A .303 calibre light machine gun use by the
British army from 1939 up to the present. The bren light
machine gun was developed in 1937 and 1938 by the
Czech company Zbrojovka Brno (or Brno Arms Factory), and built by the
Royal Small Arms Factory at
Enfield Lock. The bren carried a 30-round box magazine (100-round drums were available for
anti-aircraft use as well) and could be fitted with a
bipod for prone firing, a
tripod for standing, or an elevated tripod for
anti-aircraft use. Its gas-driven action could fire over 500 rounds per minute.
Every
infantry section had a "
Bren group" that carried and operated one Bren gun, this allowed advances to be covered by
automatic weapons fire, since the bren could be carried as fast as the infantry could advance.
For the film buffs, besides dozens of WWII movies, a Bren also makes an appearance in "
Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels".