being mooted. Introduced 1941. A simplified version of the Mk1 more suited to wartime production with original design features subsequently found to be unnecessary deleted. Produced by Inglis of Canada and the Monotype Group through a number of component manufacturing factories. Sometimes known as
9880-634: Was interchangeable with the L1A1 SLR magazine, so the L4 Bren can be seen fitted with straight 20-round magazines from the SLR or with the straight 30-round magazine from the Australian L2A1 or Canadian C2A1 heavy-barrel SLR. The flash suppressor was changed from the cone type of .303 variants to a slotted, cylindrical type similar in appearance to that used on the SLR and L7 GPMG. The L4 remained in British service until
9984-446: Was laid from the harbour at Port Adelaide , to the capital, Adelaide, and was laid with Irish gauge 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) track. This line was opened in 1856. Later on, branch lines in the state's north in the mining towns of Kapunda and Burra were linked through to the Adelaide metropolitan system. From here, a south main line extended to meet the horse tramway from Victor Harbor to Strathalbyn , and towards
10088-767: Was later adopted by the Indian Army because it could be manufactured at once, rather than wait for the British Lewis production run to finish; it too saw extensive service in World War II. A modified variant with a shortened gas tube was tested again in June 1932, and then newly developed ZB-30 in .303 yet again tested in November. Receiving more feedback and incorporating it into the design by January 1933, yet two other modifications were tested by British representatives in Brno in July. One of
10192-448: Was next to the pintle. A canvas bag was designed to catch the cartridges and overcome the problem, but it seems to have been rarely issued. The Bren was also employed in the anti-aircraft role with the tripod reconfigured for high angle fire. There were also several designs of less-portable mountings, including the Gallows and Mottley mounts. A 100-round pan magazine was available for
10296-562: Was preferred to its replacement, the belt-fed L7 GPMG , on account of its lighter weight. In the conflict in Northern Ireland (1969–1998), a British Army squad typically carried the L4A4 version of the Bren as the squad automatic weapon in the 1970s. During the Falklands War in 1982, 40 Commando Royal Marines carried one LMG and one GPMG per section. Its final operational deployment with
10400-532: Was set up at Kanpur and produced .303 Brens before it was later rechambered to fire 7.62 NATO ammo in 1964 as the 1A LMG. South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the statutory corporation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Australian National , and its Adelaide urban lines were transferred to
10504-637: Was standardised in July 1944 and saw a production of 57,600. Also standardised in July 1944 was the Bren Mk IV, which was further lightened to 19 lb 2 oz (8.7 kg); however, it did not enter production until July 1945, and only 250 were built before the end of the war. While Enfield was able to produce only 400 Bren Mk I guns each month, with the various simplification efforts production numbers rose to 1,000 guns per week by 1943. Later designs of production Bren guns featured chrome-lined barrels that offered less resistance, preventing overheating and reducing
10608-655: Was still heavy and was prone to frequent stoppages: its barrel could not be changed in the field, which meant that sustained firing resulted in overheating until it stopped altogether. In 1922, to find a replacement for the Lewis, the Small Arms Committee of the British Army ran competitive trials between the Madsen machine gun , the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), the Hotchkiss M1909 machine gun ,
10712-574: Was supplemented in the 1980s by the L86 Light Support Weapon firing the 5.56×45mm NATO round, leaving the Bren gun in use only as a pintle mount on some vehicles. The Bren gun was manufactured by Indian Ordnance Factories as the "Gun Machine 7.62mm 1B" before it was discontinued in 2012. The name Bren was derived from Brno , the city in Czechoslovakia , where the Zb vz. 26 was designed (in
10816-527: Was ubiquitous in all the theatres during the Second World War with British and Commonwealth armies, from the war in the East to the occupation of Iceland . Although the theory and policy was that the carrier was a "fire power transport" and the crew would dismount to fight, practice differed. It could carry machine guns, anti-tank rifles, mortars, infantrymen, supplies, artillery and observation equipment. The seven mechanized divisional cavalry regiments in
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