Bren: Difference between revisions

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[[Category:Weapons]]
[[Category:Weapons of Vietnam]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;text-align: center;width:90%"
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;text-align: center;width:90%"
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! rowspan=2 | [[Ammo]]  
! rowspan=2 | [[Ammo]]  
|-
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|[[File:Flag_us_new.png|50px]]<br><strong>[[US]]</strong>|| [[File:Bren.png|512px]]<br><b>[[Bren]]</b> || [[File:Weapon bren.svg|512px]] || [[File:Class_Gunner.png|50px]] <b>[[Gunner]]</b><br> || 30 / 60
|[[File:Flag_vc_new.png|50px]]<br><strong>[[VC]]</strong>|| [[File:Bren.png|512px]]<br><b>[[Bren]]</b> || [[File:Weapon bren.svg|512px]] || [[File:Class_Gunner.png|50px]] <b>[[Gunner]]</b><br> || 30 / 120
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|-
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! rowspan=2 | [[Bayonet]]   
! rowspan=2 | [[Bayonet]]   
! rowspan=2 | [[Rifle Grenades]]   
! rowspan=2 | [[Rifle Grenades]]   
! colspan=2 | Reload Speed
|-
|-
|46||×2.3 = 105.8||×1 = 46||×0.95 = 43.7||×0.6 = 27.6||×0.55 = 25.3||NO||NO  
! Partial!! Empty
|-
|46||×2.3 = 105.8||×1 = 46||×0.95 = 43.7||×0.6 = 27.6||×0.55 = 25.3||NO||NO||3.5 Seconds||4.166 Seconds
|-
|-
|}
|}
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! rolspan=2 | [[Weight]]
! rolspan=2 | [[Weight]]
|-
|-
|[[Bren]]||[[LMG]]||Auto||500 RPM||9.03° & 2.35° [[ADS]]||2.19° & 0.7° [[ADS]]||0.925||735 m/s||7.9g (121.9 gr)||7.4kg (16.3 lbs)   
|[[Bren]]||[[LMG]]||Auto||500 RPM||9.03° & 2.35° [[ADS]]||2.19° & 0.7° [[ADS]]||0.925||735 m/s||7.9 g (121.9 gr)||7.4kg (16.3 lbs)   
|-
|-
|}
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|-
|-
! rowspan=2 | Full name  
! rowspan=2 | Full name  
! rowspan=2 | [[Ammo Type]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Caliber]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Place of Origin]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Place of Origin]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Date]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Date]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Armory]]   
! rowspan=2 | [[Manufacturer]]   
! rowspan=2 | Barrel Length
! rowspan=2 | Barrel Length
! rowspan=2 | Total Length
! rowspan=2 | Total Length
! rowspan=2 | [[Weapon Script Name]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Weapon Script Name]]
|-
|-
|Bren light machine gun||7.62x39||United Kingdom||1935||Royal Small Arms Factory<br>John Inglis and Company<br>Lithgow Small Arms Factory<br>Rifle Factory Ishapore||25 in (635 mm)||45.5 in (1,160 mm)||weapon_bren
|Bren light machine gun||[[7.62x39mm]]||[[Czechoslovakia]] (Original)<br>[[China]] (This Variant)||1935||Royal Small Arms Factory<br>John Inglis and Company<br>Lithgow Small Arms Factory<br>Rifle Factory Ishapore||25 in (635 mm)||45.5 in (1,160 mm)||weapon_bren
|-
|-
|}
|}
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<hr>
<hr>
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 the 1982 Falklands War. Although fitted with a [[bipod]], it could also be mounted on a tripod or be vehicle-mounted.
The Bren is a British light machine gun ([[LMG]]) originally chambered in [[.303 British|.303 British]] (7.7×56mmR). It is best known for its distinctive top-mounted magazine, quick-change barrel, and a reputation for reliability and accuracy in sustained infantry support fire. The design was derived from a Czechoslovak ZB-series light machine gun and was adopted and produced for British and Commonwealth service.
==HISTORY==
The Bren (from “Brno” and “Enfield”) was developed in the 1930s as a British-licensed adaptation of the Czechoslovak ZB design lineage, selected after interwar trials and refined for British production and doctrine. Adopted in 1938, it served as the standard section light machine gun for British and Commonwealth forces through World War II, valued for controllable automatic fire, ease of barrel changes, and consistent performance in harsh field conditions.
 
In Vietnam, Bren guns appeared during the First Indochina War (1946–1954) among the varied small arms used by French Union forces and associated units operating across difficult terrain and waterways. Contemporary accounts of French operations note .303 Bren guns used as light machine gun armament on some amphibious “Crabe” vehicles in Tonkin, illustrating the weapon’s continued utility in the theatre. As stocks and captured arms circulated across the region, Bren guns and closely related ZB-pattern light machine guns could also be encountered in smaller numbers alongside more common postwar machine guns during the transition into later conflicts.


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.
===Sources===
=HISTORY=
* [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30029670 Imperial War Museums (IWM) – .303 Bren Mk1 light machine gun (collection entry)]
China modified the Bren post WW2. They captured many guns from Kuomintang. Some converted to fire 7.62x39 caliber ammunition from ammo supplied by their Soviet allies. It was used during the Korean War. They then found there way into Vietnam.
* [https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1978-11-59-1 National Army Museum – Bren .303 inch Mk I light machine gun, 1938 (collection entry)]
<br>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bren_light_machine_gun SOURCE]
* [https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/bren-gun-9781782000822/ Osprey Publishing – ''The Bren Gun'' (Neil Grant)]
* [https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/french-armour-in-vietnam-194554-9781472831828/ Osprey Publishing – ''French Armour in Vietnam 1945–54'' (Simon Dunstan)]
<hr>
<hr>


 
<div class="mw-collapsible" style="border:1px solid #ccc; padding:5px; width:100%;">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
  <div style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold;">Real-Life Photos</div>
File:Bren wog.jpg
  <div class="mw-collapsible-content" style="margin-top:0.5em;">
    <gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
File:Bren wog.jpg|Bren light machine gun
File:Allied Forces in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H11120.jpg|A Bren gunner of the Norwegian Brigade takes aim during training at Dumfries, Scotland, 27 June 1941.
File:Allied Forces in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H11120.jpg|A Bren gunner of the Norwegian Brigade takes aim during training at Dumfries, Scotland, 27 June 1941.
File:26308884075 64012cb20e b-1.jpg|ARVN training with the L4? Bren in Vietnam
File:26308884075 64012cb20e b-1.jpg|ARVN training with a Bren-pattern light machine gun in Vietnam.
File:Breennnnn.jpg|Bren in Vietnam
File:Breennnnn.jpg|Bren gun in Cambodia.
File:VeronicaFoster-RonnieBrenGunGirl-smoke.jpg|Veronica Foster as "Ronnie, the Bren Gun Girl", was a Canadian icon for women working in war production
File:VeronicaFoster-RonnieBrenGunGirl-smoke.jpg|Veronica Foster as "Ronnie, the Bren Gun Girl", a Canadian icon for women working in wartime production.
</gallery>
    </gallery>
 
  </div>
</div>


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Latest revision as of 23:52, 24 February 2026

Factions Weapon Icon Classes Ammo

VC
Bren		 Gunner
 30 / 120
Damage Base Headshot × Chest × Stomach × Leg × Arm × Bayonet Rifle Grenades Reload Speed
Partial Empty
46 ×2.3 = 105.8 ×1 = 46 ×0.95 = 43.7 ×0.6 = 27.6 ×0.55 = 25.3 NO NO 3.5 Seconds 4.166 Seconds
Designation Weapon Type Fire Modes Fire Rate Bullet Spread ° Bipod Bullet Spread ° Range Modifier Muzzle Velocity Projectile weight Weight
Bren LMG Auto 500 RPM 9.03° & 2.35° ADS 2.19° & 0.7° ADS 0.925 735 m/s 7.9 g (121.9 gr) 7.4kg (16.3 lbs)
Full name Caliber Place of Origin Date Manufacturer Barrel Length Total Length Weapon Script Name
Bren light machine gun 7.62x39mm Czechoslovakia (Original)
China (This Variant)		 1935 Royal Small Arms Factory
John Inglis and Company
Lithgow Small Arms Factory
Rifle Factory Ishapore		 25 in (635 mm) 45.5 in (1,160 mm) weapon_bren


The Bren is a British light machine gun (LMG) originally chambered in .303 British (7.7×56mmR). It is best known for its distinctive top-mounted magazine, quick-change barrel, and a reputation for reliability and accuracy in sustained infantry support fire. The design was derived from a Czechoslovak ZB-series light machine gun and was adopted and produced for British and Commonwealth service.

HISTORY

The Bren (from “Brno” and “Enfield”) was developed in the 1930s as a British-licensed adaptation of the Czechoslovak ZB design lineage, selected after interwar trials and refined for British production and doctrine. Adopted in 1938, it served as the standard section light machine gun for British and Commonwealth forces through World War II, valued for controllable automatic fire, ease of barrel changes, and consistent performance in harsh field conditions.

In Vietnam, Bren guns appeared during the First Indochina War (1946–1954) among the varied small arms used by French Union forces and associated units operating across difficult terrain and waterways. Contemporary accounts of French operations note .303 Bren guns used as light machine gun armament on some amphibious “Crabe” vehicles in Tonkin, illustrating the weapon’s continued utility in the theatre. As stocks and captured arms circulated across the region, Bren guns and closely related ZB-pattern light machine guns could also be encountered in smaller numbers alongside more common postwar machine guns during the transition into later conflicts.

Sources

Real-Life Photos
  • Bren light machine gun
    Bren light machine gun
  • A Bren gunner of the Norwegian Brigade takes aim during training at Dumfries, Scotland, 27 June 1941.
    A Bren gunner of the Norwegian Brigade takes aim during training at Dumfries, Scotland, 27 June 1941.
  • ARVN training with a Bren-pattern light machine gun in Vietnam.
    ARVN training with a Bren-pattern light machine gun in Vietnam.
  • Bren gun in Cambodia.
    Bren gun in Cambodia.
  • Veronica Foster as "Ronnie, the Bren Gun Girl", a Canadian icon for women working in wartime production.
    Veronica Foster as "Ronnie, the Bren Gun Girl", a Canadian icon for women working in wartime production.
Videos
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